Marya E. Gates is a freelance film writer based in Chicago.

She studied Comparative Literature and French Literature at U.C. Berkeley, and also has an overpriced and underused MFA in Film Production.

Before switching to writing full time she worked in social media and editorial marketing for Warner Bros., Rotten Tomatoes, Turner Classic Movies/FilmStruck, and Netflix Film.

Frequent bylines include RogerEbert.com, Letterboxd Journal, The Playlist, Emmy Mag, Moviefone, Nerdist, Inverse, IGN, IndieWire, and Vulture. 

A full archive of her written work can be found here.

Her first book Cinema Her Way: Visionary Female Directors In Their Own Words, which features career-spanning interviews with 19 trailblazing female filmmakers, is out now from Rizzoli.