KFS staff

Over the past 20 years, Colette has seen first-hand the way film can change the world — particularly when it comes to community-building. A huge fan of cinema and documentary films, she had the good fortune to work alongside film greats on many meaningful projects. For example, she was part of the core grassroots marketing team for The Corporation — one of the country’s top-grossing documentaries of all time. From there, she led impact campaigns for Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein’s powerful documentary film, The Take, before working as distribution lead for the film, 65_RedRoses, helping create awareness for Cystic Fibrosis and organ donor registration. 
As a publicist, Colette has worked throughout Canada supporting events like the Toronto Film Festival, the Whistler Film Festival, and the Banff World Media Festival, as well as working for Entertainment Tonight Canada. 
She has also managed media relations campaigns for several indie and National Film Board releases, and worked as communications lead for conferences like Toronto’s Fail Forward, as well as supporting Vancouver’s Projecting Change Film Festival as executive director for the four-day event. Most recently, Colette worked for the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission.
Originally from Vancouver, she is more than thrilled to call Kamloops home, and she looks forward to drawing on the Kamloops Film Society’s 50-year legacy of collaboration and community — bringing together local arts, culture and business, and more. 

Sam comes from Regina, Saskatchewan but has spent most of his life in B.C. Currently the longest-tenured member of the KFS staff, he worked as a front-of-house staff member while studying for his Bachelor of Journalism degree. As the Programming Manager, he works with the KFS’ presenting partners to bring in a diverse movie selection to serve the wide-ranging tastes of the Paramount’s patrons. He loves the shared experience of going to the theatre and lives for the post-movie discussions.

With a robust career in the rail industry, Kathy brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role in finance, and operations. Her journey spans notable positions at Rocky Mountaineer, CN, and VIA Rail, where she has honed her skills in managing complex financial systems and operational logistics.

Born in Portugal, Ana developed her audiovisual expertise through studies at ISMT and ETIC, further enriched by masterclasses with acclaimed cinematographers Christian Berger (The White Ribbon & Caché) and Larry Smith (Eyes Wide Shut & Only God Forgives), and a photography course led by MoMA’s Sarah Meister.  Between 2020 and 2022, she directed a powerful documentary trilogy across Poland, Peru, and Portugal.

This creative output runs parallel to her significant contributions within cultural organizations. As a project coordinator at the international organization Piano&Coffee since 2015, she has helped bring music videos to life for artists spanning three continents. She was a producer and programmer of the Shortcutz Figueira da Foz film festival between 2017 and 2020, and then took on the position of creative director and chief designer of the Young South Film Festival in 2020. She is also co-founder and creative director of Plutão de Verão, a cultural association promoting cultural, participatory, training, and solidarity projects. Among her most meaningful projects was ShortWeek, a competition set to challenge high-school students to create a short film in just one week. The first two editions saw over 400 participants create 50 movies, and awarded more than 20,000 euros in prizes. 

In 2022, Ana entered the Ethno World and was involved in the photography for Ethno USA. This connection directly led to her latest project: a three-part documentary series she created, focusing on Ethno Chile 2024. Her passion for the music world has also led her to curate and direct the videos for the first Sofar Sounds Faro and participate in the ‘Music For Human Rights‘ project in Israel and Berlin.

Her global contributions consistently highlight her belief in art’s power to connect people and drive positive change.”

Christine is more or less from Kamloops and remembers seeing Logan’s Run in 1976 at the Paramount Theatre. Other notable movies she remembers at the Paramount is a 1981 Double Feature with Wolfen and An American Werewolf in London – and then being to scared to walk home afterwards.

As a Thompson Rivers University (TRU) alumni with a degree in psychology, Sarah Cowger has successfully pivoted from her career as a mental health and substance use clinician into the world of festival planning and coordination. 

Born and raised in Fort St. John, she is now pursuing a post-baccalaureate in marketing at TRU. As the Festival Coordinator for the Kamloops Film Society, Sarah is passionate about organizing engaging experiences and creating shared spaces that foster a sense of belonging within the community.

Juliana, an international student at Thompson Rivers University, is nearing the completion of her Master’s degree in Education. With a decade of experience as an elementary school teacher in Bangalore, India, she relocated to Kamloops to further her education. Juliana began her involvement with the Kamloops Film Society as a volunteer and quickly progressed to the role of Front-of-House Coordinator. She now oversees all rental and booking operations for the organization.