Notes from the IFS desk, by Pablo Kjolseth (2004)

Personal reflections.
I remember my parents taking me to IFS shows when I was still in grade school. As a junior high student I started going on my own. As a college student in the late eighties and early nineties I programmed the equally ambitious but more mainstream Program Council Film Calendar at C.U. which, at that time, was screening more films a year than the IFS. But, truth be told, it was always the International Film Series and her independence from mainstream fare that I longed for.

To have been entrusted with the care of the IFS was a high calling, the culmination of a dream, and one I have not taken lightly. My time here is coming up on eight years, and I relish them all. I truly love my job and I watch most of the films I program right there in Muenzinger with you, the audience. I love taking her for a spin in unknown directions and program a good deal of the films you see based on reviews or hunches. In the case of the latter, they are what I refer to as "a blind date." And, yes, there are times when I've wanted to run away screaming but, just as many times, I've been stunned by something wonderful.

On the subject of screaming; this last year certainly saw its fair share of off-screen agony unravel my personal world. It's easy to share good news with everybody, not so easy to share bad news. My tribulations are too personal and painful to delve into. Suffice to say that it was the hardest year I have yet seen and, whereas I used to watch movies for fun, I suddenly found myself watching them to keep from going insane. I am incredibly grateful for the community that rallied around me to help pull me through these dark times. My heartfelt thanks; to my family, my friends, my staff, and my landlord, for bringing me some light.

I'd also like to dedicate the Spring 2004 schedule to Lola, the beautiful cat you see next to the IFS logo on the front cover. She died of smoke inhalation, in the bloom of her youth, and will be missed by many.