The Grand Marais Film Society returns for its third year, kicking off "spooky season" with a double feature
Oct 15, 2025 08:49AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: Zhyar Ibrahim on Unsplash.com
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - October 15, 2025
At the beginning of the month, movie lovers throughout the community celebrated the announcement that the Grand Marais Film Society (GMFS) has officially launched its third season of monthly film screenings at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts (ACA), beginning late October. The volunteer-run organization was formed in 2023 by a group of Cook County residents with the goal to provide local movie theater experiences due to the nearest movie theater requiring travel to Duluth, Ely, or Thunder Bay, Canada.
According to an email from the GMFS, the 2025-2026 season is scheduled to kick off on October 25th with a double feature for the "spooky season." The first screening at 6:00 p.m. will be an all-ages movie, while a later movie (8:15 p.m. start time) will be a horror film that's targeted towards an older crowd. (Due to regulations around film promotion and obtaining the rights to stream movies, the title is not allowed to be publicized on this platform. Please visit the GMFS Facebook group or the ticketing page to see the title and description.)
The Film Society's initial season began in October 2023 and returned for a successful season in 2024. Thanks to support from Visit Cook County, the price for individual tickets was reduced to $5 (plus a small ticketing fee) for the 2024 season, and this will again be the case for the upcoming season.
Also, like last year, the GMFS is again offering two forms of bundled passes: season tickets and a "patron" option. Season tickets are available for $40 and cover all eight films. According to the GMFS, it "helps us to budget for the year." The patron option is $80 and includes tickets to all eight films, plus the choice of a treat from Kirsten Wisniewski of Crybaby Pies at each screening. The patron option also consists of a $25 donation to the Film Society. GMFS hopes to secure 50 season ticket holders for the current year.
Tom Morse, GMFS co-founder and board member, shared that the organization has received a donation of sound equipment valued at over $30,000 from the Twin Cities music venue Icehouse, which they hope to have installed this winter. "Our hope is that this will be a significant improvement for all of the groups that make use of the ACA," he said, before adding, "As an all-volunteer organization, we use any funds beyond our basic operating costs to make improvements to the ACA."
Last year, the group announced plans to install a new screen at the ACA to improve the movie viewing experience. However, according to the GMFS board, scheduling conflicts with a screen sewer prevented that from happening. According to the group, if the upcoming ISD 166 bond referendum passes, they will participate in discussions about the new drop-down projection screen planned as part of the proposed improvements (other proposed improvements include improving ADA accessibility and updating the outdated catwalk system, lighting, and other technology from the 1990s, when the ACA was originally built). If the bond referendum doesn't pass, they will be back in touch with the screen sewer.
To see the list of movie dates for the 2025-2026 season, or purchase tickets (including season or patron passes), click here.
To learn more about the Grand Marais Film Society, click here.
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - October 15, 2025
At the beginning of the month, movie lovers throughout the community celebrated the announcement that the Grand Marais Film Society (GMFS) has officially launched its third season of monthly film screenings at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts (ACA), beginning late October. The volunteer-run organization was formed in 2023 by a group of Cook County residents with the goal to provide local movie theater experiences due to the nearest movie theater requiring travel to Duluth, Ely, or Thunder Bay, Canada.
According to an email from the GMFS, the 2025-2026 season is scheduled to kick off on October 25th with a double feature for the "spooky season." The first screening at 6:00 p.m. will be an all-ages movie, while a later movie (8:15 p.m. start time) will be a horror film that's targeted towards an older crowd. (Due to regulations around film promotion and obtaining the rights to stream movies, the title is not allowed to be publicized on this platform. Please visit the GMFS Facebook group or the ticketing page to see the title and description.)
The Film Society's initial season began in October 2023 and returned for a successful season in 2024. Thanks to support from Visit Cook County, the price for individual tickets was reduced to $5 (plus a small ticketing fee) for the 2024 season, and this will again be the case for the upcoming season.
Also, like last year, the GMFS is again offering two forms of bundled passes: season tickets and a "patron" option. Season tickets are available for $40 and cover all eight films. According to the GMFS, it "helps us to budget for the year." The patron option is $80 and includes tickets to all eight films, plus the choice of a treat from Kirsten Wisniewski of Crybaby Pies at each screening. The patron option also consists of a $25 donation to the Film Society. GMFS hopes to secure 50 season ticket holders for the current year.
Tom Morse, GMFS co-founder and board member, shared that the organization has received a donation of sound equipment valued at over $30,000 from the Twin Cities music venue Icehouse, which they hope to have installed this winter. "Our hope is that this will be a significant improvement for all of the groups that make use of the ACA," he said, before adding, "As an all-volunteer organization, we use any funds beyond our basic operating costs to make improvements to the ACA."
Last year, the group announced plans to install a new screen at the ACA to improve the movie viewing experience. However, according to the GMFS board, scheduling conflicts with a screen sewer prevented that from happening. According to the group, if the upcoming ISD 166 bond referendum passes, they will participate in discussions about the new drop-down projection screen planned as part of the proposed improvements (other proposed improvements include improving ADA accessibility and updating the outdated catwalk system, lighting, and other technology from the 1990s, when the ACA was originally built). If the bond referendum doesn't pass, they will be back in touch with the screen sewer.
To see the list of movie dates for the 2025-2026 season, or purchase tickets (including season or patron passes), click here.
To learn more about the Grand Marais Film Society, click here.
