The Cinema Dispatch is founded, owned, and operated by Hunter Friesen. While attaining a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Finance at the University of Northern Iowa, Hunter was also a student of cinema. He was president of the Film Appreciation Club for three years, programming weekly screenings that aimed to entertain and educate the student body. He also served as the film critic for The Northern Iowan newspaper and co-hosted a biweekly campus radio show called Your World with Nick & Hunter on 94.5 KULT-FM.
While the perpetually cold weather of Minnesota usually forced him to hunker down and enjoy so many great movies, Hunter has also used his passion for cinema to travel the world. He's covered several international film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Sundance Film Festival. He also covers the local Twin Cities Film Fest and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival.
Hunter currently serves as the president of The Minnesota Film Critics Association; and is an active member of The International Film Society Critics, The Online Film & Television Association, The Independent Film Critics of America, and The Critics Circle.
Other outlets he's contributed to include Next Best Picture, Buffed Film Buffs, Reel Chronicles, and Gold Derby Horses.
Tyler Banark Staff Writer
Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Tyler has been a film lover since age eleven. He continues to express his love through his Instagram page, which he started in December 2015. He majored in Film Studies and minored in Broadcasting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he contributed to the UNL Film Club and spent a semester contributing to the campus radio station 90.3 KRNU-FM. He covers the Toronto International Film Festival and the local Omaha Film Festival, along with keeping up with the latest new releases.
Tyler is a member of The Critics Circle and a contributor to TLOC Productions. He also wrote for Buffed Film Buffs, Cinema Solace, and the Shenandoah Film Collaborative.