We are in extraordinary times. As is the case with many nonprofit arts organizations responding to the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our parent organization Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) has had to respond quickly and develop an intensive plan to ensure the future viability of both FLC and, by extension, Film Comment. 

Last month the organization initiated across-the-board salary cuts, furloughs, layoffs of some full-time staff and all part-time theater staff, and other budget and program cuts. Due to the indefinite nature of Film at Lincoln Center’s current closure, all programs of the organization have been suspended, including Film Comment.

Even outside the context of the current crisis, the publishing business is challenging. Recently we’ve been exploring various ways to improve the reach and financial viability of our publication. Last year, we were tasked with starting to consider a variety of scenarios including discontinuing the bi-monthly print edition in favor of an all-digital publication. Now, in light of these new and unexpected developments, our conversations about the status of Film Comment have, of course, become more immediate.

The upcoming May-June issue of Film Comment will be delivered digitally rather than in print. The issue will be published on two platforms: the Zinio digital magazine store, which has hosted a digital version of the magazine for nearly 10 years, and in full on the filmcomment.com website. After that, Film Comment will temporarily cease operations. No new printed editions, digital articles, or podcasts will be created or shared during the hiatus. We will also cease publication on the Film Comment App. Users will be able to download and access already published issues until May 20, after which downloads will be disabled. Access to past articles and podcasts will remain available on our website. 

We all sincerely hope that this period of uncertainty will be short and that we can soon resume sharing the best in film criticism with our readers, as we have for over 50 years. But the future is unknown at the moment and we’re currently unable to determine when that will be possible. 

You will receive an email detailing how to obtain your digital May-June edition of Film Comment in early May. Subscriptions will then be considered frozen and no subscriptions will be renewed during this period. Our offices remain closed and we are unable to fulfill back issue orders for print versions of the magazine until we reopen, but digital back issues are available for purchase online. 

Your continued engagement and enthusiasm mean the world to us. We’ve been buoyed by all the messages of support we’ve received. We ask for your patience as we work things out during this unprecedented time and we hope you will stick with us—we need your support now more than ever. We hope you are healthy and safe and we look forward to serving you again as soon as possible. 

We will follow up with all subscribers at a later date to provide more details about our plans for the future as they become more concrete. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns specific to your subscription, please email us at [email protected]. For any other questions or feedback, please contact us at [email protected]. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

Thank you,

The Film Comment Team

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