At the beginning of the 21st century film criticism was described as in crisis. This book takes a deeper look at film criticism by focusing on its institutional contours. This is achieved through a combination of archival research and new interviews with prominent film critics and stakeholders, including Adrian Martin (LOLA), Stephanie Zacharek (Time), Peter Bart (Variety), and Andrew Sarris (The Village Voice). While acknowledging the considerable changes and challenges that film criticism faces today, this book situates these within an historical context and proposes an institutional framework that allows us to move beyond crisis discourse.

Huw Walmsley-Evans has taught film, media, communication, and cultural studies for a decade at institutions including the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology. His writing has appeared in Screening the Past, Senses of Cinema, LOLA, and Screen Machine. He is the co-founder and co-director of the Queensland Film Festival. He received his doctorate from the University of Queensland in 2013. This is his first book.

Introduction: Film Criticism as a Cultural Institution Part I: Understanding the Conversation 1. Crisis and Continuity in Film Criticism 2. Institutional Approaches to Film Criticism Part II: Towards an Ecology 3. Sites of Film Criticism 4. The Profession of Film Criticism 5. Film Critics Circles 6. Film Criticism and the Internet Epilogue: Film Criticism in the 21st Century