Bio

Jan Lisa Huttner is an award-winning Chicago film critic. Managing editor of Films for Two: The Online Guide for Busy Couples (www.films42.com), Jan writes regular monthly columns for Chicago’s JUF News and the WomenArts website, and freelances for additional print and internet editors. She is also a popular speaker, addressing women’s groups and college audiences all across Illinois. In 2004, she became the coordinator a new initiative called WITASWAN (“Women in the Audience Supporting Women Artists Now”) dedicated to mobilizing consumer support for women filmmakers.

Jan is the author of numerous interviews with female filmmakers including directors, screenwriters, and producers. She was also the first person to post an in-depth interview with Professor Martha Lauzen, the woman most responsible for defining and tracking the “Celluloid Ceiling” (which continues to restrict opportunities for women filmmakers in Hollywood and beyond).

Jan received her B.A. from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland (the \"Great Books” school), and Masters Degrees in Psychology from Harvard University & the University of Chicago. An active member of the American Association of University Women since 1982, Jan currently holds the position of Director of International Relations on the AAUW-Illinois Board. She is also a member of AWJ (the Association of Women Journalists), CAWHC (the Chicago Area Women’s History Network), CFCA (the Chicago Film Critics Association), IWPA (the Illinois Woman’s Press Association), WIF/C (Women in Film – Chicago) and Hadassah’s AGAM chapter.

Winner of IWPA’s “Silver Feather” award for superior achievement in 2005 and 2006, Jan also received a first place certificate for “Best News Writing for the Internet” from the National Federation of Press Women in 2005. In 2006, Jan’s message hit the airwaves: she was a featured commentator on WRKF (the NPR-affiliate in Baton Rouge) the morning after the Oscars, and her April presentation at the Quincy Museum was covered by WGEM (the local NBC-TV affiliate). WRKF did a second interview with Jan the week that the 2007 Oscar nominations were announced, and WHPK ran an interview with her in April, right after the third annual WITASWAN program in Chicago on March 31.

Jan tweets from @FilmsForTwo.

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