CHICAGO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION welcomes new members; Announces 2025 Awards Calendar, new Board Member
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 2025-2026 today, announcing the acceptance of five new members. The new members join the more than 50 members of Chicago’s premiere film critics association representing local, regional and national media outlets.
“As the industry faces some of its greatest challenges in 2025, I’m encouraged by one of the strongest line-ups of new members in the history of our organization,” said CFCA President Brian Tallerico.
The newly added members of the Chicago Film Critics Association are below; headshots of each new member are available here; a complete list of current members is available here.
CORTLYN KELLY
Kelly is a film and culture critic, personal essayist, art appreciator, avid baseball fan, and forever student. During her undergraduate years, she studied psychology and studio art and later completed a Master of Arts in Humanities from the University of Chicago, where she created the first iteration of her publication, The Art Idiot.
Since the first grade, her approach to all endeavors is: “There is so much to learn.” With this mindset, Cortlyn Kelly is continuously making connections across all artistic and cultural mediums with the aim of producing a deepened understanding of creative interdependence. Accessibility, visual, and archival practices are also key components to her development as a critic and overall creative. When she’s not watching, writing, or articulating about movies, she serves as a co-host of Kaveh & CK’s Screening Room, sits as the Co-Chair for the Black Harvest Film Festival Community Council, sometimes teaches, goes for walks around Chicago, and giggles with her friends and family.
KYLE LOGAN
Logan (any/all) is a film critic contributing to the Chicago Reader and ScreenAnarchy. Kyle has also written for Alternative Press, Film Stories, In the Mood, and more. Kyle is particularly interested in horror and animation, as well as genre films written and directed by queer people and women. Kyle lives in Rogers Park but spends more time at the Music Box than at home.
JOSH PARHAM
Parham is a critic for Next Best Picture, where he contributes to written and podcast reviews for the site. He is also a staff writer at Awardswatch, and has written several reviews for that outlet as well. He currently lives on the north side of Chicago, and has a passion for all aspects of cinema, from awards season darlings to cheesy disaster spectacle. The latter is his biggest guilty pleasure.
PEYTON ROBINSON
Robinson is a Chicago based writer and film curator. She is a staff writer for RogerEbert.com and Cinema Femme. For the latter, she is an annual programmer and moderator for the Cinema Femme Short Film Festival, hosted by the Music Box Theatre. She also hosts a newsletter, UNPROMPTU, which houses personal essays, art reflections, and other musings.
LINDSEY ROMAIN
Romain is a freelance film critic and culture writer. She was previously a staff writer and contributing editor at Nerdist, and has written for publications like Thrillist, Vulture, The Chicago Tribune, Slashfilm, Polygon, and Fangoria, and is currently a regular contributor to Bright Wall/Dark Room and MovieJawn.
Additionally, the Chicago Film Critics association welcomes a new member to their Board of Directors, Deirdre Crimmins. She joins current members Brian Tallerico (President), Steve Prokopy (Vice President), Alejandro Riera (Treasurer), Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski, who oversee the operations and activities of the association.
Crimmins is film critic and programmer in Chicago. As a writer of nearly two decades, she has focused nearly entirely on horror criticism and journalism. She currently regularly contributes to Rue Morgue magazine and That Shelf, and previously contributed to A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and Birth.Movies.Death. Deirdre is also the co-programmer of Weird Wednesdays at the Chicago Alamo Drafthouse and supports the Boston Underground Film Festival by managing their social media. She lives with two black cats and wrote her Master's thesis on George A. Romero.
The CFCA also announces today its 2025 awards calendar: nominations for the organization’s annual honors will be announced December 9, winners will be announced on December 11.
With the annual Chicago Critics Film Festival each Spring 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.
