For the last 11 years, the Kitchen Stove Film festival has been bringing some of the best in international cinema to Penticton audiences. This year, film aficionados have a full plate to look forward to, with four films this fall, ranging from comedy to an introspective look at coming of age.

“We were approached by the Toronto International Film festival group,” Rosmarie Fulbrook of the Penticton Art Gallery said, explaining how the local festival got its start. The major festival wanted to expand the film circuit, moving to setup a system where smaller communities could have access to the world cinema.

“We thought it was a fantastic opportunity,” she said. “We hit a mark right off the bat. Our gallery membership was extremely supportive of the film series.”

For the first couple of years, Fulbrook said, the films only ran for a single night, but they soon found themselves selling out and having to add a second night to each of the screenings.

The name Kitchen Stove has an interesting history itself. The organizing group wanted a name that would stick in people’s memory, evocative and less mundane than simply Penticton International Film Festival.

They settled on “Kitchen Stove,” taken from filmmakers jargon, indicating a cutaway from the action to end a scene “cut to the kitchen stove.”

They decided that it fit, indicating their desire to bring something unique with the festival.

“You’re looking for the unexpected. We’re looking for films that are unique, that offer new perspective,” she said. “We wanted a name that indicates that, but at the same time, it’s accessible.”

Over the 11 years, many films have been screened at the festival, many of which have gone on to receive mainstream acclaim.

“We have really nailed some films in terms of international acclaim and oscar winning films,” Fulbrook said. A few years ago, they screened The Lives of Others, which went on to receive the Oscar for International films.

The first film in the series is Empties, a film by a Czech Republic director dealing with the travails of coping with becoming older, with all the attendant changes in lifestyle and perception.

“It’s a bit of a black comedy,” she said. “It’s been hugely received in its native Czech Republic, so we’re really looking forward to having it here.

That film comes to the Pen-Mar Theatre on Sept. 23 and 24. Tickets are on sale right now at the Penticton Art Gallery and Bookshop on Main St.

October brings with it The Pool, an American film shot in India with Indian actors.

“It’s just been receiving the highest accolades,” said Fulbrook, who describes it as a coming of age story, where poverty meets wealth in an unexpected setting. “The director is very well-known documentary director, so it’s filmed in a documentary style.”

In November, the festival switches to Japan, with Departures, another academy award winning film. Japanese films are uncommon, Fulbrook said, not because the country lacks a film industry, but because North American distribution is difficult. “So when this film came up, we were glad to nab it,” she said.

The film festival takes a break in December before returning in January with Seraphine, a biography about a lesser-known artist from the turn of the 20th Century.

“Subject matter that’s close to our hearts here at the gallery, but subject matter doesn’t always mean a great film,” Fulbrook said. “It’s also been getting great reviews.”

Season passes for the festival are $30 for gallery members, and $34 for non members. Tickets for a single movie are $10 each. Some tickets may be available at the door, but Fulbrook warns they will be in limited supply.