Former Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for criticism on Monday.
Chang was honored for his work printed final 12 months, led by an August article that defended director Christopher Nolan’s controversial resolution to keep away from depictions of the horrific atomic bombings of the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Nolan’s epic film “Oppenheimer,” which went on to win the Academy Award for greatest image.
Chang was a critic with The Times for almost eight years; he left the paper in late January to change into a film critic for New Yorker journal. He started his profession at Hollywood commerce journal Variety, the place he spent 12 years, beginning as an intern and dealing his means as much as change into the publication’s chief film critic earlier than segueing to The Times.
“The only job I ever wanted was to be a film critic,” Chang stated in a quick interview Monday. “And to get to do it at the L.A. Times — I grew up in Orange County reading The Times — was just a dream come true.”
The Times’ workers was chosen as a Pulitzer finalist for breaking information for its protection of the January 2023 mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park that left almost a dozen folks lifeless. About 20 minutes after the Lunar New Year capturing, the suspect walked into one other studio in close by Alhambra however a younger man disarmed him and he ran away.
An monumental manhunt started and ended when legislation enforcement officers converged on a strip mall car parking zone in Torrance, the place the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In addition, Times workers author Keri Blakinger was named a finalist within the options class for a report she authored, along with the Marshall Project and New York Times Magazine, earlier than becoming a member of the paper final 12 months to cowl legal justice and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
Chang’s award marked the sixth 12 months in a row that The Times received a minimum of one Pulitzer, bringing the newspaper’s all-time Pulitzer whole to 52.
“Justin dives deep into his ideas with a rigor that’s not only rare, but singular,” stated Times Film Editor Joshua Rothkopf, who edited most of Chang’s columns. “His clarity of thinking and creativity are beacons to all of us who love movies and well-considered writing on them. Our work together was immensely enjoyable.”
Last 12 months, The Times received the Pulitzer for breaking information for its protection of a secret audio recording that uncovered L.A. City Council members scheming in crude and racist methods — a jarring take a look at town’s political factions and energy struggles.
Photographer Christina House was additionally awarded a Pulitzer in function images in 2023 for her placing and empathetic photos of a younger unhoused girl who was residing alongside the Hollywood Freeway whereas coping with drug points and childbirth.
In 2022, Times photographer Marcus Yam obtained the breaking information images award for his sobering photos of the U.S. departure from Afghanistan that captured the human value of the historic change within the nation.
“We all know Justin is such an illuminating thinker about films, the artists who make them and the art form itself,” Entertainment and Arts Editor Craig Nakano stated. “What folks might not know is that his intelligence and graceful writing are matched with an amazing work ethic and kindness, even under deadline pressure. All of his brilliant work since joining The Times in 2016 led up to this moment.”
The newsroom celebrated Chang and his main accomplishment, which continued the popularity for a number of Times columnists who’ve captured the prize for criticism through the years. Times artwork critic Christopher Knight received the award in 2020. Five years earlier, senior critic Mary McNamara was honored for her columns that strayed past tv to look at bigger cultural developments.
Chang’s columns targeted on works for the display, singling out these he felt deserved reward for artistry, humanity and sheer storytelling.
Similarly, he didn’t conceal his disappointment in different works, comparable to Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.” His evaluate of that film was titled: “Bah, humbug! ‘The Holdovers’ is a clunky, phony white-elephant gift of a movie.”
In the interview, Chang singled out reward for his mentor, The Times’ longtime film critic Kenneth Turan, as his “first great teacher of film and film criticism.”
“I learned a lot from Kenny just about how to carry oneself, how to approach the work with humility, which is something I’ve tried to do,” Chang stated. “I have this thing in my head, it’s a formulation that I can’t let go of — which is that humility and authority go hand in hand. You start with the one, the other will follow.”
The 41-year-old film critic is a local of Anaheim Hills.
“My years at The Times were just an amazing experience,” Chang stated. “From the moment I walked in the doors on Spring Street — when we were still on Spring Street — The Times gave me all the freedom in the world to approach this job as I saw fit. And I don’t take that for granted.
“People have a lot of ideas and assumptions about what a critic should be, what a critic should cover, what they should prioritize and sometimes those agendas are very much tied to the agendas of the American commercial movie industry,” Chang stated. “While I love the American movie industry, I’m really interested in other kinds of movies, too. I’m interested in the whole cinematic spectrum. And I’m so grateful to The Times because they’ve just always let me explore that spectrum to the fullest.”