Picked by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the "50 Greatest Independent Films" in a special supplement devoted to independent films that was only distributed to subscribers in November 1997.
Northern Lights at times suggests the early work of Ingmar Bergman, where the visual bleakness of the background emphasizes the emotions of the people... at times too, it's reminiscent of the stories of Sinclair Lewis and John Steinbeck (New York Daily News).
Northern Lights premiered in Crosby, North Dakota, on July 12, 1978.
Northern Lights won the Cannes Film Festival Golden Camera Award in the spring of 1979.
Although John Hanson and Rob Nilsson shared overall direction of Northern Lights each soon carved out a sphere of influence. Hanson was technical director, Nilsson was the dramatic overseer. Neither hesitated to make suggestions to the other, however. Women played key roles in the creation of the film. Judy Irola produced the award-winning photography. Sandra Schulberg was associate producer. And Joan Musante was sound recordist. Of the rest of the film crew half were women.