As a film critic builds up their portfolio, bylines, and connections within the industry, membership with a Film Critics Association can become a valuable resource. These critics groups are mostly regional, with others based around uniting marginalized writers, and provide their members with more connections with distributors, screener access, and the opportunity to vote for the best films of that year. Each group has their own requirements, rules, and possible fees. For our Industry Interview series, we speak with Elizabeth Stoddard and Jon Partridge, President and Vice President of the Austin Film Critics Association about their experience running a Film Critics Association and more.
Film Cred: To begin, could you please introduce yourself and what you do?
Elizabeth Stoddard: Elizabeth Stoddard. I write for Cinapse, but started off at Austinist and then Slackerwood. I’m currently serving my second term as President of Austin Film Critics Association; I was VP before that. I’ve also been a Documentary Shorts Associate Programmer at SXSW (’21-’22). I have lived in Austin most of my life.
Jon Partridge: Jon Partridge, chief theatrical critic for Cinapse.co, member of the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), and currently Vice-President of the Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA).
FC: How did you get into film criticism?
ES: I’ve written regularly since high school. That progressed to blogs after college, and then someone invited me on to Austinist, where I wrote my first official film review; I want to say it was for Mamma Mia, but I honestly can’t remember. I haven’t had official film training, besides a few random classes I took at my liberal arts college. I grew up on classic films (thanks TCM and old school AMC), and those will always have a special place in my heart.
JP: Arguing with a friend about a differing take on a movie after a SXSW screening back in 2013. A gauntlet was laid down by another friend to put my thoughts down for the new site he was planning (Cinapse). The rest, as they say, is history.
FC: What is a Film Critics Association?
JP: Typically, a group of film critics, connected by geography (or demography), who have demonstrated quality and insightful criticism, as judged by their peers (existing members). The group reflects the community to which they have ties, and serves it in terms of providing information, insight, and warnings. Such as to avoid Jurassic Park Dominion at all costs.
ES: Well, our association, AFCA, is a group of Central Texas-based critics who meet once a year and also vote on annual awards.
FC: How did you get into a leadership position within a Film Critics Association?
ES: I was the only one who ran, lol.
JP: Our by-laws require elections every two years, as well as annual meetings to discuss association affairs, member concerns, etc. I am currently in my second term as veep, but when the position first opened up, I mentioned an interest to a fellow member who proceeded to nominate me. I don’t recall anyone else stepping up to the plate, it does require a bit of work after all 😉
FC: What are the benefits of joining a Film Critics Association?
ES: Besides the honor of having your work recognized by others in your area, the group serves as a collective voice for Austin critics, so we can be a kind of representation to studios and the like. For instance, we held a survey in 2020 among members to gauge how folks were feeling about in-person screenings and passed the results on to our list of regular PR reps.
JP: First and foremost, access. Studios/PR firms typically liaise with critics associations, request their rosters, and add them to their publicity lists. If there’s a press screening in town, or screeners going out around awards season, being in a critics group is a way to get access to all that. You could think of the association as something of a union too. As a collective, we have a bit more bargaining power with studios when it comes to requesting/organizing screenings. In recent COVID times, we often helped facilitate more online access too. We’ve also had success in having screenings moved from woefully inadequate venues (dull bulbs, deteriorating seats, bad smells, you know which theater you are), to ones that more appropriately present the features.
It’s also really nice to have a community of like minded movie lovers in town. If I head to the movies, press screening or not, I’ll often bump into a fellow member and have a good chat about what we both just saw. Members crossover or collaborate between outlets. Our film awards season is also quite fun. Good banter, good recommendations, and quite often, good winners selected by the members of the AFCA.
FC: Do you think critics need to join an association to move forward in the industry?
JP: As a film critic, you need to watch films, so access is important. You can build up a resume of reviews, attend festivals, chip away at access and get onto PR lists, sure. Get into an association, you tend to open up a swath of contacts. That means less chasing, more watching and writing. Obviously you need quality reviews to get into these groups, but if you have them, put them to use
FC: Sometimes critics don’t live in areas with an established Film Critics Association, or they’re not yet qualified, how do you suggest they build a community of critics?
JP: Go to the movies, look for familiar faces at rep or special screenings (not in a creepy way obviously), strike up conversations in the lobby, post online if you’re the more introverted type. Chances are, what you’re looking for is already there, you just haven’t found it yet, or no-one has pulled the disparate parts together. I think every group is born out of mutual love for something, find like minded people, share, and go from there.
FC: Are there any non-regional Film Critics Associations you think new writers should look into?
JP: The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), of which I’m a member, encompasses online writers across the globe. It’s the predominant platform for journalism/writing these days, and the diversity of its members makes for an insightful, and interesting collective of film lovers and writers.
