Last October, Katherine Penhale officially took on the reins as the executive director of the Calgary International Film Festival.
Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Penhale moved to Calgary after graduating just 11 years ago. She started with CIFF as a venue coordinator, a role she discovered through connections she made in the Calgary arts community, particularly in the welcoming poetry scene. As executive director, she oversaw the festival through its first run without screenings at the Eau Claire Cineplex.
Counting down the days to the next run, Penhale is eager to expand the festival and its new community-building constellation format.
- “Alberta Print Makers puts on an amazing intro to screen printing classes. It’s a super small studio. It’s so hands-on, you get a full demonstration, and they fill up super fast. I waited on a waiting list for probably six months to get into a class, and it was worth every single minute of waiting. I came out with beautiful screen prints. I got to learn a new skill, engage with their folks … It was awesome.”
- “I love Begonia Bakehouse. It’s one of my favourite bakeries. I live in the Beltline, and the CIFF offices are in the Beltline. I’m a five-minute walk to work, and I’m about a 10-minute walk to Begonia. I love going there on Saturday mornings, picking up a loaf of bread, getting a coffee, getting a caramel cinnamon bun — it’s great.”
- “Atlas of Improbable Places: A Journey to the World’s Most Unusual Corners, by Travis Elborough. I picked it up, and I’ve really enjoyed it, especially as I’ve been thinking so much about how space affects our experience and makes a really big difference in our communities.”
- “Noah Khan has been on my playlist. I wish I had a cooler, more niche answer, but I don’t.”
- “I get to walk into the other room here as soon as we’re off this call and go watch the screener for [the movie] A Nice Indian Boy. I am already hearing everyone laughing from the other room, so I’m really excited to go and watch it.”
