Keira Prette Interview by Jenny Radsma

In their conversation together on July 15, 2025, at Signal Hill Library, Keira Prette, Director of Digital Marketing, shared with Board Member Jenny how her involvement with CJFF has evolved from volunteer to her current board role. As one of three members on the Communications Committee, Keira promotes CJFF’s social media presence. As well, maintaining the CJFF website with up-to-date information. Read on to learn more about Keira’s involvement:

Jenny: Can you tell me a bit about yourself and how you became involved as a board member?

Keira: Sure! My love for film really started in high school, where I was part of the broadcast journalism program. We produced live morning news broadcasts, and I was involved in writing, directing, and filming segments. That’s where I discovered my passion for cameras and learned the ins and outs of broadcast journalism. I’ve always been a big movie buff, so my interest in film naturally grew from there. I went on to study at Dalhousie University, earning a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in marketing. I chose that path because I saw it as a creative outlet that would allow me to use digital media later in my career.

After graduating, I returned to Calgary and began job hunting. My mom’s friend Lori, who is on the CJFF programming committee, mentioned they were looking for help with social media and event planning. She connected me with Tako, and I started volunteering to support his work with the Peace Market. Then, in early 2024, Tako asked if I’d be interested in joining the communications team and becoming a board member. I said ”Yes!” and officially joined CJFF that January. I was drawn to the festival through my love of film, and after meeting the team, I knew I wanted to be part of something meaningful to help it grow.

Jenny: Can you describe what it is you do as our Director of Digital Marketing?

Keira: Coming into my role, I recognized our social media presence lacked consistency and visibility, so that became a key focus for me. Over the last 1 ½ years, I’ve worked on building a stronger presence by promoting our festival on Instagram and Facebook, connecting with other local festivals, sponsors, and community partners, and helping CJFF engage more meaningfully with the Calgary community. 

During our transition from the church to The Confluence, our target audience shifted. Together, Mohit and I worked to attract a younger and more diverse demographic. We also completely overhauled the website, updated the design, colours and overall branding to create a more modern look.

We saw the results at The Confluence, with more young people attending, greater family turnout, and new nonprofits joining the Peace Market. These changes were driven by how we positioned ourselves through social media and marketing. We’re definitely a few steps ahead of where we were in previous years.

Jenny: It’s been fantastic to see the evolution of our brand and website. Your work has been really important to improving our website and attracting a wider audience. This is more of a philosophical question: what does justice mean to you? 

Keira: What does justice mean to me? I think, at its core, justice is about accountability–someone taking responsibility for their actions, whether that’s through sentencing, policy, or government decisions. But in the context of our film festival, justice is really about visibility and awareness. While awareness may not seem like “justice” to many, educating people can lead to a sense of justice by encouraging more responsible and conscious behaviour. In any topic related to justice, raising awareness helps people become more mindful and engaged. Knowledge is power. 

Jenny: It really is, absolutely. You can’t work towards change if you don't know what the problems are, what the situations are. 

Keira: It's a hard question to answer because we’re not delivering justice directly, but we try to explore the pieces and steps that can lead to a just outcome for the social justice issues we highlight. 

Jenny: How does being part of CJFF help you to achieve your goals for social justice? 

Keira: I think the festival exposes me to many new social justice issues, some issues that I’ve been aware of but have not explored deeply. A good example of that is our Indigenous Lens night. Although Indigenous history was part of my high school curriculum in Alberta, many details were glossed over. Highlighting stories from Indigenous communities through the films we screened helped fill in those gaps.

It is always eye-opening to learn about injustices and histories I haven’t been exposed to. And because of that, the festival inspires me to keep going. We have a dedicated group of 30 to 40 volunteers who are very passionate about our mission, and I am excited to see the community grow, especially with more people my age getting involved. When we moved to The Confluence, I saw this growth firsthand with more people open to these important conversations in a new, welcoming space. 

Jenny: What do you think are the challenges facing CJFF? 

Keira: I think one big challenge we face as an organization is that people are tired. They're tired of hearing about atrocities and injustices in the world, and that might deter them from engaging with this type of festival. Injustices are around us everywhere: you turn on the news station, something is going on in the world, some horrific thing. For a lot of people, it's easier for them to shy away from those conversations, so I think our job is to make it easier, make it more welcoming, make it as accessible as possible, so that there are little to no barriers when people come to us and want to learn more. 

Jenny: What do you think are the opportunities for CJFF?

Keira: I think we have a lot of opportunities right now. We are at a pivotal point as an organization and have the potential to reach many people in our community. This involves inviting more diverse groups into our space and opening up meaningful conversations. Our format is unique. We screen films and then invite expert speakers to discuss the issues. That helps people move beyond just watching a film to really engaging with the topic. Having someone share their firsthand knowledge can make a lasting impact.

A continued goal for us is to become a more recognized festival in Calgary, and we are taking important steps to increase awareness. The main challenge is getting more like-minded people involved. I believe growing our team will help us reach more potential opportunities to make a larger impact.

Jenny: Of the films you've watched that have been screened by CJFF, is there one that stands out for you? 

Keira: I really enjoyed Love in the Time of Fentanyl. It was my first year participating in the festival and we showed it at the Globe Theatre. I knew the drug epidemic in Vancouver was serious but I did not realize the full extent until then. The experience was made even more impactful by the speaker we had, Danielle English, a harm reduction advocate, who shared life-saving knowledge with our audience.

Jenny: Yes, I remember; she was really powerful. 

Keira: She was wonderful and gave a thoughtful talk about safety, love, and empathy toward those with drug addictions. She also informed the audience on how to use a Narcan kit and how to find help. It was a very interesting talk. I loved the documentary; it was well done and respectful of the people featured. It provided insight into how people with addictions think, feel, and live their lives. It was powerful. The audience that night was very diverse, with people of all ages and backgrounds watching and listening to this informative film.

Jenny: Can you tell us a bit about where you're currently working and what your role involves?

Keira: I’m an Account Coordinator at Worthington PR & Story. A lot of what I do is similar to the work I do for the film festival. My role involves managing social media content, video creation, marketing strategy, communications, and supporting event planning for a range of clients. It’s a great mix of creative and strategic work, and I really enjoy getting to tell meaningful stories and help brands connect with their audiences.

Jenny: What do you do for fun? When you're not working and when you're not working on CJFF stuff?

Keira: [chuckles] Well, I play the guitar; it's a long-time hobby of mine. I’m also into film photography. I have my own camera and like taking photos whenever I get the chance. I love to read. I love to hang out with my friends. I do love being outside, but I'm not a hugely active person. I like lounging outside in the sun and hanging out with my family. I also enjoy going to the movies. Nothing too exciting, but I find ways to fill my time with the things I enjoy.

Jenny: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Keira: We’ve covered a lot–my background, what the festival means to me–but I’ll add that I really do hope to stay involved for many more years. I’d love to see the festival grow into what we’ve all imagined it could be.

One of my goals is to bring more young professionals onto the board to help move things forward. I’ve truly enjoyed my time with CJFF. You [Jenny] and Mohit make it such a great experience, and it has been incredibly rewarding. I remember last year, by Day 3 of the festival, I had this moment where I thought, wow, a small group of eight people pulled this whole thing together. It was such a great feeling, and I’m really looking forward to feeling that again this November.

Jenny: Thank you, Keira, for all you do on behalf of CJFF. I'm glad to hear you say you plan to stay on for years. I feel energized working with you and the rest of the board. I appreciate you sitting down and having this conversation with me.

Keira: It was my pleasure.