April 2021
VOL. 29, NO. 12, APRIL 2021 POWERED BY KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK | A PROUD PART OF ABERDEEN PUBLISHING
Art in Public Spaces and local businesses team up to support artists Page 3
Creating a Productive Vegetable Garden Page 5
Death Doula
Local meal kit service available in Kamloops
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Page 16
www.connectornews.ca
Birds in the hand Page 19
KFF 24.5 rises against all odds Submitted by Emily Brown, Patron Engagement Coordinator, KFF
W
hat a year! Many of us are reeling from the fact that it has now been over a year of pandemic life, of this “new normal” that we have all become semiaccustomed. The Kamloops Film Society (and every business for that matter) has been through many highs and lows. This time last year, we had just wrapped up our 24th annual Film Festival. Our closing party was one of the last parties any of us would attend for a long time. The pandemic hit and we had to close the doors of the Paramount Theatre to the public. The world shut down, and like everyone else, we waited in lockdown. In the meantime, we painted upstairs, organized, and kept occupied, but it wasn’t the same as making our delicious popcorn and seeing our favourite patrons. Months passed and finally, a
silver lining: a drive-in! Private bookings! Things to occupy our time and give us a source of revenue. The Twin Rivers Drive-In was a huge success last year, and gave the community a fun and safe event to attend. Summer came and went, the nights started getting colder, so the drive-in closed. However, cases were low so we were able to reopen the Paramount Theatre with a capacity of 50 patrons in each theatre. We started with only our Thursday Film Series, and then cautiously added the weekends as well. The usual stream of patrons was more of a trickle, but it was something! Sadly, as the fall season wore on, the cases grew higher and we had to close once more: no private bookings, no public showings. In February, we were briefly allowed by Interior Health to reopen with private bookings, however, that was revoked by the
Ministry of Health. We were back to waiting. But in the distance, a film festival was on the rise! This journey has been difficult, but we’ve persevered and we’re back in the office fulltime to get ready for our 24.5th Kamloops Film Festival. Once again, the City of Kamloops has been our saviour, because we are able to host the Film Festival
at McArthur Island from April 21 – May 2. We’ll also be offering films online, which means we’ll be showcasing more movies than ever before! We won’t be having any in-person events this year, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some fun and interactive plans up our sleeves. The rise of Zoom meetings and virtual hang outs has given us a unique opportunity to
bring in stars and film lovers from around the globe to enjoy and take part in our festival. In times where we must stay safe and healthy for ourselves and for our loved ones, we’re glad that we can continue the festival in this unique way. Stay tuned for a one of a kind film festival that Kamloops will never forget!
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