criticUS
In this masterclass, you’ll learn about film criticism, with a focus on its use for popularizing small national cinemas. Whether you’re a writer or filmmaker, this masterclass will have something to offer. For those wanting to write about film, it will sharpen your critical approach to cinema and teach you how to write engaging and memorable reviews, as well as provide advice for pursuing film criticism, whether as a profession or hobby. For filmmakers and other film professionals, it will give you an appreciation of film criticism and show you how getting critics to review your film can help you market it. But no matter what camp you belong to, you will learn how film critics can use skills discussed in this masterclass to not simply achieve success in the trade, but also give international visibility to small national cinemas.
Brandon Konecny, J.D. is an attorney and film critic from the USA. His work has appeared in several publications, including Film International, Journal of Religion & Film, Journal of Fandom Studies, and Film Matters. His recent research has focused on Moldovan cinema.
CURRENT POSITIONS
- Staff Attorney, SyntraCorp, LLC
- Frequent Contributor, Film International
EDUCATION
- J.D., North Carolina Central University School of Law, with highest honors, 2017
- B.A., University of North Carolina Wilmington, Film Studies with minor in music, with high honors, 2013
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Moldovan cinema
- Central and Eastern European Cinema
- American avant-garde cinema
- Musical subcultures in film
ARTICLES AND ESSAYS
A Forgotten Country’s Forgotten Cinema: Searching for Hope in Post-Soviet Moldovan Cinema, Brandon Konecny, Film International, Mar. 2017
SELECTIVE FILM REVIEWS
Watering the Money Tree: Eugen Damaschin’s Beautiful Corruption (2018), Film International, Jan. 2019
A World of One’s Own: The Endearing Humanity of Pavel Cuzuioc’s Secondo Me, Film International, Sept. 2017
The Other Europe is Far Away: Igor Cobilieanski’s Eastern Business, Brandon Konecny, Film International, Nov. 2016
The 2015 Oscars and the Curious Case of the Missing Moldovans: Anatol Durbală’s What a Wonderful World, Brandon Konecny, Film International, Jan. 2016
ROMANIAN LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS
Oscarurile 2015 și ciudata absenţă a moldovenilor: Ce lume minunată” de Anatol Durbală, trans. Ilie Gulca, Jurnal de Chișinău, January 28, 2016
