Community Comes Together to Transform the Historic Paramount Theatre Lobby
October 1, 2026
Donated products and services from local businesses and professionals, hours of volunteer labour, and generous community donors have given the Paramount’s lobby a refreshed heart.
The Kamloops Film Society (KFS) is proud to announce that the lobby of the historic Paramount Theatre has been refreshed thanks to the generosity of the local community. The project combined fundraising, donated design services, corporate support, and two weeks of volunteer labour to give the downtown venue a renewed welcome for the thousands of moviegoers and community members who pass through its doors each year.
Last fall, the Society’s “Friends of Film” campaign invited the community to help reimagine the Paramount’s lobby, raising over $15,000 toward the upgrade. Those funds were stretched further through in-kind support, professional expertise, and volunteer effort from across Kamloops.
Over two weeks, 12 KFS staff were joined by a team of over 20 local volunteers who painted every inch of the lobby by hand, turning fundraising dollars into a fully transformed space.
Among the project’s key supporters was the Kelson Group, whose interior designers, Trish Becher and Laural-Lee Bonato, donated their time and expertise to guide the look and feel of the renewed space.
The focal point of the refreshed lobby is a 1908 hand-cranked film projector, on loan from Lance and Laura Brown. Longtime Kamloops projectionist Lou Tessier originally identified the piece, and his son-in-law, Jeff Bell, skillfully restored it. Newly donated art rails also give the Society a dedicated space to showcase work by local artists, turning the lobby into a gathering place for Kamloops’ creative community as well as its film lovers.
The refresh was made possible with the generous support of:
- 12 KFS staff and a team of over 20 community volunteers — two weeks of cleaning and painting
- Kelson Group — Trish Becher and Laural-Lee Bonato, donated Interior Design Services
- Kami Carpets — discount on carpet and vinyl plank, donated installation labour
- United Floors — donated tiles in front of the concession, including labour
- Sherwin-Williams Paints — donated paint for the entire lobby
- Aall Glass — discount on custom case for the 1908 projector
- Fibonacci Taping — discounted drywall services
- Crawford Electric — discount on LED pot lights and installation
- Annette Dominik — donated art rails for lobby
- Indigenous Resurgence Project — donated art rails for main entrance
- Brian Purvis — repair services
“The refreshed Paramount Theatre lobby is proof of what this community can do when it comes together,” said Colette Abbott, Executive Director of the Kamloops Film Society. “From our Friends of Film donors and the Kelson Group’s ongoing support, to the local businesses who donated time and materials, to the staff and volunteers who spent two weeks transforming this space by hand — this community showed up for us, and we are deeply grateful. Thank you to everyone who helped bring new life to this important cultural space in downtown Kamloops. We’re excited for what comes next.”
Since opening in 1955, the Paramount Theatre has been a cornerstone of Kamloops’ arts and culture scene. KFS has operated the venue since 2019, when the Kelson Group stepped in to preserve the local cinema after it was listed for sale, and this refreshed lobby marks another chapter in the Society’s ongoing work to revive the venue as an accessible, downtown cultural venue.
Local businesses and individuals interested in supporting future Kamloops Film Society capital campaigns are welcome to reach out to support@thekfs.ca or 236-425-3456.
About the Kamloops Film Society
The Kamloops Film Society is the leading presenter of independent, Canadian, and international cinema in Kamloops and the surrounding Thompson-Nicola Region, operating year-round out of the historic Paramount Theatre. True to its mission of bringing the world to Kamloops through film, KFS curates diverse programming, supports local filmmakers, and collaborates with the community to build a vibrant, inclusive arts ecosystem.
Media Contact:
Colette Abbott, Executive Director
Kamloops Film Society
colette@thekfs.ca