Many of us love going to the movies to escape, to unwind, to learn or for exciting thrills.

Movie watching and movie making are coming together in Duluth this weekend as the Minnesota film festival is being hosted at the Zeitgeist theater complex.

The film festival shines a light on local films, indigenous voices, stories from across the midwest, and beyond.

It’s held annually each spring at the Zeitgeist’s Zinema. Mack McCullum is one of the organizers, she says the film festival brings together film lovers and filmmakers to learn and collaborate.

“It’s this really cool experience that we’re all connected, especially all the creatives. Like we all want to tell stories, we all want to tell things that matter to us. And so it’s happening here. It’s happening across the world. And it can all happen in our neighborhood, which is cool.”

McCullum says for independant movie makers it’s a time to learn more about being better story tellers, screen writers and editors. But that it’s also about connecting with others in the industry and about building the film industry in NE Minnesota.

The Minnesota film festival started Wednesday night and runs through Sunday. Click here for the full schedule.