Dear readers,
Last week, on Wednesday 13 April, I reached out to you for help. For the first time, The Film Magazine faced the real possibility of closure. Our zero-budget operation, which has grown to reach hundreds of thousands of readers, stood at the brink. Thanks to your generosity and swift support, that crisis has passed.
Thank you.
It was a difficult decision for me and the small TFM team to ask for support. We have always wanted The Film Magazine to grow through hard work, dedication and the expertise of our contributors rather than through aggressive monetisation. Our aim was never to build a commercial empire but to celebrate cinema as a universal art form and to share thoughtful, well-researched writing freely. Putting our work behind paywalls, intrusive advertising, pop-ups, or affiliate marketing would run counter to our mission and to the kind of writing we publish.
We believe in providing an open platform for informed conversation about film, and we take pride in publishing voices from around the world, including perspectives that are less represented in mainstream media. Every article is edited to a high standard because we believe readers deserve well-crafted, reliable coverage. That editorial care is important to us and to the writers who contribute their time, insight and passion.
Whether you liked, shared or replied to my appeal, your response renewed our confidence and sustained the publication. Working online can sometimes feel isolating, and it can be hard to appreciate the impact of a single voice. Your support answered our request with a meaningful and encouraging chorus. It has filled me with both pride and humility. Thank you for recognising and valuing this collective effort.
To everyone who donated via PayPal, please know that you have directly helped keep more than a thousand articles freely available. Those essays and reviews are used by students, educators and researchers, and many are cited on academic reading lists and informational pages. Your contributions preserve a resource that is consulted by readers and institutions around the world.
Looking ahead, The Film Magazine will still face challenges that could threaten our sustainability. Social media, once a level playing field for independent voices, has become increasingly monetised and favours those with the deepest pockets. Our other revenue attempts, like selling merchandise, have been squeezed by rising fees and higher costs passed on to customers. Despite growing rapidly—the site has expanded by roughly 300% in two years and is now one of the most-visited independently run film publications in the UK—those gains have arrived alongside persistent financial pressures.
Everything published on The Film Magazine remains free to read. If you would like to make a one-off donation or arrange regular support to help sustain our editorial work, you can do so through the donation options available on the site. These donation links appear on desktop at the right-hand column and on mobile in the site menu and footer, so if you are not in a position to help now you can return later.
We still believe the best way to support free online journalism is often the simplest: share an article you enjoyed, comment to encourage a writer, like and interact with the pieces that matter to you. Those small actions can greatly increase a story’s visibility, offer meaningful encouragement to contributors and help the publication grow organically.
Independent online journalism is under pressure everywhere, and many small outlets have closed. We remain because of the community that reads, engages with and supports this work. Your involvement keeps independent film coverage alive and helps maintain a space where thoughtful criticism, interviews, essays and news about cinema can continue to thrive.
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Joseph Wade
Founder | Editor
The Film Magazine