Jack Hanley

About Jack Hanley

I am a historian, film scholar, critic, and programmer based in Boulder, Colorado, OBSESSED with how cinema challenges, delights, and reshapes the way we see the world — and ourselves. My work sits at the intersection of cinema studies, folklore, and historical cultural memory, with particular focus on the horror genre. I examine how folklore, racialized cultural memory, and postcolonial refashioning shape visual storytelling, with particular focus on horror cinema as a medium of cultural memory.Over the past decade, I’ve collaborated with, hosted, and programmed for festivals including Slamdance’s Indies Awards, the Chicago Underground Film Festival, the Crested Butte International Film Festival (where I served as host and co-programmer for over a decade), and the Boulder International Film Festival. I recently founded the Reel Horrors Short Film Festival in Denver in conjunction with the Colorado Festival of Horror.I write film criticism for HanleyOnFilm.com and Kinophilia on Medium. I am a frequent guest on cinematic panels and podcasts, co-host Blindspotting: A Film Discovery Podcast with Scott Aigner, and am launching my newest podcast, The History of YOU in 5 Horror Films with Jack HanleyI founded several film series, including the Bloody Celluloid Film Series and the Clandestine Campus Cinema Society, and created the Central and East European Film Festival at CU Boulder with critic Roger Ebert. I regularly lead film and history talkbacks, workshops, and courses- including my award-winning workshop \"How To Watch A Movie\" at the Dairy Arts Center and beyond.My lectures and classes have been presented at the Dairy Arts Center, Colorado Festival of Horror, Boulder International Film Festival, Denver Art Museum, Crested Butte Film Festival, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the University of Colorado, the University of Florida, and other institutions.As a BIPOC critic and scholar, my perspective is grounded in questions of marginalization, memory, and narrative power. This lived and historical framework informs every program I design, panel I lead, and essay I write, foregrounding voices, aesthetics, and histories that challenge dominant cultural narratives.When not working on my upcoming documentary with co-director Chris Leising, EVIL CHEESEY RIDES AGAIN, I can usually be found in musty academic settings or darkened theaters, savagely ruining films for my friends and family.I’m always open to collaborating on festival programming, hosting, film panels, talkbacks, teaching engagements, or podcasts.Academic CV: about.me/johnhanleyco

Experience

1. Programmer

   Chicago Underground Film Festival

   Jan 2023 — Present

Education

• Jagiellonian University

  Central and East European History

• University of Colorado Boulder

  English Literature (British and Commonwealth) Romanticism, American Romanticism, and History

• University of Florida

  Dual B.A. English Literature and History

Skills

• Literature
• Academia
• Cinema
• Blogger
• Public Speaking
• Film
• European History
• Documentaries
• Social Media
• Video Editing
• Theatre
• Books
• Copy Editing
• History
• Art
• Creative Writing
• Research
• Final Cut Pro
• Editing
• Journalism
• Blogging
• Screenwriting
• Film Production
• Storytelling
• Video
• Copywriting
• Multimedia
• Video Production
• Writing
• Creative Direction
• Marketing
• Social Networking
• Art Direction