A Piece of History on Display

November 24, 2025

We are thrilled to announce a special addition to our theatre lobby! We have installed a beautiful piece of Kamloops’ cinematic history: an authentic 1916 Hand-Cranked Silent Movie Projector.

This incredible artifact, generously loaned to the Kamloops Film Society by Lance and Laura Brown offers patrons a rare, tangible look back at the earliest days of cinema. Imagine the films shown with this very machine over a century ago!

We invite you to take a closer look at this historical centerpiece the next time you visit. It’s a wonderful way to connect with the long, rich history of film and community gathering right here in Kamloops.

See a similar one in action!

The film was threaded past the aperture and lens, and the moving image was created by hand-turning the crank at a steady rate of 24 frames per second. The light source, a carbon arc lamp, shone through the film, and a fan-shaped shutter wheel blocked the light between each frame to create a smooth, consistent moving picture.