ABOUT The Ely Film, Art, & Music Festival

Ely, Nevada has a long-standing history of being photogenic and embodying the character of the open west. With its historic buildings and train, gorgeous mountain landscape, and friendly community, Ely has been an inspirational oasis for filmmakers, artists and musicians since the 1920s

Our commitment to expanding educational opportunities for students, and to inspire the next generation of artists, musicians, writers, and cinematographers, combined with a dedicated effort to bring quality films, art, and music together with working arts industry professionals, has enabled the Ely Film Festival to grow into the bigger and better Ely Film, Art, and Music Festival.

The Ely F.A.M. Festival is a celebration that seeks to enlighten and entertain festival-goers from all over the world, while highlighting the diverse perspectives and unique artistic expressions that have colored our home city for over one hundred years.

Movies filmed in Ely and White Pine County, NEVADA include: The Covered Wagon, Operation Haylift, Lust for Freedom, Once Upon a Texas Train, Guncrazy, Roadside Prophets, My Blueberry Nights, Rat Race, Infernum, Reaptown, Horror in the High, Desert, Horror in the High Desert ll, The Great Darkened Days, Poderoso Victoria, Wizard of Mars, Rat Race, My Blueberry Nights, Play Dead, The Great Basin, LIE, Lust for Freedom, Once Upon a Texas Train, Windows of Heaven, and Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West, just to name a few.

Built between 1939 and 1941, Ely’s Central Theatre evokes the grandeur of the Art Deco movement. Originally built as a 725-seat theater, The Central was advertised as “The Finest Theater in Eastern Nevada .” The two-story building features its original vertical central neon sign over the marquee. Preserved over the years, visitors can still experience lavish colors, decor, and rich fabrics. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 5, 1993. Ely’s Central Theatre celebrated its 80th birthday on March 29, 2021!

Ely is the Heart of the Great Basin, boasting an elevated quality of life in the high desert mountains of Eastern Nevada. Connect with Nevada’s rich history at the Nevada Northern Railway and the White Pine Public Museum. Get into the mountains for the best hiking and mountain biking in the Silver State. Cast a line or camp at our state parks and recreation areas. Take in the majestic Mt. Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park and explore Lehman Caves. Ely is the epicenter of activity in Eastern Nevada. Your key to discovering the character of this melting pot community is found through its cherished public art.

ELY FILM, ART, & MUSIC FESTIVAL: A BRIEF HISTORY

The idea of a Film Festival in Ely had percolated in the community as far back as the late 1990’s, when it was brought up in a local writer’s group meeting. In 2019, the White Pine Main Street Association (WPMSA) formed the beginnings of a community event with the express purpose of helping to support and revitalize businesses in White Pine County. Committees are often the death of a good idea, but in this case, strong committee membership and the development of the Nevada Northern Railway (NNRy) as a well-used film location gave a firm foundation to the film festival idea.

An award-winning Canadian film, The Great Darkened Days, had recently completed at the Nevada Northern Railway’s East Ely Depot. Reaptown had also recently been filmed in the  historic engine houses and rail yard, and was ready for its world premiere. The confluence of films and locations was further supported by the fact that Reaptown was the third film production by Ely native, Dutch Marich, who was and continues to be developing a reputation as a writer/filmmaker in Hollywood.  Maxime Giroux, the writer/director of The Great Darkened Days, and Mr. Marich both agreed to show their films at the inaugural Ely Film Festival on March 13-14-15, 2020. The two filmmakers also decided to participate in panel discussions, film location tours, and discuss their films before and after their showings at Ely’s historic Central Theater.  Kyle Ford, another native Ely son making his mark as a professional videographer, Robin Holabird, former Nevada Film Board commissioner and noted film author and reviewer, and David Purdy, videographer/writer/producer of Spirit of Nevada, all participated in panel discussions. Each of the panel members helped in the judging of the inaugural 5-minute Short-Film contest. Kathy Ong-Sisolak, Nevada’s First Lady, was also part of the jury and presented her own “First Lady’s Choice” award. The film contest was open to students 18 years old & under. Entries came from Ely, Baker, and Eskdale, Utah.

No endeavor succeeds without financial support. The festival’s first financial backing was a grant from the Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership in December 2019 that helped launch the event. Additional financial backing came from KGHM Robinson Mine, Fiore Gold, (now Calibre Mining Corp.), and Kinross Bald Mountain mine. The support of the local community fortified the efforts of the festival committee.

During that first year, although the COVID-19 pandemic developed globally in mid March of 2020, there was local concern the inaugural festival would not happen at all. With the support given the festival by the community during those early days of uncertainty about the virus, the committee determined it important to proceed. One year later, with the respiratory disease still replicating and spreading, the second Ely Film Festival in 2021 went completely virtual. After two years of public health measures, audience and gathering restrictions, and social distancing, the festival committee launched a new, more significant, broader scoped, and more inclusive cultural arts festival for their third year. Growing in its capacity and increasing its caliber, 2022’s Ely Film, Art, and Music Festival (FAM) celebrated its first fully realized, Covid free event.  Championing the diversity of the cultural arts, The Ely FAM showcased an array of creative work from filmmakers, artists, and talented musicians. 

March 10-11-12, 2023, will again grant Ely and White Pine County the chance to elevate young students and independent filmmakers, artists, and musicians, by providing them their spotlight in historic and cherished locations throughout Ely.  

The Ely Film, Art, and Music Festival is open to all who wish to highlight their talent in these three categories of artistic expression. As the Ely FAM Festival grows, we strive to improve offerings to the artists and the festival-going public. Our committee is focused on building community partnerships with organizations that can assist in developing and promoting cultural arts education programs to benefit student and novice filmmakers, artists, and musicians.