Meet the KFS 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
General Manager
Radhika Maira Tabrez is a writer, editor, L&D specialist, 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 since then, including most recently in The Bridport Prize 2023 anthology. 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. Her family fell head over heels for Kamloops within her first month and decided to drop anchor. She holds Director positions on the Board of Western Canada Theatre, and the Kamloops Sexual Assault Counselling Centre. She also hosts a show on CFBX 92.5. She joined the Kamloops Film Society in July of 2022 as Operations Manager and was promoted to General Manager in November 2023.
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!). Some of her favourite T.V. series are House MD, The West Wing, The Newsroom, and Everybody Loves Raymond. Radhika is always up for a discussion on travel, politics, economics, philosophy, or movies. She is pathologically incapable of ever saying no to kettle chips, chocolate ice cream, or a cup of piping hot Indian masala chai.
Kaitlin Vander Wal
Marketing and Design Coordinator
Kaitlin, is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator who graduated from Thompson River University with a diploma in Digital Art & Design in 2012.
Born and raised in Penticton, Kaitlin has been a resident of Kamloops since 2006. Her diverse interests include gaming with her husband, outdoor adventures like hiking with her dog, camping with her family, and a strong affinity for cinema and the world of media. She is a dedicated advocate for animals, particularly dogs.
Her creative spirit is driven by a desire to share and discuss the art of animation and film.
Her favourite movies are, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Exorcist III, & The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Mary Falade
Assistant Black Film Festival Coordinator
Mary is a Nigerian-Canadian who has lived in Kamloops with her family since 2010. She recently graduated from UBC with a BA in Psychology and a minor in English. Passionate about creating change in her community, Mary has been involved in various social justice and DEI initiatives over the past years. In 2020 she co-founded Motion of Colour, a youth-centered non-profit organization promoting anti-racism in Kamloops.
As a creator and lover of stories, Mary has always had an interest in films. She loves to explore genres, but especially enjoys psychological thrillers, mysteries, and animated movies.
Her favourite movies include Spirited Away, The Harder They Fall, The Others, Parasite, Nope, Enemy, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Mary also enjoys writing, reading, and drawing in her spare time.
Shay Paul
Assistant Kamloops Film 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).
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.