National Society of Film Critics

The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. As of December 2007 the NSFC had approximately 60 members who wrote for a variety of weekly and daily newspapers.^[1]

History

National Society of Film Critics was founded in 1966 by a group of New York City based film critics who had been denied membership into the New York Film Critics Circle.^[1] The NSFC was founded in the NYC apartment of Saturday Review critic Hollis Alpert, who co-founded the organization with The New Yorker writer Pauline Kael.^[1] Other influential founding members included then Newsweek movie reviewer, Joe Morgenstern, and Life Magazine film critic, Richard Schickel.^[1] The Society was also founded in order to counteract the influence of New York Times critic, Bosley Crowther, who dominated the New York City film critic scene for many years.^[1] The original founding film critics, who were overwhelmingly based in New York, called their new group a "national" organization because they wrote for a number of magazines and newspapers with a national circulation.^[1]

The organization is known for their highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In past years, many of their Best Picture winners are foreign films, and they rarely match with the Academy Awards (they only agreed with the Oscar for four times in the past 40 years). The NSFC and its members are also among the most well respected professional film critics groups in North America.

The NSFC is also the American representative of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), which comprises the national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world. The FIPRESCI has members in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Books

The society has published an ongoing series of anthologies of articles including:

• The X List: A Guide to the Movies That Turn Us On, Edited by Jami Bernard, Da Capo Press, 2005
• The A List: 100 Essential Films, Edited by Jay Carr, Da Capo Press, 2002
• Flesh and Blood: On Sex, Violence, and Censorship, Edited by Peter Keough, Mercury House, 1995
• They Went Thataway: Redefining Film Genres, Edited by Richard T. Jameson, Mercury House, 1994
• Love and Hisses: Sound Off On the Hottest Movie Controversies, Edited by Peter Rainer, Mercury House, 1992
• Foreign Affairs: A Guide to Foreign Films, Edited by Kathy Schulz Huffhines, Mercury House, 1991
• Produced and Abandoned: The Best Films You've Never Seen, Edited by Michael Sragow, Mercury House, 1990
• The National Society of Film Critics on the Movie Star, Edited by Elisabeth Weis, Penguin, 1981
• The National Society of Film Critics on Movie Comedy, Edited by Stuart Byron and Elisabeth Weis, Penguin, 1977

Annual Film Awards

• Categories:
  • Best Film
  • Best Director
  • Best Actor
  • Best Actress
  • Best Supporting Actor
  • Best Supporting Actress
  • Best Non-Fiction Film

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Nelson, Valerie J. (2007-12-07). "Hollis Alpert, at 91; author cofounded film critic society". Los Angeles Times (Boston Globe). http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2007/12/07/hollis_alpert_at_91_author_cofounded_film_critic_society/. Retrieved 2007-12-10. 

External links

• Official website
• Los Angeles Times: Hollis Alpert, 1916-2007: Writer co-founded National Society of Film Critics