Jay Weissberg

Jay Weissberg, SENIOR CRITIC, is a native New Yorker who lives in Rome. A film historian and critic, he began writing for Variety in 2003. His work on contemporary cinema has appeared in international publications and he’s contributed essays in numerous festival and retrospective catalogues, with a particular focus on Arab and Romanian film. He was appointed director of the Giornate del Cinema Muto/Pordenone Silent Film Festival in 2015, writes widely about silent film, and is a co-curator of the Ottoman Film Project. A frequent participant of festival juries, he often takes part in panel discussions on the current state of cinema and film criticism, regularly moderates Masterclasses with filmmakers, and has mentored programs for young film critics worldwide. His discussion on Romanian cinema appears as an extra on Criterion’s Blu-ray/DVD release of Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.  He also has a blog, “The Silent Cat,” which delves into forgotten stories of the silent film era.