The Critics' Circle is the national professional body of British critics for books , drama , film , music , dance , visual arts and architecture . It was established in 1913 as a successor to the defunct Society of Dramatic Critics, formed in 1906. The association is analogous to the 1974 American Theatre Critics Association , but broader in scope.
7-611: The London Film Critics' Circle is the name by which the Film Section of The Critics' Circle is known internationally. The word London was added because it was thought the term Critics' Circle Film Awards did not convey the full context of the awards' origins; the LFCC wished its annual Awards to be recognised on film advertising, especially in the United States, and in production notes. The Critics' Circle, founded in 1913,
14-779: Is an association for working British critics . Film critics first became eligible for membership of the Circle in 1926. The Film section now has more than 180 members drawn from publications, broadcast media and the internet throughout the United Kingdom. Film section members of the Critics' Circle will have worked as critics—writing informed analytical features or broadcasting programmes about film for British publications and media—for at least two years, earning income from reviewing and writing about film. The Critics' Circle Film Awards were instituted in 1980 and are awarded annually by
21-531: The Awards year. In 2007, it was decided that Irish filmmakers, actors and others involved in the film industry would be eligible in what had previously been called "British" award categories. To that end, the titles of several of the awards were amended as "British/Irish". Special awards include: The Attenborough Award, which goes to the British/Irish film of the year; The Philip French Award, which goes to
28-779: The Film Section of the Critics' Circle. Voted for by all members of the Film Section, the awards have become a major event in London, presented at a dinner dance held in a large West End hotel. From 1995 to 2010 the awards ceremony was a charity event in aid of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ( NSPCC ). Over the years, the Award categories have gradually changed with some categories being added and others dropped. For some categories this means that winners were not necessarily declared or listed in each of
35-652: The Music and the Visual Arts and Architecture sections. The Music Section of The Critics’ Circle comprises 90 of the country’s most respected critics and music journalists. Membership of the Circle is by invitation. Since 1988 the Circle has presented the Critics' Circle Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts , voted for by all members of the Circle. The award takes the form of an engraved crystal rose bowl presented at
42-610: The UK and Ireland. For many years the Circle gave no awards. In 1980 the members of the Film Section, known also as the London Film Critics' Circle , established the Critics' Circle Film Awards to acknowledge special achievements in the cinema. In 1989 the Drama section organized the first of its Critics' Circle Theatre Awards ceremonies. Presentation of Dance awards commenced in 2002, followed from 2011 with annual awards by
49-404: The breakthrough British/Irish filmmaker of the year, and The Dilys Powell Award, which is awarded for excellence in cinema. Past and present award categories include: The Critics%27 Circle The Critics’ Circle Awards are claimed to be unique, decided by the country’s most experienced professional arts journalists and critics on the basis of hearing the widest range of performances across
#295704