About the KFS
The Kamloops Film Society (KFS) is the umbrella organization that operates the Paramount Theatre and the Twin Rivers Drive-In, as well as running four main events: The Thursday Film Series, the Indigenous Film Festival (in partnership with Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc), CinéLoops: French Film Festival (in partnership with the Kamloops Francophone Association) and the annual March Kamloops Film Festival (KFF), which includes the Kamloops Independent Short Shorts (KISS) Festival.
The KFS has been operating for 50 years, officially incorporating under the British Columbia Societies Act on August 17, 1994.
NICE
The Kamloops Film Society is a proud Member of The Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors (NICE). NICE is an alliance of Canadian independent cinemas, festivals and professional programmers offering curated film programming to public audiences. NICE film exhibitors are community oriented; they provide a meeting space for audiences and present high quality Canadian and international films.
KFS History
The forerunners of the Kamloops Film Society—the Thompson Valley Film Society, the Cariboo College Film Society and the Cariboo Film Society—screened 16mm films, first, at the Cariboo College campus cafeteria, then at the South-Central Health Unit auditorium in 1973. In the late 1980s, films were screened at the newly constructed University College of the Cariboo Clock Tower building’s Alumni Theatre. By that time, 35mm films were the new standard and the Society needed to rent a theatre with the appropriate projection equipment; it began screening 35mm films Sunday afternoons at the 404-seat North Hills Theatre.
After several years at the North Hills, Society members expressed a preference for a downtown location. The Society moved its showings to the old Odeon Cineplex Theatre on Victoria at 6th Ave from 1999 to 2001 and initiated Thursday night screenings at 7:30 pm. When that theatre closed, the Paramount theatre offered the Society Thursday night screening times at 7 pm, and fully accommodated the annual March Kamloops Film Festival, and that theatre has been the home of the Society ever since.
In the spring of 2019, The Kelson Group purchased the Paramount Theatre from Landmark Cinemas and leased the venue to the KFS to continue operations. The support of The Kelson Group and Ron Fawcett has made the venture possible as The KFS continues to try to make the theatre a viable cultural venue.
Society Mission Statement
Kamloops Film Society provides publicly screened, hand-picked, diverse, high-quality films and supports film-related activities in the community of Kamloops and Area.
The mission of the KFS is to bring the best in independent, Canadian and foreign cinema to Kamloops. The Society’s series and festival bring film lovers together to experience the best in cinema.
As well, the Society endeavours to promote and support filmmaking and related visual media in the Kamloops area by offering grants periodically throughout each year when able to do so.
Governance
The Society is governed by a Constitution and By-laws, most recently updated in 2017. The 10 member Board of Directors meets monthly and the Society holds its Annual General Meeting in November each year. The KFS board of directors are as follows:
- Tom Friedman – Chair
- Adam Trudel – Treasurer
- Terri Anne Wilson – Secretary
- Esther Miller
- Justin deVries
- Laura Michel
- Kevin Martin
- Murray Dickinson
- Nathalie Wandler
- Brian Mitchell – Special Advisor to the Board
Staff
Dušan Magdolen
Executive Director
Dušan was born in Slovakia, but has been in Kamloops since elementary school and considers it his home town. He graduated from Thompson Rivers University with a BBA in Marketing and a BA in Theatre, and obtained his MBA in Strategic Marketing Management from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire.
Dušan has been involved with the Kamloops Film Society for almost 15 years, first as a Kamloops Film Festival (KFF) Committee Member, then also as a Society Board Member, then as the KFF Chair, then as a part-time Executive Director, and now as the full-time ED , overseeing the operations of the Paramount Theatre and the Twin Rivers Drive-In, and the society’s many events and initiatives.
Dušan started his career path as the Marketing & Communications Manager for Western Canada Theatre for six years and then spent six years as the Development Director for the School of Trades and Technology and the Aboriginal Education Department at Thompson Rivers University. He has also served as the General Manager, then Artistic Producer, of Project X Theatre, and is an award winning filmmaker, a produced playwright, and at times, even a performer.
Dušan’s favourite films include American Beauty, The Band’s Visit, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Amélie, Warrior, and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.
Radhika Maira Tabrez
Operations Manager
Radhika Maira Tabrez is a writer, editor, L&D specialist, Tedx speaker, and radio show host. Her debut novel ‘In The Light Of Darkness’ won the much-coveted Muse India – Satish Verma Young Writer Award in 2016. Radhika’s stories and essays have appeared in over a dozen anthologies and magazines since then.
In 2018, she became the first Indian ever to speak at a TEDx event in Bangladesh. She won the Rising Stars India Award (2017), and 100 Most Inspiring Writers by Indian Awaaz (2018). She was one of the Program Mentors for the Chevening Writers Series held in Malaysia in 2020.
Radhika is an MBA from SIBM (Pune, India) where she went on to become the first and to date the only female president of the Students’ Council in the almost fifty-year history of the institute.
After short stints in Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Penang (Malaysia), Radhika is now building a new nest in sunny Kamloops. She fell head over heels for Kamloops within her first month and hopes to drop anchor here. She is an influencer for Tourism Kamloops and a radio show host on CFBX 92.5. She volunteers with Kamloops Sexual Assault Counselling Centre and PitStop at Kamloops United Church. Prior to joining KFS, she was working with Western Canada Theatre as a Community Engagement Assistant.
