The Critic - Press Notes (Awards, Reviews & More)

P R E S S N O T E S
EDITOR'S PICK

A meditation on fame, judgement and regret, filmmaker Stella Velon’s
immensely impactful short film The Critic journeys into one character's
own sense of self worth through the eyes of a vicious interviewer.
★★★★★
Gloriously fierce and packed with substantial emotional heft, The Critic is
a short film that benefits from a powerhouse performance. Velon is
incredible in this role she wrote and is able to direct herself through a
wonderful selection of intense and compelling scenes with skill. The
subtle cracks that start to build up in her character's facade as the
questions become more acutely pointed is fascinating to watch, and the
audience starts to get the feeling that these interview questions may in
fact be personal accusations lobbied by herself rather than a third party
tormentor.
The aesthetic is dark and brooding, perfectly complementing the tone of
the story, with darkly lit scenes and Smyth kept in shadow throughout -
adding a degree of menace to his already unlikable character. In the final
third, music is used to spectacular effect by Asaf Sagiv, creating a
phenomenal climax for the viewer as they witness the fallout of Velon's
character's inquisition.
Stories about Hollywood notoriety and rags-to-riches are ten a penny and
often the characters are so far removed from the audience’s own
environment that few of the themes hit home with any real impact.
However, in The Critic, the deeply personal approach that Velon takes
and the choice to use a single male interviewer makes this a particularly
poignant piece of cinema in the current social climate. Her character's
experience at the hands of this venomously harsh critic is so entrancing in
its brutality and should resonate with a large amount of viewers.
Intertwining external pressures with internal angst and guilt, The
Critic is a powerful short film loaded with exceptional dialogue
and cinematography (provided by the brilliantly talented Akis
Konstantakopoulos). For me, a jaded male critic, I would still say
this is one of the best leading performances of the year so far.
Editor-in-Chief
Chris Olson
with STELLAVELON ALANSMYTH
[15 MIN | USA | Psychological Drama/Thriller]
Written & Directed by STELLA VELON
Produced by
JEAN GABRIEL KAUSS
Edited by
IVAN ANDRIJANIC
Cinematographer AKIS KONSTANTAKOPOULOS
Composer
ASAF SAGIV

"Velon is incredible"
"Smyth excels"
STELLA VELON
ALAN SMYTH
ABOUT
World premiere at the 34th Boston Film Festival and recipient of over 35 awards and nominations (2020 Webby Awards-Best
Individual Performance, First Prize in Amazon Studios' inaugural All Voices Film Festival, Best Director at the 2018 UK Film Review
Awards, Best Short Film at the 2019 Method Fest, and Grand Jury Prize at the 2019 Queen Palm International Film Festival, as well
as Indie Shorts Mag's Editor's Pick-The Best Of All, From 2018!'), THE CRITIC is the critically-acclaimed directorial debut of actress
and writer Stella Velon. Produced by Velon and Jean Gabriel Kauss, the film offers a glimpse into the darker side of fame as a
starry-eyed actress, fresh off a major win, embarks on an interview that proves to be a lot more than just that and explores themes
of impostor syndrome, drug addiction and the value we place on art.
Official trailer

BEST ACTOR
Alan Smyth
QUEEN PALM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Nominated,
Gold Award
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Akis Konstantakopoulos
QUEEN PALM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Won, Bronze Award
BEST EDITING
Ivan Andrijanic
QUEEN PALM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Won, Bronze Award
BEST MUSIC
Asaf Sagiv
QUEEN PALM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Nominated,
Gold Award
BEST POSTER
Sylvère Azoulai
QUEEN PALM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Nominated,
Gold Award
AMAZON STUDIOS' ALL VOICES FILM FESTIVAL '19
METHOD FEST INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL '19
QUEEN PALM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL '19
INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS '19
WORLDFEST HOUSTON '19
SUNSCREEN FILM FESTIVAL '19
ARPA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL '20
LONDON INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL '19
UK FILM REVIEW AWARDS '18
BOSTON FILM FESTIVAL '18
BEST SHORT FILM
Won, First Prize
Won, Jury Prize
Won, Grand Jury Prize & Best First-time Filmmaker
Won, Honorable Mention
Won, Remi Dramatic Original
Nominated, Best Breakout Short
Nominated, Best Short Film
Nominated, Best Short Film
Nominated, Best Short Film
Nominated, Best Short Film (World premiere)
BEST ACTRESS
Stella Velon
WEBBY AWARDS
Nominated,
Best Individual Performance
W3 AWARDS
Won Gold Award,
Best Individual Performance
METHOD FEST INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Nominated,
Best Actress
FESTIVAL ANGAELICA X CATALYST CONTENT
Won, Best Breakout Performance
QUEEN PALM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Won Gold Award, Best Actress - Short Film
BEST DIRECTOR
Stella Velon
UK FILM REVIEW AWARDS
Won
KINOFILM MANCHESTER
Won, Women in Film Award
QUEEN PALM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Won, Honorable Mention
BEST WRITING
Stella Velon
HB FILM FEST
Won,
Best Story
QUEEN PALM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Nominated,
Gold Award

