The Paramount Theatre in Kamloops is seen in this Oct. 2022 photo. (Image Credit: Victor Kaisar)

By Victor Kaisar

Paramount Theatre

Kamloops Film Society, museum collaborating to celebrate 70 years of Paramount Theatre

Apr 13, 2025 | 10:20 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Film Society is holding an open house at the Paramount Theatre Sunday (April 13) afternoon, as it celebrates 70 years of the theatre at Fifth Avenue and Victoria Street.

Executive Director Colette Abbott says the open house will run between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., as part of its 70th anniversary celebration weekend.

“At our open house, we’re giving people behind the scenes of the Paramount which we’ve never done before,” Abbott said on CFJC Midday. “So if you’ve ever wondered what’s upstairs, you want to get there early and sign up for one of those tours.”

The open house will be followed by a pair of movie screenings Sunday – the 1955 Disney Classic Lady and The Tramp at 3:00 p.m. and Your Cinema Needs You, a documentary on the on the importance of community cinemas at 3:15 p.m.

The Film Society has also partnered with the Kamloops Museum and Archives on a new exhibition, called Wide Angle, to celebrate the stories, landscapes, and cinematic moments that have shaped the history of filmmaking in Kamloops.

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“Cinema has long been a vital part of our community’s cultural fabric, shaping our stories, bringing us together, and inspiring new generations,” Abbott said of the exhibition, which will run until Sept. 27.

“It is a wonderful way to celebrate the wider history of film in our region while also recognizing the role that spaces like the Paramount play in shaping our cultural identity.”

That exhibition will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Kamloops Film Society, which has been operating the Paramount Theatre since 2019. It also operated out of the former Odeon Cineplex Theatre at Sixth Avenue and Victoria Street and the Northills Theatre located at what is now Northills Mall.

“The Kamloops Museum and Archives is delighted to collaborate with the Kamloops Film Society in marking this special occasion of the Paramount Theatre’s 70th anniversary,” museum supervisor Julia Cyr said.

“We seek to highlight the historical and present-day significance of local film and filmmakers in Kamloops, and the power of film in our everyday lives.”