Film critic and Variety alum Justin Chang is leaving the Los Angeles Times for The New Yorker. He will join the publication as a film critic on Feb. 12.
David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, made the announcement on Tuesday morning. Chang, who is based in Los Angeles, will visit New York “from time to time,” Remnick said.
Chang was a longtime film critic as Variety, starting in 2004. He left to join the Los Angeles Times in 2016. Before joining Variety, he was a freelance entertainment writer for the Orange County Register and the L.A. Times.
Chang has been named film critic of the year at the Los Angeles Press Club’s National Arts and Entertainment Awards. His book, “FilmCraft: Editing,” was published in 2011. He serves as chair of the National Society of Film Critics and secretary of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and is a member of the New York Film Festival selection committee. He teaches at the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California and also reviews movies for NPR’s “Fresh Air.”
Last week, the Los Angeles Times laid off 115 employees as billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong looked to stem losses that have grown to $30-$40 million per year. The newsroom’s union staged a one-day walkout in protest of the layoffs.
The New Yorker’s film critic Anthony Lane will also begin writing about a broader range of topics in the arts with critical essays and reported pieces, Remnick also announced. Richard Brody will also continue to cover film for The New Yorker across all platforms.