Meet the Critic: Daniella Mazzio

In the Chicago Critics Film Festival’s new “Meet the Critic” series, we’re introducing our readers to some of the many talented members of our Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group, which celebrates the art of film and film criticism.

In today’s feature, meet Daniella Mazzio, a recipient of this year’s CFCA / Rotten Tomatoes Emerging Critics Grant. Daniella is a writer, critic, consultant, and performer. She’s a dedicated advocate for disability justice, was a 2021 Disability Lead Fellow, is a member of the organization’s professional network, and serves on the Chicago International Film Festival’s Accessibility Advisory Committee. Additionally, her writing has been featured in Indiewire, Slate, Autostraddle, and The Boston Globe and she’s a regular contributor for the Chicago Reader. In addition to reviews, she's written about movie theater history, the preservation of Mexican and Latin American cinema, and film accessibility in Chicago. She has a BFA in Theatre Arts from DePaul University and is on Cinema/Chicago's Accessibility Advisory Committee. For a brief stint, she ran Lydia Tár’s Twitter account. Read more about the CFCA / Rotten Tomatoes Emerging Critics Grant here.

Read her answers to our inaugural Meet the Critic Q&A below.

How has being based in Chicago informed your criticism?

I see Chicago as a Critics' Town — not just through Siskel and Ebert's legacy, but through decades of a really exciting array of voices; Jonathan Rosenbaum's work at the Chicago Reader; the litany of Chicago voices that came to define The A.V. Club; and the mix of veteran and newcomer Chicago writers who sustain the city's status as a leader for criticism today. Chicago is such a culturally rich city, and I think our distance from the showbiz hubs in LA and NYC gives us the unique space to uplift films, artists, and stories that are outside the mainstream.

What’s a title from our line-up that you’re excited for people to see? (or a title that the festival has programmed in the past that you’ve loved)

I love every genre of movie because, well, it's a movie, and I love movies, but for all the serious and smart work that excites me (quick shoutout to some past titles like I Saw the TV Glow, The Lost Daughter, and Eighth Grade), I must be true to myself and name David Wain's They Came Together as both an all-time favorite festival screening and just one of my all-time favorite movies. I rented the small theater at the Music Box to screen it for my birthday, I convinced my family to watch it on Christmas, and I made my sister-in-law a gift box of fake They Came Together merch for her birthday — that's how serious I am.

What’s a piece that you’ve written that you’re most proud of and why?

"Palacios para la gente" — my reporting on Chicago's history of Spanish-language movie theaters — speaks to my interest in preservation and led to me exploring Latin American cinema history (which has continued beyond publication). Movie theaters are much more than palaces for popcorn and projectors. At the risk of sounding like a Nicole Kidman AMC ad, they're where we can connect through a shared experience or feeling. It's worth remembering what these places meant in our history so that we can value how important they are for our future.

Follow Daniella at Letterboxd, X, and Instagram.