Radhika is an avid film buff and one of her screenplays (based on her debut novel) won a national-level competition in India. Her all-time favourite movies are Little Miss Sunshine, The Terminal, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Lagaan, and Rang De Basanti (amongst a zillion others!). On television some of her favourite series are House MD, The West Wing, The Newsroom, and Everybody Loves Raymond. Radhika is always up for a discussion on travel, politics, philosophy, or movies. She is pathologically incapable of ever saying no to kettle chips, chocolate ice cream, or Indian masala chai.
Shay Paul
Assistant Indigenous Festival Coordinator
Shay is a Secwepemc multi-media artist, graphic designer, and community organizer from Tk’emlups te Secwepemc. She is currently attending Thompson Rivers University to obtain a Bachelors in Tourism Management to further build the grassroots art collective she founded in 2021, the Indigenous Resurgence Project. Shay has been managing and coordinating a variety of different special events and artisan markets since 2018, focusing specifically on arts and culture in Indigenous communities. As an artist herself, Shay appreciates the work that goes into every creative piece and is always interested in talking about art and going to cultural events.
In her free time, Shay enjoys drawing fantasy-inspired art and takes stylistic elements from some of her favourite movies and video games. She loves watching films and enjoys thought-provoking thrillers, ‘whodunit’ mysteries, and action-adventure genres.
Some of Shay’s favourite films are Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Dune (2021), Akira, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and Blood Quantum.
Sam Theriault
DCP & FOH Coordinator
Sam was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1999 but has lived in Kamloops for around 10 years. He is currently attending Thompson Rivers University pursuing a Bachelor of Journalism degree. His love of film has led him to many film sets where he’s volunteered for the past year in the sound department, as a grip and as a production assistant. He also spent a summer at Joy Factory Films as a PA.
He is very proud to have his own IMDB page.
Sam’s favourite movies include Dog Day Afternoon, Call Me By Your Name, In Bruges, Blindspotting, Moonrise Kingdom, and What We Do in the Shadows.
Des Geddes
FOH Coordinator
Des has recently graduated in the Bachelor of Arts program at TRU with a Theatre Major. In their free time they love to play with their ferrets, snuggle their cat, tidy their house, and play D&D. They were born and raised in Creston, BC and moved to Kamloops for school in 2017. Des misses Creston sometimes, and reminisces about working along side their mom at their theatre in Creston when they were growing up. Des is excited to once again be cleaning bathrooms in a theatre, just like the old days.
Des’ favourite movies are Beetlejuice, Pulp Fiction, Heathers, Labyrinth, and Get Out.
Leonardo Barragan
FOH Coordinator
Leo was born in Mexico City in 1999, and spent his early years living in different parts of Mexico, but at this point, has lived in Canada for the majority of his life. He’s currently studying at Thompson Rivers University, and is pursuing a major in English and a minor in Theatre. His main passions are films and music, and he’s created several short scripts and short films, with the hopes of pursuing a career in film, television, or theatre.
His favorite movies include Amores Perros, Call Me By Your Name, Kicking & Screaming (1995), and The Godfather (Pt 1 & 2).
Asem Ibrahim
FOH Coordinator
Hello, I’m Asem Ibrahim. I just got a new position at Kamloops Film Society. I am more than grateful to take this opportunity as a front of house coordinator. I am a young man that graduated high school not so long ago and wanted to move on to university to study psychology. I am extremely excited for this new position because I want to make sure customers get the best service, and enjoy while they are there.
Tony Iuga
FOH Coordinator
Tony is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Business program at TRU but has always had an interest in cinema and acting. He also enjoys travelling, photography, and concerts.
His favourite movies are The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Big Short, The Departed, and Inception.
Jorja King-Jones
FOH Coordinator
Jorja is a TRU student studying general arts with an interest in film studies. In her spare time, Jorja likes performing with other musicians, playing the drums or singing! She also enjoys painting.
Her favorite films are Clue, Nope, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off .
Regha Varghese Mattamana
FOH Coordinator
Regha is an international graduate from Thompson Rivers University and works as an Early Childhood Educator. She has completed her masters in Marketing from Bangalore university. Kamloops has been home to her since 2019. She enjoys baking and organising during her spare time.
She is really excited to be a part of the Kamloops Film Society family. She enjoys rewatching old movies and prefers realistic movies over fictional ones. Her favourite movies are 2018, The Pursuit of Happiness, and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Her friends describe her as hardworking, determined and fun person to be around.
Bin Monteith
FOH Coordinator
Bin was born and raised in Kamloops. He studied theatre at Thompson Rivers University as well as business and science briefly. He loves to watch, re-watch and analyze all things Survivor and also enjoys playing D&D.
Bin’s favourite movies are Big Trouble, Shrek 2, The Court Jester, Vampire’s Kiss, and Get Out.
Ashik George Thomas
FOH Coordinator
George was born and raised in Mumbai (India), but is currently living in Kamloops to pursue his Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Finance from Thompson Rivers University. His love for Cinema has led him to interact and work on a few short films with other cinephiles, with his main interests being cinematography and writing. George also enjoy reading.
George’s favourite films are The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Taxi Driver, The Killing, M, and The Red Shoes.