The Los Angeles Film Critics Association congratulates Andy Fang and Veronica Hernandez as the 2023 recipients of the LAFCA Ruth Batchelor Scholarship, supported by Rotten Tomatoes.

The award was established in honor of the organization’s founder Ruth Batchelor to encourage and support aspiring film critics. Thanks to the generous backing of Rotten Tomatoes, LAFCA is presenting two scholarships: one to a woman and another to a person from an underrepresented group or groups.

Andy Fang is a student majoring in film studies at Santa Monica College. As an Asian American, he was raised on the movies of both Wong Kar-wai and Paul Thomas Anderson, which firmly solidified his passion for cinema. Reading the works of critics from diverse backgrounds such as Justin Chang and Hilton Als also inspired him to write about his own thoughts on movies. He aspires to continue writing and being a small part of the communion among film lovers that film criticism can help foster.

Veronica Hernandez is a film student at Los Angeles City College working to diversify and recreate the film industry and film journalism world. Her creative philosophy relies on learning from the past to build the future, so studying film and film history closely is of big importance to her. Hernandez’s Black and Salvadoran heritage heavily impacts her work, and she dreams of creating a new Black Hollywood, one that includes all kinds of stories from the global Black diaspora. Her passion for film criticism allows her to voice her unique perspective, which is rooted in a genuine love for cinema and its history.

Fang and Hernandez will receive their $3,000 awards, plus Fandango and Vudu gift cards, at the LAFCA awards ceremony on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at The Biltmore Los Angeles.