About
I am the Digital Editor at Little White Lies magazine and a freelance writer focussing mainly on film, television, and pop culture.
My love of film began when I saw Chicken Run at the Sheffield Showroom when I was eight. It was a transformative experience. Teenage subscriptions to NME, Vanity Fair, ELLE and Empire fuelled my love of pop culture and print media.
My primary focus as a writer is on film and television, but I’m a pop culture obsessive who spends a lot of time on the weirdest corners of the internet. Neopets, Livejournal, Tumblr, Twitter – I’ve lived through it all, and have the niche meme knowledge to show it.
I also write about mental health and disability (two subjects I have first-hand experience with), books, the internet, art, video games, and cats. I really like writing about cats.
I have written for The Guardian, BBC, GQ, Vulture, i-D, Gawker, The Times, and Hyperallergic among others, and I am a regular contributor to Picturehouse Recommends magazine.
In my role at Little White Lies, I write film reviews, features, and have interviewed filmmakers and actors including Paul Thomas Anderson, Alexander Skarsgård, Carey Mulligan and Darren Aronofsky.
In my free time, I do a lot of creative writing, but I also love to swim, bake, find London’s best ice cream shops, do karaoke and make Simpsons-themed rugs.
Sofia Coppola: Forever Young
I have also written a book! My monograph on the work of Sofia Coppola released in May 2022 and published by Abrams New York.
I was approached about writing on the art of filmmaker Sofia Coppola in 2020, and was thrilled to write the very first monograph on a female director for Abrams’ Filmmaker series.
I chose to pair Sofia’s films thematically, approaching them in a way I felt hadn’t been explored before. I also interviewed some of her closest collaborators, including editor Sarah Flack, costume designer Nancy Steiner, cinematographer Philippe LeSourd and actress Kirsten Dunst.
The book received coverage in i-D, LitHub, New York Magazine and Movie Maker Magazine. If you’d like to buy a signed copy, reach out via email!
I programmed my book’s launch event at the British Film Institute, and events in London, New York and Los Angeles with Rooftop Film Club, The Barbican Centre, The Prince Charles Cinema, The Garden Cinema, Nitehawk Brooklyn, The Roxy Cinema and The American Cinematheque. This didn’t stop in 2022 – this year I’m working with Cine Rediscovered, Barbican and Sheffield Showroom on more Sofia events.
If you’re looking to programme an event around one of Sofia’s films, I’m your woman!
I also have more book ideas, if you’re in the market…
I’m originally from Sheffield, but now live in London with my cat, Margot. I love to travel and have attended film festivals and events around the world including Sundance, Toronto, New York, Cannes, Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Paris, Milan, Reykjavik, and Marrakech. I have previously served on the Sutherland Jury at London Film Festival in 2021 and on the Leeds Film Festival Jury in 2022.
I love working with editors to shape ideas and tell exciting stories about pop culture and the modern world, whether in an editorial or brand capacity. From reviews to features, profiles, interviews and everything in between, I’m always looking to expand my repertoire and work with new publications and brands.
I am a member of the London Critics Circle and the Critic’s Choice Association, and a voting member of BIFA.
My voice can be heard on a regular basis over on the Truth & Movies podcast, and I have previously appeared on BBC Radio, TalkRadio, Radio4’s Front Row, Monocle on Culture, and the Picturehouse and Curzon podcasts. I have also appeared on BBC Breakfast, BBC World News and ITV News commenting on news stories regarding cinema. I also wrote and voiced a video essay on cats in cinema for BBC iPlayer, an introduction to Andrea Arnold’s Red Road for BFI Player, and wrote/voiced the introduction for the TV premiere of Monsoon for BBC2. I also scripted and voiced a video essay on Todd Solondz’s Welcome to the Dollhouse for Radiance Films.
In July 2019, I presented a talk at the British Film Institute entitled ‘The Memefication of Feminism’ about the intersection of film, feminism, and internet culture, which I have since presented to students at Falmouth University. I also regularly deliver lectures on making a career in film criticism!
I have also hosted Q&As with filmmakers including Josephine Decker, Charlotte Regan, Babak Jalali, Tina Satter, Joachim Trier, Kitty Green, Charlotte Wells and Desiree Akhavan, written Blu-ray essays for Second Sight and Radiance Films, and participated in panels for BAFTA, Cannes Film Festival, the BFI, Leeds Film Festival, Glasgow Film Festival, Showroom/Workstation and Reclaim the Frame.
Work With Me
I am interested in hearing about freelance commissions, particularly longform interviews and profiles, and print publications.
I am also interested in work opportunities for juries, Q&As, panels, mentoring, B2B/commercial work, video scripts, Blu-Rays, events, broadcast, podcasts and pretty much anything else you can think of – please send me an email! If you’re contacting me about Little White Lies, my email address is on the website. I also tweet @thethirdhan.
And finally…
Margot says hi too.
