Contributors

F. Maurice Speed, (1911–1998)

FOUNDER

An English film critic who fathered two innovative and long-lasting publications: the listings magazine What's On in London (which ran from 1935 until 2007) and the world’s longest running film book, Film Review annual, which began in 1944 and in 2015 celebrated its 70th edition before transitioning to digital. Born in London on 18 October 1911, Frederick Maurice Speed enjoyed a lifelong devotion to filmgoing in the small cinemas around Soho. As an editor, he inspired a love of cinema that lured many subsequently successful professionals into the movie world. Speed went on to write and edit other books, including The Western Film Annual, Star Parade and The Moviegoer’s Quiz Book. Speed was recognised by the London Film Critics’ Circle in 1991 with a lifetime achievement award. James Mason was among his close personal friends.

James Cameron-Wilson

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Film critic, broadcaster and wordsmith. Forbidden from watching movies as a child, James decided to be a professional film critic and began reviewing for What's on in London in 1976. He has since reviewed for Sky TV, BBC radio, Talk Radio, the What's On Magazine Group, Film Review, The Times, The Sunday Times, Filmstar, Flicks, The London Paper, The Mirror, Photoplay, Ritz Newspaper, Shivers, Showbiz, TVTimes and more. He has published twenty-six books, including twenty editions of the Film Review annual, The Index, Young Hollywood, Hollywood: The New Generation, CinéStars, and The Cinema of Robert De Niro. He currently reviews the major new releases on Share Radio every Friday on The Business of Film, with Simon Rose firing the questions. James has been a member of the London Film Critics’ Circle since 1991 and has served as a board member of the Film Awards’ panel.

Chad Kennerk

DIGITAL EDITOR

With a passion for classic film, Chad collaborates with the families of stage and screen legends to shine a light on their legacy and bring their work to new generations. Chad holds a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from The Actors Studio Drama School in New York City and attended the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Chad is a Shubert Foundation Scholar and received an award in screenwriting from AmazonStudios. Chad also writes for Boxoffice Pro magazine and Man of Many. In addition to interviewing filmmakers, he serves as our web designer and hosts our podcast Classic Movie Club.

Mansel Stimpson

Mansel Stimpson is a life-long lover of cinema who first wrote reviews for the British Federation of Film Societies and has long been chair of the Eastbourne Film Society. As a professional reviewer he contributed to several sources including Montage, the London film societies magazine. Most significantly, he was a reviewer and interviewer for the listings magazine What's On in London for some 20 years, until the magazine closed. From 2007 to 2015, he was chief reviewer and co-editor of the Film Review annual. For a period of five years, he also prepared and introduced screenings at London's National Film Theatre, hosting discussions with the audience afterwards. In addition to writing many articles on classical music he has also published his memoir No Drum To Beat. Mansel has been a member of the London Film Critics’ Circle since 1990.

Michael Darvell

Michael Darvell trained as a librarian at Watford and in Surrey before joining Ealing Libraries where he became Music Librarian for the borough. He edited Masthead, the magazine of the University of North London School of Librarianship, The Surrealist, the staff magazine of Surrey County Library, and contributed to the Assistant Librarian and London Librarian professional journals. A freelance film reviewer since 1970, he has written for Film, Films Illustrated, Film Review, Movie Maker and Radio Times, as well as editing Montage, the London film societies magazine, for ten years. A change of career saw him joining What’s On in London as Features Editor and he eventually stepped into the shoes of the late F. Maurice Speed (founding father of Film Review annual) as the magazine’s Editor. From 2007 to 2015, he was co-editor of the Film Review annual with Mansel Stimpson. As well as writing about films, Michael has reviewed theatre for The Stage newspaper, and currently writes about music theatre and cabaret for the Classical Source and Musical Theatre Review websites. He is also a former restaurant critic for the ViewLondon website. Michael has been a member of the London Film Critics’ Circle since 2005.

George Savvides

George obtained a BA (Honours) in Drama, Art History and Film Studies at Middlesex University before he trained as an actor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. His most recent film roles include Hassan Ali in Papadopoulos & Sons and Gilles Montand in The Honourable Rebel. He is also the co-producer and one of the judges for the International Playwriting Festival. He started writing film reviews for The Leeds Guide before he became the main film critic for Parikiaki- The Greek Weekly. He has been a contributor to Film Review Annual since 2006. George has been a member of the London Film Critics’ Circle since 2007.

Wendy Lloyd

In her 25+ year career as a film critic, Wendy has written and presented many film shows for TV and radio, including The Little Picture Show for ITV and Clingfilm on BBC Radio 1. Wendy completed a degree in Psychology and a Masters at LSE, researching inequality and issues of representation in film criticism. Her podcast Open to Criticism investigates how we talk about movies, who gets to do it and why it matters. Wendy regularly reviews for BBC Radio Scotland and The Psychologist magazine, applying her feminist critique and passion for socio-political issues to mainstream and independent cinema alike. Wendy has been a member of the London Film Critics’ Circle since 1999 and is part of their membership diversity committee.

Jonas Butler

The youngest addition to the roster, Jonas has filled his free time with cinema-related endeavours for as long as he can remember. His love for film doesn’t stop at the auditorium door, instead manifesting itself in video editing jobs, short films and now, reviewing. His motion picture journey started when he discovered that there were films he wasn’t allowed to see, and after seeking out those films, his curiosity only kept growing. He plans to remain immersed in the world of cinema for the foreseeable future. Jonas can be seen talking film on TikTok @FilmTalking.

Film Review Legends

In addition to being the first book of its kind to cover an entire year of 'filmgoing', one of the most unique aspects of the Film Review annual was the inclusion of industry professionals commenting on their craft. The portrait gallery below honours and celebrates the legacy of our contributing authors throughout the years.

William K. Everson, Film Historian and Archivist

Anthony Slide, Author and Film Historian

Jonathan Rigby, Author and Film Historian