Hi! I’m a queer freelance film critic based in North London.
Introducing Jane Campion’s The Portrait of a Lady at BFI Southbank, April 2023.
I’ve written for BBC Culture, Empire magazine, Little White Lies, the Curzon print journal, GQ and more. As of 2024 I’m a member of the London Film Critics’ Circle.
Long form pieces include a feature for Little White Lies magazine on depictions of sexual violence in cinema, and articles for BBC Culture on Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog and on folk horror in the novels of Alan Garner. I also wrote an essay included in Second Sight's Limited Edition Blu-ray of Jennifer Kent's The Babadook.
I’ve also interviewed award-winning talent such as Matt Smith, Meera Syal CBE and Oscar-winning cinematographer Linus Sandgren. I am currently working on my first book about the career of Greta Gerwig.
I’ve introduced films at both BFI Southbank and The Garden Cinema and regularly appear on podcasts, including Little White Lies’ Truth and Movies podcast.
I have a MA degree in Film Studies from the University of East Anglia, where I was awarded a Distinction, and until recently I worked as the Office and Membership Coordinator for Women in Film and TV UK, an organisation supporting women working in the media industries. As well as day-to-day admin, my role included script reading, copywriting and curating the programme for members’ short film evenings.
I’m available for film criticism work across multiple mediums and I would love the opportunity to collaborate with you! Please email me at venninglaura@gmail.com , or you can always drop into my DMs on Twitter/X (I’m on it too much).