Our roster expands with six new additions

AUSTIN, TX — The Austin Film Critics Association is pleased to welcome three new members to our roster in 2025. A committee of current members was convened to consider candidates, approving these critics via a majority vote.

We warmly welcome each of them to the group!

Sean Boelman : A journalist with nearly a decade of experience in entertainment as a film critic and interviewer. He holds a BA in Film from the University of Central Florida and is currently pursuing his master’s in Digital Media Communications at Texas State University. He is currently the managing editor of FandomWire, and his opinion has been featured by websites such as BBC, The Wrap, Newsweek, Letterboxd News, and Business Insider.

Jacob Ethington: As a critic, my goal is to be as open-minded as possible, for better or worse. That is the basis of my weekly column on theCHIVE, “It Can’t Be That Bad,” where I review movies that have received a divisive response from audiences and critics alike. While I have seen an unfortunate number of movies that live up to their reputations, many have been wonderful in their own right. It is a constant reminder to give films a shot, even the ones you’d think would never work for you. I have primarily worked in reviewing “infamous” movies through a retrospective lens, but I look forward to filing more contemporary reviews as a member of The Austin Film Critics Association.

Nathan Flynn: Nathan Flynn has been lending his voice to film criticism since 2019, bringing a mix of irreverent humor and wholehearted passion to OneOfUs.net and Cinapse.com. Whether championing a scrappy indie or skewering a blockbuster misfire, he chases the joy, surprise, and weirdness that make movies worth talking about.

Alix Mammina: A film critic based in Austin by way of the Pacific Northwest. As editor-in-chief of the Hyperreal Film Journal, she focuses on highlighting emerging filmmakers and fostering new voices in film criticism. Her own writing includes coverage of local and international film festivals and centers on horror, documentary, and queer cinema.

Roberto Tyler Ortiz: I’ve loved movies for as long as I can remember, and that love has only deepened over the years. Watching and writing about films brings me genuine joy in a way that’s almost indescribable. [Loud and Clear Reviews.]

Rocco T. Thompson: An Austin-based film journalist, critic, former online managing editor for Rue Morgue, and shorts programmer at Fantastic Fest. He conducted 30+ hours of on-camera interviews as a producer for In Search of Darkness: Part III, penned the cover story for Rue Morgue’s landmark July/Aug 2019 “Queer Fear” special issue, and recently made his Fangoria cover debut with coverage of Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger. His work can be found at Rue Morgue, Daily Dead, Fangoria, and Slant Magazine. He has an affinity for Claire Denis, Russ Meyer, queer cinema, millennial horror, and the James Bond franchise.