Early cinema evolved from late 19th‑century experiments in moving images to silent films that relied on visual performance and title cards. The Lakehead region produced early booster films promoting local industry, notably Port Arthur and Fort William and A Visit from Pharaoh. Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North (1922) emerged from Lakehead editing rooms and became a landmark - though staged – ethnographic documentary.

Local ambitions for a film industry included the short-lived Thunder Bay Films, and the movie The Devil Bear used footage shot by the failed company. The pioneering Amateur Cinema Society of Port Arthur, led by Dorothea Mitchell, produced Canada's first feature length amateur film, A Race for Ties. Thunder Bay’s legacy in filmmaking continued through events like the premiere of The Incredible Journey (1963) and modern talent such as actor Kevin Durand.

The View From Up Here is a six‑part satirical “found‑footage” documentary series about twentieth‑century history in the Thunder Bay region, hosted by local historian Tom Peotto and built from CKPR TV news clips, regional archival footage, and artifacts from the Thunder Bay Museum.