David Hudson joined MUBI’s Notebook in July of 2009 and immediately redefined our project with the publication, providing an invaluable service of news finding and curating to present to online cinephiles the most essential and interesting stories of each day.
Despite the section’s name and its up-to-the-minute reporting, the present wasn’t the Daily’s only concern; continuing his work for GreenCine Daily and The Daily at IFC, David strove to build an Internet archive of contemporary film commentary, time capsules of what people were talking about in the cinema world at a precise moment in time. These frozen moments also became stories, as from this archive what often emerged were small narratives as David tracked the commentary that emerged on a single film throughout its varied journey through the world. Discovery, too, is a core element of David’s work, where he serves not just as reporter, curator, archivist and storyteller, but also as an advocate for finding new voices and approaches to looking at the movies. I certainly remember the first time he linked to something I wrote, back at GreenCine, and how that changed the course of my criticism.
I am sad to say that after over two and a half years of contributions to MUBI, our Notebook and our community, David is moving elsewhere. But his project lives on, and I am thankful not just for all that he has done here but all he has done before and what he will do in the future. Thank you for everything David, and best of luck!