The week of October 3rd brings together folks from all over the entertainment industry to Duluth. Four festivals have joined in union under the banner of North Star Story Summit to connect and bring artists from all over the country.

Lasting from 9am to 11pm on Thursday, October 3rd, through Sunday, the 7th, the festival invites creators and enjoyers of film to gather in downtown Duluth and share their projects, no matter the stage.

The festival has multiple, screenings, workshops, and pitch rooms spread throughout the Zeitgeist this year. This has been happening annually for each individual festival, but in recent years they have begun to collaborate.

The Catalyst Content Festival is focused on episodic content and the process of making television while the Duluth-Superior Film Festival is focused on the films made. The other two festivals are the EDU Film Festival and the Minnesota Webfest, helping teach the youth about the tools of entertainment and highlighting the creations based on the internet respectively.

This is quite unheard of compared to other festivals around the country as they bring themselves together while staying independent non-profit organizations. Ahmos Hassan, producer for the opening film of the festival, Cash for Gold, expressed his perspective coming from L.A.

“I think it’s great. There are none of the festivals that we have been to do that. And what’s great about it is the synergy of all of that. It sort of has an overarching effect of building the filmmaking community, creating a hub of entertainment, development, and so on here”

The opening film for the festival was shot in Chisholm, MN and then debuted at the North Star Story Summit. The writer, producer, and director all fell in love with the location for their film and called upon the Upper Midwest Film Office as well as other businesses to get local help.

North Star Story Summit will have a variety of activities throughout the four days. The schedule can be found on their website or also connected on each festival’s personal website.