Originally posted March 23rd, 2009
The Incredible Shrinking (Expanding?) Film Critic Profession
SXSW Film Festival
Austin Convention Center, Austin, TX
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
Moderator:
Gerald Peary, Director: For The Love Of Movies, Film Critic for The Boston Phoenix
Panelists:
Marjorie Baumgarten, Senior Film Editor/Critic, Austin Chronicle
Shawn Levy, Film Critic, The Oregonian
Karina Longworth, Spout.com
Scott Weinberg, Cinematical, FEARnet
“What is the current state of film criticism?” Is the question moderator Gerald Peary sought to answer in this panel. He opened the panel by saying:
“It’s in the best shape that it’s ever been in, because there’s so many critics, critics for every taste. There are more good critics now than at any point in American history, but at least in the print world, there are critics getting kicked off right and left. It’s a shrinking, shrinking world in which many critics who have had their jobs for many years are being laid off, and the papers are disappearing, all part of being the end of the print world.”
Peary recalled the story of a “art film” distributor calling him, ranting that “ten, fifteen years ago, every major city had a solid critic who everyone trusted. A “soft critic” who liked art films. Nowadays, the critics are writing for other critics, and not the general public, and web people have no influence at all.”
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