Film-Forward

Film-Forward.com aims to be a comprehensive website for reviews of “specialty films” (for a lack of a better word): independent, foreign, documentary, as well as certain studio films. Because many of these films may not be seen theatrically in many parts of the U.S, we hope to make these films better known no matter where our readership resides, especially at a time when films and audiences have become more fragmented. We hope you will seek out these films, if not in theaters then on DVD, Blu-ray, streaming, and on demand.

What distinguishes Film-Forward.com from blogs or open-source forums is the editorial oversight. Secondly, the site is truly privately and independently owned and operated. By sharing their expertise and film viewing experiences, the reviewers—filmmakers, actors, writers, longtime film buffs—make this website unique, adding to the conversation about film. Our hope is that these critiques will be thought-provoking and constructive. Since there are now countless films at a viewer’s disposal, we aim to make your choices easier—the more information you have, the better.

Thanks for your readership.

Kent Turner
Editor

Among the current contributors:

Kevin Filipski received his master’s degree in Cinema Studies from New York University, and has written about the arts for The New York Times, Playbill, Time Out New York, and several websites. He also writes concert program notes for the Brooklyn Philharmonic and wrote the liner notes for The Big Chill special edition CD.

A graduate of film studies from William Paterson University (NJ), Jack Gattanella is currently seeking his master’s degree in screenwriting at the Academy of Art University. At the moment, he’s putting together his feature film debut as director, Green Eyes, which is currently in production.  You can see more of his work at whiplashfilm.com.

Michael Lee was born and raised in Vermont and has cultivated a fascination with independent film and progressive thought since first ordering a VHS of Haskell Wexler’s classic Medium Cool at the age of 17. Besides producing films, he has written on a range of topics including film, culture, travel, and social change.

A member of New York Film Critics Online, Nora Lee Mandel studied film criticism at New York University. In addition to many years of writing for nonprofit organizations in the arts, education, and city planning, her reviews of films, books, television, and music have also appeared in Lilith magazine, the independent Jewish feminist quarterly, and her ongoing Critical Guide to Jewish Women in Movies, TV and Pop Music.