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, 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:


  • Emergency
    January 22, 2022
    Sundance 2022: Emergency Review

    A refreshingly original work, Emergency captures how race and perception can make even the most obvious choice extremely complicated.

  • See For Me
    January 9, 2022
    See For Me Review

    Randall Okita’s See For Me ultimately lacks the vision to truly deliver on the potential it initially shows.

  • North By Current
    October 28, 2021
    Rendezvous with Madness 2021: North By Current Review

    The push for reform within the criminal justice system is often discussed from an inner-city perspective in the media. What is not mentioned is that misuse of power in policing and the courts has a great impact on those in rural communities as well. Returning to his hometown of Grayling, Michigan, director Angelo Madsen Minax […]

  • Dug Dug
    September 14, 2021
    TIFF 2021: Dug Dug Review

    From filmmaker Ritwik Pareek comes Dug Dug, a film which observes how blind faith can be spawned out of the most unlikely of places.

  • Comala
    September 13, 2021
    TIFF 2021: Comala Review

    In putting together the puzzle pieces of his estranged father’s life, Gian Cassini effectively documents the ways in which familial ties are often messy.

  • Hold Your Fire
    September 10, 2021
    TIFF 2021: Hold Your Fire Review

    Hold Your Fire is a powerful indictment of a police culture in need of change, one that frequently choose bullets over de-escalation and discourse.

  • Defund
    September 10, 2021
    TIFF 2021: DEFUND Review

    DEFUND uses levity to reclaim the true meaning of the “Defund the Police” movement.

  • September 10, 2021
    TIFF 2021: Attica Review

    In a time when racism and policing is under a larger microscope, Attica is one the year’s must-see films.

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