In an era dominated by endless digital scrolling and algorithmic recommendations, a new physical publication is arriving to give moviegoers a tangible connection back to cinema culture. 

Ritual, an independent film zine dedicated to celebrating movies in all their forms, has officially released its premiere issue. The publication is the creative passion project of longtime publicist and lifelong cinephile Greg Longstreet, founder of the Los Angeles-based PR firm Empirical.

Conceived as an analog escape from our screens, the zine embraces a raw, DIY aesthetic to share independent voices directly with the film community. However, it doesn’t entirely leave the digital world behind; the zine features QR codes throughout its pages that readers can scan to access curated playlists and exclusive multimedia content that expands upon the printed stories. 

Kicking off the zine is a lineup of contributors that includes comedian and actor Patton Oswalt, IFC executive Danielle Freiberg, Mike Ryan, Casey Storm and director Edgar Wright, alongside writing from Ritual founder and editor Greg Longstreet himself.

Longstreet explained the core philosophy behind the project: “Ritual was born from the idea that film culture should feel tactile, communal, and personal. I wanted to create something artful that I could pour my entire life in entertainment into—a physical piece of media film lovers could throw in their back pocket and read while waiting for the movie to start.”

Longstreet himself is a third-generation entertainment professional with over two decades of PR experience deeply rooted in LA’s moviegoing scene. Before transitioning to publicity, he worked as a teenage actor, producer, and wrote screenplays—selling pitches and spec scripts to major industry figures like Joel Silver and Ben Stiller, alongside a memorable two-week stint writing on South Park.

The premiere issue of Ritual is currently hitting the streets of Los Angeles, available at select local theaters including the New Beverly Cinema, Vista Theater, Vidiots, and retail spaces.