CFCA Welcomes Three New Members!
Chicago, IL — The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), the Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group that celebrates the art of film and film criticism, released their roster for 2021-2022 today, announcing the acceptance of three new members. The new critics represent a new generation in Chicago-based film criticism and bring their voices to one of the country’s longest-standing and most accomplished associations of writers.
With the annual Chicago Critics Film Festival (November 12-14, 2021) and the CFCA Awards presented in December, the Chicago Film Critics Association is a vital and thriving organization of film journalists, critics and broadcasters influencing the film industry in Chicago and beyond.
The group is proud to welcome the following new members:
Lauren Coates (she/her)is a Chicago-based film/television critic and freelance entertainment journalist, and a student at DePaul University. In addition to her position as staff writer for Culturess.com, she's contributed as a freelancer to The A.V. Club, Vulture, The Playlist, Polygon, Paste, and other outlets. She's also a die hard Star Trek fan and a Disney World fanatic, and you can find her on Twitter @laurenjcoates.
Isaac Feldberg (he/him) is a freelance film critic, editor, and journalist. Born in England, raised outside of Boston, and now based in Chicago, he's contributed reviews, essays, and interview features to The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, Fortune Magazine, Paste, RogerEbert.com, Vulture, and Inverse, among others. You can follow him on Twitter or Letterboxd at @isaacfeldberg.
Marianna Neal (she/her) is an independent, Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. She is the creator, host, and editor of Impression Blend, a YouTube channel where she shares her passion for cinema through reviews and discussions. Marianna is determined to use her voice to help bring attention to films from around the world, highlighting human experiences of all backgrounds, regardless of the genre. She particularly enjoys helping her viewers discover overlooked films and opening them up to amazing stories they may not have considered before.
Coats, Feldberg and Neal join the organization’s existing membership of more than sixty film critics and journalists based in or with ongoing ties to Chicago. The full roster for 2021-2022 is available here.
About the Chicago Film Critics Association
The Chicago Film Critics Association supports and celebrates quality filmmaking that has something to say about our world, our lives, and our society. Boasting over sixty members from print, broadcast and online journalism, members represent outlets including the Chicago SunTimes, RogerEbert.com, The A.V. Club, NPR, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Univision and more. The CFCA promotes critical thinking about cinema to nationwide audiences through its membership’s broad reach and several member-led initiatives. These include an annual film awards ceremony, CFCA-hosted film screenings throughout Chicagoland and the annual Chicago Critics Film Festival.
