Write for Us

Cinema Escapist welcomes writers and editors who share our passion to explore and connect the world through a cinematic lens. We’re happy to work with individuals who have a global mindset, intellectual curiosity, and strong aptitude for writing.

There are two ways to write (or edit) for Cinema Escapist:

  1. Pitch standalone articles.
  2. Become a staff writer or editor.

Please read below for more details on both options. We look forward to hearing from you!

Pitches

Cinema Escapist accepts pitches, usually for completed articles and occasionally for articles not yet written.

If you have a pitch, email pitches [at] cinemaescapist.com. Use the subject line “Pitch: {Article headline/idea}” and include the following within your email:

  1. A brief self-introduction.
  2. A succinct pitch that answers the following five questions:
    1. What topic do you plan to address, and what is your argument?
    2. Why is your topic relevant and interesting right now? What evidence do you have for this (ex. high search volume, awards buzz, upcoming theatrical release, etc.)?
    3. Who will care about this topic?
    4. At a high level, how do you plan to develop/justify that topic/argument? If relevant—how will you do it better than other publications who might cover the same topic?
    5. How does your topic advance our mission to “explore and connect the world through a cinematic lens”?
  3. Put your completed article in a Google Doc (change sharing permissions so anybody can edit) and link to that doc within your email. If you don’t have a completed article, tell us why.

Please keep the following in mind: 

  • We are an all-volunteer organization, and do not have funds to pay contributors.
  • If you’re only looking for a SEO backlink, go away. We’ll mark you as spam. We want serious contributors only.
  • We’re not interested in covering Hollywood or English-language movies. Cinema Escapist is “global first.“
  •  Your article should not have been previously published elsewhere, including on a personal website or blog.
  • To maximize your chances of success, read other Cinema Escapist articles and emulate their style/tone/rigor.
  • We cannot guarantee a response to every pitch. If you haven’t heard back in five business days, assume we are not moving forward.

Staff Positions

Cinema Escapist has dedicated community of volunteer staff members who get access to advance screeners, exclusive filmmaker interviews, and other incentives. We generally expect staff members to contribute at least one article per month and operate in a proactive, self-sufficient manner.

Being a staff member provides a chance to learn about the inner workings of a growing publication, and also affords strong networking opportunities. If you’re interested in cultivating managerial skills, we also have editorships available for certain sections.

If you want to write about South Asian film, we have an open call for South Asia Staff Writers.

For all other regions, staff positions are currently by invite only. We extend staff invites to writers who have a track record of success with pitches, and demonstrate a high quality of writing. If you’re interested in joining our staff, we recommend pitching an article first!

Note that, currently, none of our staff receive monetary compensation.