At a time when fluff and gossip reign supreme, Hanna Flint's work is consistently insightful, informative and engaging all at once. I always finish reading it feeling just a tad bit smarter.' Candice Frederick, Huffington Post
'One of the smartest pop culture commentators out there.' Toby Moses, Guardian
The leading film critic of her generation offers an eloquent, insightful and humorous reflection on the screen's representation of women and ethnic minorities, revealing how cinema has been the key to understanding herself, her body image and her ambitions as well as the world we live in.
A staunch feminist of mixed-race heritage, Hanna has succeeded in an industry not designed for people like her. She interweaves anecdotes from familial and personal experiences - from episodes of messy sex and introspection to the time when actor Vincent D'Onofrio tweeted that Hanna Flint sounded 'like a secret agent' - to offer a critical eye on the screen's representation of women and ethnic minorities. Divided into sections 'Origin Story', 'Coming of Age', 'Adult Material', 'Workplace Drama' and 'Strong Female Character', the book ponders how the creative industries could better reflect our multicultural society.
Warm, funny and engaging and full of film-infused lessons, Strong Female Character will appeal to readers of all backgrounds and seeks to help us better see ourselves in our own eyes rather than letting others decide who and what we can be. Hanna Flint is a London-based critic, journalist and host who has been covering film and culture for nearly a decade.
Her reviews, interviews and features have appeared in GQ, Empire, the Guardian, Elle US, Sight & Sound, Radio Times, BBC Culture and elsewhere. She is a frequent guest on BBC Radio 4's Front Row, the co-host of MTV Movies and the weekly film review podcast Fade to Black, the co-founder of The First Film Club event series and podcast, and a member of London's Critics' Circle.
She is a voice for gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry and an advocate for MENA representation as a writer of Tunisian heritage. Leading film critic of her generation offers an unflinchingly honest and humorous account of her millennial journey towards self-acceptance through a cinematic lens. For readers of Roxanne Gay's Bad Feminist, Caitlin Moran's How to Be a Woman and Adam Buxton's Ramble Book Socially relevant musings on movies, womanhood and intersectionality from an established female critic in the thick of movie culture This educational, enlightening and entertaining exploration across the decades into the movies that made us will engage readers from diverse backgrounds Hanna is a terrific writer, with an eye for a telling detail and a strong, unique, passionate voice. She's put together some of the most revealing profiles to have run in Empire in recent years, vibrantly bringing her subjects' stories to life. And her reviews, too, are highly insightful, while always keeping a light touch. A real force in film writing. One of the smartest pop culture commentators out there, Hanna is able to filter the latest releases through a sophisticated lens of social justice with wit and flair. At a time when fluff and gossip reign supreme, Hanna Flint's work is consistently insightful, informative and engaging all at once. I always finish reading it feeling just a tad bit smarter. A brilliantly clever, sharp, witty writer who has the ultimate respect and love for story. Hanna represents that rare thing in film criticism today - a funny and fearless soul, dedicated to the promise of cinema as a space where everyone's voice can be heard.
