Two Interlochen students selected as finalists in the 2022 Gen Z Critics Contest
Interlochen Arts Academy seniors Angela Kwak and Simone Chaney were honored by professional film critics from organizations such as the New York Film Critics Circle and the Boston Society of Film Critics.
Creative writing student Simone Chaney and film & new media student Angela Kwak
Interlochen Arts Academy seniors Angela Kwak and Simone Chaney were selected as finalists in the 2022 Gen Z Critics Contest.
Gen Z Critics is an online platform that seeks to amplify the voices of young film critics and bring young film critics together, provides a place to broadcast their opinions, and helps them connect with fellow critics. Four finalists, one honorable mention, and a grand prize winner were selected by professional film critics from organizations such as the New York Film Critics Circle and the Boston Society of Film Critics.
Contest winners were selected to participate in an online round table discussion moderated by a professional film critic. Their work will be published on the Gen Z Critics website, and they will also receive an all-access pass to the National Film Festival for Talented Youth.
“It's an honor to be a finalist in the Gen Z Critics competition. The organization is not only a wonderful platform for showcasing film criticism from the current generation, but it also encourages diversity and equity in the field as well. As a Korean-American filmmaker, this is incredibly hopeful to see, and I'm grateful for the opportunities that Gen Z Critics have provided,” said Kwak.
For her competition submission, Kwak wrote about the film Minari directed by Lee Isaac Chung. “It is a film that's not only changed my life but also immigrant families around the world. A sensitive but powerful portrayal of a Korean family that's recently moved to Arkansas, Minari is a quintessential tale of the broken American Dream and what it means to redefine it.”
“I've always had a passion and interest in film, so this felt like a really cool achievement for me,” said Chaney. “It's also my first-ever publication, so I feel great about that, too.” For her submission, Chaney critiqued and reviewed ‘Wonder Woman’ from 2017. “As a long-time superhero and action fan—but also as a woman—I felt disappointed in a film that I had such high hopes for. But the stereotypes and tropes featured in the film are still rampant throughout Hollywood, and I wanted my project to reflect that.”
Established in 2016, by Stanford college student Elizabeth Kim and New York Film Critics Series Producer Mark Ehrenkranz, Gen Z Critics was created to help address the lack of youth opinion in film criticism.
