I’m saddened to share the news that Film Blerg will not continue to publish new reviews going forward into the future.
While the COVID lockdown restrictions on cinemas have played a part in this decision, this is not the sole nor main reason for Film Blerg ending. Ultimately, Film Blerg has been running for more than 10 years and I believe now is the time to close up shop.
Film Blerg will continue to exist as a website where all our reviews can be read, like an archive, but there won’t be new reviews on the site.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our readers whose attention and interest has kept us writing for this long period of time. It’s all well and good writing and publishing a piece, but it means so much more when someone actually reads it.
I also want to thank and acknowledge our fantastic team of contributors. The site began with two eager cinema studies students (myself and a friend) who had finished our degrees but wanted to keep writing about film. It would take, however, a band of contributors to take it to the next level, and we did so with gusto. 35 writers have contributed more than 2500 articles/reviews/recaps over the last 10 years and it’s been a pleasure working with all of these writers during the time.
Finally, I want to give special thanks to our Editor, Claire Robson-Petrie, who has done a stellar job keeping Film Blerg organised over the last few years. Claire took over for Chloe Sesta Jacobs, who served as our assistant editor (thanks too Chloe!) Claire’s work mainly focused on getting our contributors into screenings, copyediting and publishing their work and she did a terrific job of this. Without her dedication, the decision to close Film Blerg would have come much sooner and I’m indebted to her copyediting and organisational skills, as well as her great reviews she herself has contributed.
Film Blerg has always been a volunteer run website. We could only offer a free movie and the glamour of being published as a perk. Some prospective writers rescinded the opportunity to contribute given the lack of payment. This is something I can understand, due to the difficult nature of freelance work. However, I’m very grateful to those who didn’t.
The purpose of our website was to give emerging writers a space to explore the screen through accessible criticism. Seeing each contributors work develop has given me the greatest pleasure over the last 10 years. This is the end of an era and I’ve been really proud of what we’ve all been able to achieve. So once again, thank you.
James Madden
Editor-in-Chief/Founder
Film Blerg
June 2020
