Membership

Interested In Joining The FFCC?

If so, see below for bylaws and membership criteria.
If you believe you qualify, please complete this form.
You can also contact floridafilmcritics@gmail.com if you have any questions.

BYLAWS:

A. MISSION:

The Florida Film Critics Circle is established to:

recognize outstanding work in film, further the cause of good movies generally, and maintain the highest level of professionalism among film critics in Florida.

B. MEMBERSHIP:

1. To be considered for membership, a candidate must:

• (a) be nominated by a member in good standing,

• (b) be a critic who writes, does radio, video, podcasts, analytically about film (including essays) and/or reviews film for an online/print/broadcast publication (or publications) based in Florida, or a critic who lives in Florida and who writes, does radio, video, podcasts, analytically about film and/or reviews film.

• (c) work independently of the movie industry.  That is, the candidate must not attend junkets at the expense of movie companies, earn income from movie companies, accept corporate sponsorships that create a conflict of interest, and accept lavish offers from movie companies.

2. A candidate who meets requirements a, b and c and publishes at least 25 movie reviews/essays per year in a Florida-based publication (or publications) for at least 12 months may be accepted for membership by a simple majority of members who choose to vote. A critic who meets requirements a, b, and c and who publishes fewer than 25 movie reviews per year online and/or in a Florida-based publication (or publications) for at least 12 months may be accepted for membership by a 3/4 majority.

3. Members need to remain in good standing by meeting the requirement of 25 reviews per year.

4. If a candidate meets all other requirements for membership but writes in a language other than English, the writer is eligible to join the FFCC.

5. Membership balloting will be secret if held in person and confidential if held by phone or e-mail or video conferencing.

6. A member who does not vote for the awards or falls out of good standing, meaning they produce fewer than 25 reviews a year is placed on inactive status for a period not exceeding 12 months. If that member does not vote for the awards for a second consecutive year or does not remain in good standing, the membership ends. The former member is free to reapply at any time. A valid reason why a member could not vote that year will be considered by the full membership. 

7. Members in good standing who are no longer reviewing but wish to remain in the FFCC may request “Emeritus” status. Criteria for receiving Emeritus status is as follows: 1) You must have served as the Chairperson for a minimum of two years; OR 2) You must have been a member in good standing for at least four (cumulative) years. Emeritus members do not have voting privileges of any kind but will be listed on the official FFCC roster and be invited to participate in the discussion of all matters pertaining to official FFCC business, including but not limited to year-end awards nominees and prospective applicants. Additionally, Emeritus members may officially nominate prospective applicants to the FFCC.

8. The deadline for membership in a calendar year is August 1st. All applications submitted after August 1st will be reviewed the following January.

9. Once a candidate is accepted into the FFCC as a member of the organization, they will pay a one-time fee ($15) to cover the website’s annual domain fees. Every three years, all members will contribute towards renewing the website’s hosting fees. The fee will be divided equally between all members (regardless of status), after being reviewed and presented to the group.

10. Official FFCC communications shall only pertain to official FFCC business. Members should adhere to standards of decorum in communications to the entire group. Decorum means no personal attacks, offensive or degrading language. If a member violates the code of ethics, a second member can file a motion to censure.  A censure vote will require three-fourths of voting members. Two censure votes in a calendar year may lead to expulsion.

C.  OFFICERS:

1. A Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson will serve as such for a 4-year period. At the end of their term new chairpeople can be nominated by another member or members can volunteer to put themselves up for either position. The vice-chair can go on to be chair and vice-versa if they accept a nomination or volunteer to be as such.

2. Votes will be done via SurveyMonkey. Each member will get a ballot of the nominees with the one earning the most votes winning for each chair position. If access to SurveyMonkey is no longer available, all members will be notified and a new method will be decided on.

3. The officers are chairperson, vice chairperson and any other posts that are added at the discretion of the chairperson.

4. If an officer drops out, the chairperson may appoint a replacement. If the chairperson determines that an additional officer is needed, the chairperson may appoint one. If the chairperson drops out, the vice chairperson will assume the office of chairperson and may appoint a replacement vice chairperson.

5. Any member in good standing can make a motion regarding the tenure of the chairperson. The motion can only be made during the period of Aug. 1 through 7 of each year and only one motion per person per year.

D. AWARDS:

1. At the end of each calendar year, the FFCC will vote for awards for outstanding achievements in the films of that year.

2. As a rule of thumb, the eligible films will be those considered eligible by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  However, if a worthy film is nominated that the academy does not allow, that film may be included for consideration at the discretion of the chairperson.

3. The standard categories are Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Best Ensemble, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction/Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Score, Best International Film, Best Animated Film and Best Documentary.  There are also the Pauline Kael Breakout Award and the Golden Orange for Outstanding Contribution to Film.

4. Members may also make nominations in whatever other categories they deem appropriate.

5. The procedures and mechanics of voting will be left to the discretion of the chairperson.  If the vote is taken at a meeting, a simple majority is desirable in each category.  If the vote is taken long-distance, the prizes may go to the nominees with the strongest support in each category.

E. MISCELLANEOUS:

1. Membership rules may be amended by a 3/4 majority of members voting.  Other bylaws may be amended by a simple majority. A special committee may also be formed to address membership rules.

2. Decisions regarding the FFCC not explicitly covered in these bylaws may generally be made by the chairperson.  Major decisions may be made by the chairperson with the approval of a majority of the officers.

Revised: 02/2023