“Every time I see a Whose House and it’s somebody I know, I’m like, ‘Damn! Why don’t they do one on me?!’”

Cinematheque’s operations manager David Knipe is finally getting his turn.

A believer in the power of film, his calling is to “make cinema-going a thing again.”

Knipe programs for the Gimli Film Festival in the summer, the Gimme Some Truth Documentary Festival in the fall and Winnipeg’s Afro Prairie Film Festival in the winter.

He also co-curates the Winnipeg Film Group’s newly recurring cult night and VHS swap meet: Cream of the Crap.

“It’s a bimonthly celebration of trashy VHS culture. A lot of surprises and fun stuff. We’re going to be doing one May 4. It’ll be called Cream of the Crap 4: May the Fourth Be With Poo,” Knipe says.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, he moved to Winnipeg – his mom’s hometown – in ’94. He bought this home in the West End three-and-a-half years ago.

“I inherited some money when my mom passed away, and I wanted to invest it somewhat wisely. I also just needed a house for my stuff. I don’t think I could ever go back to an apartment. Moving into a house, I’ve accumulated so much more.”

That’s Mr. Kubrick to you

“Stanley, there, he’s the brown tabby. Cats are a big part of who I am. When I was born, my parents had six cats, so I’ve never lived a day without cats myself, so it’s just kinda natural for me to have cats around.”

Paternal Paintings

“Any kind of original art around the house for the most part was done by my dad. These ones he shipped up to me, and then I had them re-stretched and framed. That’s my favourite one. I think it’s supposed to be a favela in Brazil or something. It also just looks like a bunch of haunted faces creeping in.”

Leather Tiger

“I got that leather cat recently at a store in Columbus. There’s a wealth of antique stores down there in the Midwest. You can find some cool cat things. I always have my eye out for cat stuff.”

Special Screenings

“A couple of years ago, I did a 24-hour horror movie marathon on Halloween. Just invited people to come in kinda open-house (style) throughout the 24 hours. Projected it all there. I’ll admit, it started at 10 in the morning and only made it to 5:30 the next day. I think I did 12 or 13 movies.”

Cult Cushions

“A friend of mine got them for me. They were gifts.”

Optimal Offering

“My girlfriend just got me the poster framed just recently. It’s my favourite poster. It’s an ’81 film called Possession by Andrzej Żuawski. It’s got a really famous scene of Isabelle Adjani losing her shit in the subway station. It’s crazy.”

Published in Volume 73, Number 19 of The Uniter (February 28, 2019)