Hey guys! This is a new blog series that we are calling Volunteer Spotlight, spearheaded and written by our awesome volunteer Kat Sotoodeh! Kat will be interviewing the brilliant and committed volunteers who donate their time to our non-profit, providing you Frida fans an opportunity to learn more about the familiar faces that greet you when you pay us a visit!
First, meet Keefer Blakeslee! Keefer is an energetic and popular Volunteer at our cinema, is eighteen years old, and is an aspiring filmmaker who has created many of our trailers, and taken many of the event photos we’ve shared on social media.
1. How did you hear about The Frida Cinema?
I heard about the Frida because when I came down here to study for film at Orange County of School of Arts, I was looking up theaters. I love going to them regularly, and I saw the Frida was only a few blocks away from me, and I thought that’s pretty dope! I’ve never been that close to a theater before, and it’s like Heaven! So I went down here and I think the first film I saw here was Vertigo, and I loved the theater and I love the atmosphere. I thought, I have to be a part of this! Two years later, I was focusing on school and I didn’t have enough free time—but then I came to see The Room, and that was one of the best experiences I’ve had with my friends here. So I finally said, “You know what, the heck with it, I wanna try to make room for this.” So I decided to apply, and I’ve been here ever since.
2. What was your favorite Frida experience?
Before or after I volunteered? Either or? Well, before I volunteered it was The Room because that was the first time I ever saw it with a big group of people, and my best friend Patrick brought me. He’d done it before, and he wanted to take me this time. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life; it was absolutely amazing. Then afterwards, when I was a volunteer, it was The Rocky Horror Picture Show, because it was my second time volunteering and it was insane! Completely gnarly and insane!
3. What inspired you to become part of The Frida Cinema?
I wanted to help my community more, because I love Santa Ana so much—ever since I moved here I fell in love with this place. I wanted to be able to just do more, and so the Frida was my way of doing it because I love movies and I love being able to share movies with people. It is just an amazing community and the Frida is just fantastic, not just people who love movies, but people who are just getting introduced to movies and have never seen some of the films we show. It’s just an amazing place. Plus, AMC wouldn’t take me. *laughs*
4. Explain to me in a few words why YOU think The Frida cinematic experience is so unique.
Few words, ahhh. I can do an essay, or give you a Powerpoint presentation about it. *smirks* The people who volunteer at the Frida, and work at the Frida, are so passionate about movies. They want to be here to make sure your cinematic experience is the best. No matter what. All the money that goes to this place, it all goes back to the audience. We aren’t showing movies because we have to. It’s because we want to.
