The 27th Annual Kamloops Film Festival

That’s a wrap on the 27th Annual Kamloops Film Festival! From the World Premiere of the Kamloops filmed Outrunners to the food, drink, magic and dance filled Closing Party, KFF 2023 was triumph. We are so thankful to everyone who attended the films, and the pre and post-film events; as well as our Festival Committee, our staff, the KFS Board, and all the amazing volunteers! 

The most popular (best attended) film was The Whale (which returns for 7 more screenings) and the Audience Choice (as chosen through the audience rating cards) was Elvis with an average rating of 9.37 / 10. The runner-up was Finding Fred Lee with a rating of 9.31 / 10. The total attendance was 5,076, which is less than 200 shy from our all-time record and a 51% increase from 2022!! As well, KFF 2023 set a new sponsorship record in an environment where other events are struggling to meet targets. We are so thankful to our sponsors and supporters for their ongoing commitment to this event.

The Oscar Awards Ceremony was aired on the night after the end of the Festival and the KFF was fortunate enough to have played a few of the films that won and were nominated for these prestigious awards. Everything Everywhere All at Once was played on our closing night and won Best Picture, Best Director(s), Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. Earlier in the week, we played THE WHALE, which won an award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and earned Brendan Fraser the Best Actor award. Other Oscar nominated films that we played included: Banshees of Inisherin with 9 nominations, ELVIS with 8 nominations, Triangle of Sadness with 3 nominations, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris with 1 nomination for Best Costume Design, Empire of Light with 1 nomination for Best Cinematography, Aftersun with 1 nomination for Best Actor, and EO with 1 nomination for Best International Feature.

And speaking of awards: The Kamloops Independent Short Shorts (KISS) Film Fest happened on Sunday, March 5. We had a great turnout with over 150 audience members. One of the best ever!!