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ABOUT US

Buffed Film Buffs began as a movie review Instagram page in 2017. Account manager Lydia Smith launched the website in 2020 as a way to provide a collaborative platform for friends and other burgeoning writers to express their connection to film and TV. Now, the website lends itself to a larger network of film enthusiasts who wish to discover artists that inspire them. The website was also designed with the intention to make independent and international films more accessible for a wider audience of viewers. We are dedicated storytellers who aim to emphasize quality over quantity. Where there is art, there is passion, and we hope to validate others' passions with our own.

Meet the Team

Lydia

Editor in Chief

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I've been serving as editor-in-chief since the BFB website launched in 2020. For me, no experience is properly accounted for unless it is put in writing, so I document compulsively. In my film-watching career, I prioritize slice-of-life tales about culture, morality and redemption. Some of my favorite films include Night on Earth (1991), Y Tu Mama También (2001) and Broadcast News (1987). I'm not very technical, but I'm of the opinion that all a critic really needs are empathy and some writing chops. Vive le cinéma!

Letterboxd: @buffedfilmbuff

Twitter: @lydsmth

Grace

Content Director

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I am a graduate of Ohio University's film program. Although I put most of my energy into production, I hope to strengthen my criticism chops to become a more well-rounded filmmaker. My love for a good story started with books, and I hope to do a screen adaptation justice one day. Some movies I love are When Harry Met Sally (1989), Spirited Away (2001), and The Birdcage (1996).

Find me on:

Letterboxd: @xtrabroll

Twitter: @dongfangxilan

Nick

Assignment Editor

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I've always enjoyed writing critically and analytically about media, be it movies, TV, music, or video games. Over the past few years, I've fallen in love with TV as a medium and all the creative possibilities that come with such a long-form format and even decided to create my own major around it. My favorite shows include Succession, Community, Derry Girls, and The Wire. Outside of that, you can find me playing music on student radio, intermittently talking about music on Instagram, and dressing like Kramer from Seinfeld. 

 

Letterboxd: @nzidares 

Twitter: @nickziddy

August

Staff Writer

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I am a Bay Area-based student, movie fan, and Stanley Tucci connoisseur. I've been making Oscar predictions since I was 10, so that should tell you something! I am always looking for movies that make me want to stand up and cheer, and if a movie can make me fall in love, then it’s a success. A Single Man (2009), Brief Encounter (1945), The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and 20th Century Women (2016) are about the gist of it.


Letterboxd: @filmbuff007

Twitter: @doubleofilms

Bailey

Staff Writer

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Since I was a child, film has held a central place in my life— I talk about it, I write about it, I make it, and I help share it with others. While I am still figuring out exactly where I’m headed, I know that movies will be there. I also know a thing or two about a Wikipedia rabbit hole; areas of casual interest include music, history, nature, geography, politics, and science. I was born and raised in Ohio, graduated in 2021 from Ohio University’s School of Film, and moved to Chicago in the summer of 2023. My favorite films of 2023 were Rotting in the Sun, Past Lives, and Poor Things.

 

Letterboxd: @baileysplum

Chance

Staff Writer

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I started writing about movies when I was twelve and have been desperately trying to make myself stop ever since. Despite the fact that I have the background and the education to write about better movies, I refuse to shut up about westerns, messy trash, and, most respectably, leftist cinema. Among the most essential of my favorite movies are Miami Vice (2006), Barry Lyndon (1975), The Handmaiden (2016), and Yojimbo (1961). Outside of this, I write narrative fiction, listen to Talking Heads, and tweet about the Muppets.

Letterboxd: @chance_rev

Read my Muppet tweets: @chance_rev

Jackson

Staff Writer

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I'm a Journalism student at Ohio University, with minors in Sociology and Screenwriting/Digital Storytelling. I love all things film, but have a huge soft spot for horror, thrillers and anything with Barbra Streisand. Some movies I love are House of 1000 Corpses (2001), The Doom Generation (1995), Mandy (2018) and What's Up Doc (1972).

Instagram: @jacksonmccoy11

Letterboxd: @slayerfan

Luke

Staff Writer

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As an aspiring film historian, I am most passionate about researching and analyzing various different periods, movements, genres, and revolutions within cinema history. My main areas of interest are the Golden Age, New Hollywood, and the French New Wave. I love studying the careers of filmmakers, actors, and screenwriters in order to find recurring themes and trends. Some of my favorite directors include Robert Altman, François Truffaut, David Cronenberg, Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Lumet, Ingmar Bergman, and David Lynch. 

 

Letterboxd: @LukeParry11

Twitter: @parryluke11

Staff Writer

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I study film production at Ohio University. I love writing genre films about women through a feminist lens, and I aim to pursue pre-production of cinematography after I graduate. Just as I hope to inspire others with my films, I also aspire to connect with other movie fans through film reviews. My main interest is New Hollywood cinema, but I am also fond of 1990s indies, art house flicks, and anything sci-fi. Some of my favorite films include Jaws (1975), Jackie Brown (1997), The Terminator (1984), and Dog Day Afternoon (1975). 

 

Letterboxd: @Luna423

Staff Writer

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I am a passionate cinephile and video editor from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My love for movies came as a consequence of procrastinating to study in school and I haven't looked back since. My taste is wide-ranging, but my true soft spot is for needle-drops and musical montages.

 

Letterboxd: @rrbm7

Sophie

Staff Writer

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I am a student at Ithaca College majoring in Writing for TV, Film, and Emerging Media. I enjoy watching witty comedies, Italian neorealism, and mockumentaries. My favorite movies are Challengers (2024), The Shining (1980) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968).
 
Letterboxd: @sophie_glassman”

Staff Writer

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My love of film started when I was raised on MST3K B-Movies and Turner Classics. It evolved in my adulthood when I got MoviePass and began frequenting arthouse theaters, exposing me to some of my favorite flicks such as House (1977) and Stalker (1979). Some of my favorite filmmakers are Terrence Malick, Jacques Demy, Greta Gerwig, David Lynch, and Yasujirō Ozu.

I am currently working as an intermediate school educator, while also writing film criticism, writing screenplays, and working on films.

 

Letterboxd: @stuartyaden

Instagram: @andstaytrue

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