The Ely Film Festival is a promise of exposure, exploration, and cultural enrichment, and we invite you to bring your creative energies! It’s an event that fuses the magic of cinema, the richness of our shared stories, and the pristine beauty of Ely, Minnesota.
RYAN BAJAN - Director
Boozhoo akinaa wiiyaa. It is an honor to be involved in directing, planning, and facilitating the Ely Film Festival. I currently serve as the Ojibwe Culture Teacher at the Nett Lake School, on the Nett Lake Reservation, with over 16 years working in schools. I also lead programming across the state with Waawaate Programs, our land-based teachings organization. Our family of 6 children live on Robinson Lake in Ely, though many nights are spent in the wild woods surrounding the area.
LACEY SQUIER - Volunteer Coordinator
Lacey Squier serves as the volunteer coordinator for the Ely Film Festival as part of her role as manager of Boundary Waters Connect, a nonprofit sponsor of the festival. Boundary Waters Connect seeks to connect people and resources in ways that grow our Wilderness-edge economy and makes our community even more vibrant – and our Ely Film Festival does just that! Lacey also teaches pie and Slovenian potica at the Ely Folk School, as well as hosts the What’s Up Ely Podcast.
LUCY SODERSTROM - Program Director
In addition to serving as the program director of the Ely Film Festival, Lucy serves as Director at Ely Folk School, where she was initially drawn to its encouragement of the curious mind. She is excited about the upcoming Ely Film Festival and loves the opportunity to work with folks of diverse creative backgrounds.
