Saffron Maeve
Film Critic, Curator, Academic, Moderator
At this point, I would not be surprised if the readers of this newsletter have an ongoing joke about how often I proclaim that a guest is so special, a dear friend, or a part of the AUSKLEIDEN extended universe. There ought to be a bingo board for the phrases that start each AWC newsletter. Just don’t make it a drinking game…I won’t be responsible for anyone getting their stomach pumped.
ANYWAY, today’s guest earnestly is all three of those things: Saffron is a Dear and Special friend who is not only a part of the AUSKLEIDEN mag extended universe, she was there to bear witness to the earliest frameworks of it being built! And by that I of course mean she is one of Savannah and I’s original Film Twitter friends who was there when the proverbial text of friendship was being written; she was there supporting the earliest inklings of the kind of writing that would one day evolve into that which we would put toward this magazine. While some of those early cultural musings leaned syrupy, sophomoric, and sentimental (*cough cough* Ahmari’s Letterboxd essays, but to be clear, I stand ten toes down on my Lady Bird one from 2021) others skewed brilliant and wise beyond their years (IN BOLD LETTERING: SAVANNAH’S EARLY FILM WRITING AND ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTATION ON ANNE BANCROFT).
No matter where it landed, what Saffron, Sav, and I all had in common was a love for filmmaking and the cultural niches that often surrounded it. While the manifestations of that branched off into wildly different directions, of the three of us, Saffron is the one who has become a capital F Film Critic, and so much more than that, she has become an integral voice and curatorial eye in the film community across Toronto and New York City.
Contours: monthly series at the Paradise Theater in Toronto on visual art in film, curated by Saffron who also writes a companion column for Screen Slate
Crit Salon: quarterly readings of film criticism, hosted and created by Saffron
Film writing: regular contributor to The Globe and Mail, bylines @ MUBI Notebook, Sight and Sound, Film Comment, etc.
Moderated at TIFF, other Canadian festivals/showcases
Curated more broadly, across NY and Canada (specifics for both moderating and curating are in her website bio)
PhD student, Cinema and Media Studies at York University
I won’t spoil the whole enchilada, but in addition to all of her wonderful work, Saffron gave us her thoughtful insights into the future of moviegoing and some her most critical moments as a film journalist, namely her profile of Bette Gordon and the film series dedicated to her work that she curated following the publication of the definitive profile.
As usual, our guests are cool and very stylish. Saffron’s uniform? Comfort above all else: men’s black barrel jeans, an oversized cotton or linen shirt, and cobalt or jewel-toned socks with flats.
And her essentials, sweet, sincere, and simply perfect:
Time with friends and family
Notebook and pen that go with her everywhere
Fresh produce
Life-affirming cinema, theatre, art, literature
Chunky silver rings
You can catch Saffron’s writing all over the place, but some of here recent work can be found on her site linked to her Instagram <3