FC: What are the requirements to join the Austin Film Critics Association?
JP: You must reside in Austin, publish 2+ reviews a month (300+ words), and have been active for 6+ months, to apply. You’ll then submit a selection of representative reviews, which will be made anonymous, then a panel of our members will evaluate them and give recommendations. On average we accept 2 or 3 new members a year. We currently have around 30 members.
FC: What kind of writing makes one eligible to join a Film Critics Association? Is it only reviews of new releases?
ES: [For AFCA,] as long as you are writing/podcasting about movies, it doesn’t matter if you review a hard-to-find release, something newly streaming, in theaters now, or an old favorite just out on Blu-ray. Reviews should be more analysis/critique than plot summary; most people know this already. We do have a minimum length requirement, but that’s about it.
JP: It depends on the group. I think there is a tendency to look at ongoing output, which suggests some new content. But we have no stipulations in our by-laws about that, so if classic movies are your thing, don’t let it hold you back. We do require our members to participate in our annual awards voting, so there is an expectation that members keep up with new releases for those purposes at least.
FC: For Elizabeth: As a woman running a Film Critics Association, what is your advice for female film critics trying to break into the industry?
ES: I don’t know that I have any kind of sage advice. I just want women critics to know that your voice is important and has value. I’m grateful for the connections I’ve made online and in person with other women who write about film.
FC: What do you think Film Critics Associations can do better to encourage new membership?
JP: I think maintaining a presence is important. We truly appreciate having an entity like the Austin Film Society here in town, with which we’ve helped program some features to celebrate Austin filmmaking during awards season. Many of our members contribute to well-known, locally based publications such as the Austin Chronicle, the Austin-American Statesman, and Lights Camera Austin at KOOP radio, which helps keep us in the local consciousness. Even some of our members writing for more national, and international publications does no harm in putting us out there. I think that presence validates us, as does our engagement and activity as a group and individuals. Hopefully that encourages folks to answer our call for new members.
FC: What is the Austin Film Critics Association doing to encourage diverse voices in your membership?
ES: We try to publicize as best we can during our application period. Having more critics from underrepresented populations in the group is certainly a goal of ours, and I’m sure there are things we could be doing better.
JP: We, like many groups, still have a way to go in terms of better reflecting our community. Simply put, we get an overwhelming number of applicants from the same demographic, which does tend to skew the makeup of the group. I will say we have a very strong level of female representation within our ranks, but that isn’t enough.
We’re currently approaching our new membership application season, and are trying to use the insights and connections of existing members, to try to better reach critics from underrepresented groups to ensure they know we’re looking for new members. We have an agenda item for our next annual meeting to discuss ways to alter our application process to try and facilitate more outreach and recruitment, rather than simply sitting back and hoping those voices come to us.
Our current DEI committee is working on these, and other actions the AFCA could take. But, if any Austin-based writers, belonging to an underrepresented group, are reading this and have an idea, an experience, or any concerns about how they perceive the group, or their place in it, I ask them to reach out. We welcome those thoughts as much as we’d welcome adding their voice to our community of critics.
FC: What are you looking for from new voices in film criticism?
ES: Personally, I most appreciate reviews that incorporate the writer’s lived experience into their viewing of the film. How I watch a film is probably not how you will watch the same film. It also helps if humor is involved in the writing!
JP: The same thing I look for in old voices. Enthusiasm. Whether you’ve been writing for a year or ten years, having that passion for film is what really matters.
FC: How do you perceive film critics who primarily cover genre films? Is there a marked difference in perceptions of prestige based on what genre film critics choose to cover?
JP: I’m a big fan of genre fare so no negative connotations here. I think the perception really is about tone or how the label is used. Some use it in a dismissive way, others use it to highlight how a filmmaker might be taking some risks with creative choices. You’ll probably find that those people who use “genre film” as a slur, are the same who are taking a veiled swipe at horror in general by slapping on the term “elevated” to those that have a slightly more considered script or aesthetic. I happily cover “prestige” films and genre fare alike. I think it does you good as a writer (and as a film fan) to catch a good breadth of what’s out there.
FC: Finally, Observe and Report or Paul Blart: Mall Cop?
ES: I haven’t seen either, but Paul Blart is referenced in a feminist graphic novel I was reading a couple weeks ago and I really enjoyed that.
JP: Observe obviously. Fuck you, Paul Blart. Fuck you, Saddam Hussein of Iraq!
Interested in joining the Austin Film Critics Association? Check out their Membership Guidelines here. You can also follow the AFCA on Twitter @ATXFilmCritics.
Have more questions about breaking into film criticism? Ask us at advice@film-cred.com.
