Former Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang received the Pulitzer Prize for his criticism on Monday.
Chang was honored for his work published last year, led by an August article defending director Christopher Nolan's controversial decision to avoid depictions of the horrific atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Nolan's epic film “Oppenheimer “, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Chang was a Times critic for nearly eight years; He left the newspaper at the end of January to become a film critic for the New Yorker magazine. He began his career at Hollywood trade magazine Variety, where he spent 12 years, starting as an intern and rising to become the publication's top film critic before moving to The Times.
“The only job I ever wanted was to be a film critic,” Chang said in a brief interview Monday. “And to be able to do it at the LA Times (I grew up in Orange County reading The Times) was just a dream come true.”
The Times staff was selected as a Pulitzer finalist for breaking news for its coverage of the January 2023 mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park that left nearly a dozen people dead. About 20 minutes after the Lunar New Year shooting, the suspect entered another studio in nearby Alhambra, but a young man disarmed him and ran away.
A massive manhunt began and ended when law enforcement officers gathered in the parking lot of a shopping center in Torrance, where the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Additionally, Times staff writer Keri Blakinger was named a finalist in the feature stories category for a report she wrote, in conjunction with the Marshall Project and the New York Times Magazine, before joining the newspaper last year to cover criminal justice and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. .
Chang's prize marked the sixth consecutive year that The Times won at least one Pulitzer, bringing the newspaper's all-time Pulitzer total to 52.
“Justin digs deep into his ideas with a rigor that is not only rare, but singular,” said Times film editor Joshua Rothkopf, who edited most of Chang's columns. “His clarity of thought and creativity are beacons for all of us who love movies and writing well about them. Our work together was immensely enjoyable.”
Last year, The Times won the Pulitzer for breaking news for its coverage of a secret audio recording that exposed Los Angeles City Council members conspiring in crude, racist ways—a jarring look at political factions and city power struggles.
Photographer Christina House also received a Pulitzer in Feature Photography in 2023 for her powerful and empathetic images of a homeless young woman living off the Hollywood Freeway while dealing with drug and childbirth issues.
In 2022, Times photographer Marcus Yam received the Breaking News Photography Award for his sobering images of the U.S. exit from Afghanistan that captured the human cost of historic change in the country.
“We all know Justin is a very insightful thinker about movies, the artists who make them, and the art form itself,” said arts and entertainment editor Craig Nakano. “What people may not know is that his intelligence and his elegant writing are accompanied by an incredible work ethic and kindness, even under the pressure of deadlines. “All his brilliant work since he joined The Times in 2016 led to this moment.”
The newsroom celebrated Chang and his significant achievement, which continued the recognition of several Times columnists who have earned the critics' award over the years. Times art critic Christopher Knight won the award in 2020. Five years earlier, senior critic Mary McNamara was honored for her columns that went beyond television to examine broader cultural trends.
Chang's columns focused on works for the screen, highlighting those he considered deserving praise for their artistry, humanity and sheer storytelling.
Likewise, he did not hide his disappointment in other works, such as Alexander Payne's “The Holdovers.” His review of that film was titled: “Bah, humbug! 'The Holdovers' is a clumsy and false movie, a white elephant gift.”
In the interview, Chang praised his mentor, Times film critic Kenneth Turan, as his “first great teacher of film and film criticism.”
“I learned a lot from Kenny about how to carry yourself, how to approach work with humility, which is something I've tried to do,” Chang said. “I have this in my head, it is a formulation that I cannot leave aside: that humility and authority go hand in hand. You start with one, the other will follow.”
The 41-year-old film critic is originally from Anaheim Hills.
“My years at The Times were just an incredible experience,” Chang said. “From the moment I walked through the doors of Spring Street, when we were still on Spring Street, The Times gave me all the freedom in the world to approach this work as I saw fit. And I don't take it for granted.
“People have a lot of ideas and assumptions about what a critic should be, what they should cover, what they should prioritize, and sometimes those agendas are very tied to the agendas of the American commercial film industry,” Chang said. “Although I love the American film industry, I am also interested in other types of films. I am interested in the entire cinematographic spectrum. And I'm very grateful to The Times because they've always let me explore that spectrum to the fullest.”
