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Michael Culbertson

Winston-Salem, SC

Michael Culbertson graduated from University of North Carolina (UNC) Greensboro with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, and is currently attending UNC School of the Arts for his Master’s in Screenwriting. While the degrees seem to be unrelated, he feels his psychology background helps him better understand the characters in his writing, as well as elements that an audience member may find captivating and emotional. He believes film criticism is essential for helping aspiring and prominent filmmakers improve their craft, and takes inspiration for reviewing from viral YouTube reviewers Chris Stuckman and Jeremy Jahns. His current favorite films are The Incredibles, Get Out, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Anthony D’Eredita

Interlochen, MI

Anthony D’Eredita lives in Vienna, Virginia, but only when he’s not studying film at boarding school. His love of film roots back to his childhood when he would make movies upon movies with his brother that they would shoot on his iPad. He took this love of film to Interlochen Arts Academy where he currently studies film as a senior. Some of his favorite movies are City of God, Boogie Nights and Good Time. Recently he is doing more graphic design work and he plans to attend college for design, incorporating it into the films he creates.

Nathan Ginter

Interlochen, MI

Nathan has been passionate about films since the age of five and is pursuing a career in filmmaking. He has always been drawn to the idea of creating his own world and is constantly pushing himself and following his curiosities to do just that. To him, writing, photography, illustration, and music are just an extension of that passion. Currently, he is a senior in high school in the Motion Picture Arts program at Interlochen Academy and was honored to have recently been named a 2018 National YoungArts Finalist & Presidential Scholar Nominee.

Tairyu Hirayama

Interlochen, MI

Tairyu Hirayama was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He is currently studying Motion Picture Arts in his third year at Interlochen Arts Academy to pursue a career in film. His multicultural upbringing has led him to be keen on the many subtle and complex components that affect interpretation of happiness and suffering. His mind is filled with stories inspired from his experiences and observations of emotional and mental attentiveness from all unique perspectives. His most recent film, Amanda, was nominated for the International Award and Best Original Score at the All American High School Film Festival.

Paul Kim

New York, NY

Paul Kim is a journalist, occasional comedian, and full-time film nerd. A freshman Journalism and Cinema Studies major at NYU, he hopes to dive into the film review scene in New York. When he’s not trying to decide whether refillable popcorn buckets in cinemas are a rip-off or not, Paul enjoys driving through his hometown of Atlanta, walking the streets of New York, and trying to “accidentally” become an extra in a feature film. When he’s feeling all “journalisty” and pretentious, his favorite film is Spotlight. However, he swears by The Nice Guys, and that new Jumanji movie with The Rock and Jack Black.

Jacob Levy

Morris Plains, NJ

Jacob Levy is a recent graduate of Muhlenberg College, where he double majored in Media & Communications and Film Studies. While Jacob enjoys watching numerous blockbusters such as Star Wars, he is just as eager to watch foreign and independent films like Amores Perros. Jacob enjoys writing for Gen Z Critics as it gives him a place to share his thoughts on overlooked films such as What We Do in the Shadows.

James Mackenzie

Rye, NY

James Mackenzie is a recent graduate of the University of Chicago, where he studied English Literature and Cinema Studies. While there, he was the Arts Editor of the Chicago Maroon student newspaper, where he also published numerous critical pieces on film and television. He wrote his senior thesis on the aesthetics of contemporary Japanese horror cinema. Some of his favorite contemporary filmmakers include Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Kelly Reichardt, and Paul Thomas Anderson. Currently lurking on Film Twitter and bouncing between odd jobs somewhere in New York.

Lane McKenna

Interlochen, MI

Lane McKenna is writer, filmmaker, and artist. She is currently a senior at Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. She is originally from Long Island, New York. She plans to study Philosophy and Film in college. She recently directed a short film, Grab Him by the- and would like to continue making films for a social change. Lane has always been a film enthusiast and is excited about the creating new work.

Jack Porter

Columbia, SC

Jack Porter is a senior film major at Columbia College Chicago. He is currently finishing his undergraduate degree and will be pursuing a graduate degree in screenwriting in fall 2019. He has a love of cult cinema; the weirder the better. His love for storytelling is only matched by his love of film criticism. He is particularly interested in the prevalence of genre filmmaking in modern cinema.

Anthony Reyes

New York, NY

Anthony Reyes is a recent college graduate from CUNY Hunter College and lives in New York as a freelance Production Associate. Currently he is working for Rumur Inc., a Brooklyn-based production studio behind many award-winning documentaries such as Battle for Brooklyn and Who Took Johnny?, the latter of which can be found on Netflix. With one short film under his belt and many ideas for future projects, Anthony hopes to create more content and write for television in the future. Film criticism allows him to explore how a specific film makes him feel a certain way, and how he can use it to develop his own craft as a storyteller. Some of his favorite films include Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, Robert De Niro’s A Bronx Tale, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love, and Spike Jonze’s Her.

Katie Tsai

Andover, MA

Katelyn “Katie” Tsai is a junior at the Winsor School in Boston. Her interest in cinematography developed when she took two film courses at Phillips Academy Summer Session in Andover, MA. As part of these courses, she created short films and acted in her classmates’ films as well. In addition to filmmaking, Katie has a passion for dance, theater, literature, and photography. She dances in and out of school and has performed in several shows and recitals. She has also acted in various school plays. Katie’s love of visual and performing arts inspired her to become a Gen Z Critic. While she is intrigued by a movie’s plot, she especially loves its artistic and aesthetically pleasing shots. Katie is glad that Gen Z Critics is a forum where young people can share their love of movies with others.

Ben Wasserman

Worcester, MA

Ben Wasserman is a twenty-one year old aspiring film critic. A senior at Clark University majoring in Screen Studies, Ben’s love for the technical aspect of cinema emerged during mid-high school, during which he took numerous courses in television production. This passion has since been incorporated into his college courses and internships at ComicsVerse and Mxdwn, in which he reviews and analyzes newly released films and entries in the comic book medium. Amongst his favorite films are Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Dark Knight, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Collateral.

Rita Zhang

New York, NY

Rita Zhang received her Bachelor’s degree in Columbia University’s Film and Media Studies. Her 12 years of acting experience in movies rooted her ceaseless love in film. Her wide spectrum of all-time favorites range from Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some!! to Luis Buñuel’s Diary of a Chambermaid. She believes that writing film reviews enables her to capture and sustain many levels of emotions in the film world. She is at her happiest when learning that her film review moves and inspires the readers.