Cinematary is a film discussion podcast (and now also a written criticism site) started by a group of students who met while studying at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. It was created by Zach Dennis, Andrew Swafford, and Dylan Moore in conjunction with the Tennessee Journalist website, which was a part of the University of Tennessee College of Communications. The podcast expanded thanks to the efforts of later core contributors such as Lydia Creech, Nadine Smith and Jessica Carr, among many others, and has consistently been released weekly.
Along with the podcast, Cinematary has expanded its scope to include written reviews, video essays, and festival coverage.
READ ABOUT THE PODCAST AROUND THE WEB
WVLT
The Daily Beacon
University of Tennessee Torchbearer
Film School Rejects/One Perfect Shot
WHO WE ARE
Zach Dennis
Click image above to read Zach's reviews
Letterboxd: zdennis
Zach was a co-founder of the podcast and created the idea after deciding to make a podcast about movies for the Tennessee Journalist publication. He now works in the journalism field as a multimedia content editor (currently located in Savannah, GA) and has appeared as the host of Cinematary on every episode. He also serves as the podcast’s audio editor.
Andrew Swafford
Click image above to read Andrew's reviews
Twitter: @swaffmoney
Letterboxd: andrewswafford
Andrew is another founding member of the podcast and was a part of the first episode with Zach and Dylan. He works as a high school English literature teacher and shares his passion for film with his lovely wife, Jessy. He also serves as the site’s writing editor.
Nadine Smith
Click image above to read Nadine’s reviews
Twitter: @trillmoregirls
Letterboxd: lifewithnopants
Nadine attended UTK along with the rest of the core team and also has a graduate degree in Film Studies from Columbia University. She has her writing published in a wide variety of notable outlets, such as The Film Stage, Little White Lies, Pitchfork, and The New York Times.
JESSICA CARR
Jessica Carr is a Filipino-American. She has been a member of Cinematary’s core for 5+ years now. Jessica is the owner of Girls Gotta Eat Good Asian Bakery in Knoxville, TN. When she isn’t baking, you can find her snuggling up to a cozy movie with her partner Cam and their chonky cat Harlan.
Michael O’Malley
Click image above to read Michael’s reviews
Personal Blog: With Hey, Ho
Letterboxd: momalley
Michael joined the podcast in 2017 after his doppelgänger and (now erstwhile) coworker Andrew Swafford invited him on. He teaches high school English, and when he's not busy with that, he enjoys fiction writing and exposing his infant son to depressing European art cinema. His wife, Rebecca, is admirably supportive of both activities.
ASH BAKER
Click image above to read Ash’s reviews
Twitter: @ashgladney
Letterboxd: ashbaker
Ash Baker is a writer, musician, and film dweeb from Knoxville, Tennessee. They received their Bachelor’s in English and Cinema Studies from the University of Tennessee, and MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Kentucky. Ash’s poetry has appeared in 30 North Magazine and Phoenix Literary Arts Magazine, and their fiction will appear in the forthcoming issue of Sporazine Journal.
contributing writers
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