Brand

About

Knife River offers a look into the intersecting lives of the ordinary people that form an extraordinary community. The unincorporated village of Knife River is home to fewer than 300 residents, each weaving their own compelling backstory into the tapestry that makes up this self-governing town. The documentary explores a year in the community, its rich history, and the unique lives of those who reside there.

Crowdfunding

A large portion of our new Kickstarter campaign is focused on shooting more 16mm motion picture film. Filmmakers are constantly on the lookout for the tools that will best convey their story and give them the best results. Digital filmmaking has a lot to offer, but the quality of 16mm speaks to us as filmmakers and, ultimately, the character of our documentary.

Your support is key to our success. What do you say? Here we go.

Our Team

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Justin Christopher Ayd

Director & Producer

Justin is a Minneapolis-based documentary filmmaker and producer who is currently the film specialist/projectionist for the Walker Art Center and assists with 70mm exclusives at Emagine Willow Creek. His first short “The Man in the Booth”, about the end of 35mm film projection, premiered on Twin Cities PBS in 2015, and his second, “Grandpa Ben”, premiered at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival in 2018. In addition to a handful of narratives and documentaries, he has worked on various video projects for local political campaigns and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

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Jennifer Lillemo Ayd

Producer

Jennifer is a writer, artist, and producer. Her film experience includes work both in front of and behind the camera. She’s served as a Supervising Producer on all of Justin’s major productions, beginning with the narrative feature "Enola" in 2006. In 2016, she co-produced a short-subject documentary for the Fundación de Sobrevivientes de Tráfico Humano, a non-profit located in Santa Ana, CA, dedicated to providing resources to survivors of human trafficking. The short-subject documentary “Grandpa Ben” focused on her maternal grandfather and his storied life; the film premiered at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival in 2018.

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Mike Scholtz

Producer

Mike is a Duluth-based documentary filmmaker. His first feature-length film was "Wild Bill's Run," a documentary about the charismatic leader of a snowmobiling expedition to Moscow during the height of the Cold War. He also produced the competitive jigsaw puzzling documentary "Wicker Kittens," which premiered at SXSW in 2014. Scholtz is one of the founders of the Free Range Film Festival, an annual celebration of independent cinema that takes place in a 100-year-old barn outside of Wrenshall, Minnesota. His most recent film, “Riplist”, will premiere at the Fargo Film Festival in March.

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Kevin Horn

Cinematographer - Super8 & 16mm

Kevin Horn is a Cinematographer based in Los Angeles, CA. He got his start making skateboarding films, and has since gone on to shoot feature films, music videos, and commercials for Target, Fiat, Jameson, and more. Kevin has self-published three photo books and runs a quarterly skateboarding magazine called Anomaly. When Kevin's not on set, skateboarding, or searching the streets for reflected light, he's printing in his home darkroom.

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Miranda Langevin

Cinematographer - 16mm

Miranda is a photographer and DP based out of Minneapolis, MN. She has worked on a number of narrative films, commercials, and TV shows both within the state and around the world, on a variety of mediums including 16mm and 35mm motion picture film.

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Johnathon Olsen

Editor

Johnathon is a filmmaker and commercial editor based in Milwaukee. His debut feature film waltz premiered at the Wisconsin Film Festival in 2009. Since then he has split his time between his own films and collaborations with others on projects that have screened around the country.

Gallery

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Press

600 Twelve Oaks Center Drive
Suite 209
Wayzata, MN 55391
Phone: 952-334-5290

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