Courtney Small

Senior Critic
Courtney is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and co-host of the radio show Frameline. He has written for several publications including POV Magazine, CBC Arts, Exclaim!, Cinema Axis, Leonard Maltin, In the Seats, Black Girl Nerds, and Comix Asylum. He also discusses diversity in cinema as host of the Changing Reels podcast and is a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association, the Online Film Critics Society and the African American Film Critics Association.


Articles by Courtney Small:


  • Bad Press documentary
    January 23, 2023

    Sundance 2023: Bad Press Review

    Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler’s Bad Press observes one outlet’s fight to retain the right to journalistic freedom within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

  • Murder in Big Horn docuseries
    January 22, 2023

    Sundance 2023: Murder in Big Horn Review

    Showtime’s three-part docuseries Murder in Big Horn explores the disturbing number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Big Horn, Montana.

  • Ricky
    January 22, 2023

    Sundance 2023: Ricky Review

    Rashad Frett’s short film Ricky follows an ex-convict struggling with life after jail and the choices that bind fear and regret together.

  • Pianoforte - Sundance 2021
    January 21, 2023

    Sundance 2023: Pianoforte Review

    Pianoforte takes the audience behind the scenes of the International Chopin Piano Competition, considered the Olympics for piano players.

  • Devotion
    November 23, 2022

    Devotion Review

    Devotion tells the tale of Jesse L. Brown, the first Black aviator in the Navy, and his wingman Tom Hudner during the Korean War.

  • Stay the Night
    November 16, 2022

    Stay the Night Review

    Stay the Night is a charming romance that sometimes it just takes one night for love to blossom.

  • Bandit
    September 22, 2022

    Bandit Review

    Bandit tells the story of The Flying Bandit, one of Canada’s most notorious bank robbers who managed to rob 59 banks in the late 1980s.

  • Chevalier
    September 20, 2022

    TIFF 2022: Chevalier Review

    Chevalier explores the life of one of the greatest composers whose legacy was unfairly erased from the history books.

  • Brother
    September 16, 2022

    TIFF 2022: Brother Review

    An emotionally resonant film that presents Scarborough in a poetically beautiful and gritty light unlike it has ever been captured on screen before, Brother is a marvel to behold.

  • When Morning Comes
    September 12, 2022

    TIFF 2022: When Morning Comes Review

    Kelly Fyffe-Marshall’s debut feature is poetically beautiful and vibrant love letter to Jamaica and the sense of community it fosters.