1 of 3

"The Critic depicts an artist struggling with her
worst critic, and underlying imposter syndrome...
it draws viewers in with its intimate portrayal of an
actress enduring very pointed critique under the
scrutinizing eye of a journalist. Velon’s raw
portrayal of the character landed the project a
Webby nomination for Best Individual Performance
in the Video category."
2 of 3

3 of 3

Stories about Hollywood notoriety and rags-to-riches are ten
a penny and often the characters are so far removed from the
audience’s own environment that few of the themes hit
“★★★★★
home
with any real impact. However, in The Critic, the deeply
personal approach that Velon takes and the choice to use
a single male interviewer makes this a particularly
poignant piece of cinema in the current social climate.”
"Stella Velon's The Critic was named
best short [at the Method Fest]"
The
“writer/director Stella Velon's emotionally
involving and thought-provoking short film The Critic…
is nearly instantly engaging and a remarkably
poignant story that somehow manages to travel a
broad emotional spectrum while delivering a
complete story within its modest 15-minute
running time.”
“★★★★★
‘The Critic’ is an absolutely stunning visual and a treat
to the cerebral folk and cinephiles alike!
...
Be it the editing or the direction, there is such consistency
in the way the film is executed from start to finish that it is
hard to pick a flaw in it. The editor’s pick this year
singularly, unabashedly falls for Stella Velon’s ‘The
Critic’, worth every minute of the short!”
Critics
T H E
[Velon] took the world she knew and wasn’t afraid to
call out the aspects that people don’t talk about with
being an actor. Her triple threat efforts worked out
successfully, as The Critic has been praised for its
raw look at the industry and self-criticism.
“a slick short film, with a look that belies
its low budget and great performances…
It feels incredibly sophisticated and
mature for a short film. It’s even more
impressive given the very limited
location… The Critic is well written,
stunningly shot with a beautifully
observed performance at its centre.”
Love
“The Critic” is an indie short that,
painted in vibrant colors and rife with
symbolism and underlying meaning, is an
emotional ride that is immediate and
powerful.
“quietly fierce, dramatically potent,
and heartbreakingly palpable…
The Critic is a sublime piece of indie film magic”
C R I T I C
“grabs you from the start… and then
straps you in on an emotional roller
coaster ride”
The Critic plays out as an intriguing
look at a compelling character,
showcasing a dark and daring study
full of different complexities. This is
100% a pure character study that
shares similar narrative threads
from previous films, such as
Whiplash (2014). Only this time, it
aims to break the surface of the star
persona, but its hints are far deeper
than what we see in reality...
I recommend watching it at least
three times for full effect.
Sam Edwards
“The standout offering of the block is
The Critic… Understanding the form
and purpose of a short story is just as
important as screencraft and The Critic
succeeds on all fronts.”
Sophie London
“Deftly capitalizing on a simple premise, with a
tension-crackling script that is always surprising,
topped with a compelling central performance,
The Critic showcases a major talent
in the world of short film.”
Lawrence Bennie

TheInternet
on
THE CRITIC

READ MORE
REVIEWS
UK Film Review
Indie Shorts Mag
Indie Shorts Mag — Editor's Pick
Film Threat
The Independent Critic
The Movie Buff
Medium
Indy Reviews
The Review Awakens
Film 280
Fan Carpet + Acting Hour
FEATURES
The Hollywood Reporter
Film Daily
California Herald
American Reporter
Indie Activity
Inspire N Style
AsAm News
INTERVIEWS
The Webby Awards
UK Film Review
Arpa International Film Festival
Catalyst Content
Indie Activity

STREAM THE CRITIC ON
omeleto.com/254466
amazon.com/Critic-Stella-Velon/dp/B07SH1GH2Q
FIND THE CRITIC ONLINE
thecriticfilm.com
punkfloydco.com/the-critic
imdb.com/title/tt8314192
wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Critic_(short_film)
letterboxd.com/film/the-critic-2018
instagram.com/thecritic.shortfilm
INQUIRE ABOUT THE FEATURE-LENGTH VERSION
Stella Velon
Jean Gabriel Kauss
stella@punkfloydco.com
jgk@punkfloydco.com