North Texas Film Critics Association

MISSION STATEMENT:

The North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) is an unincorporated, members-only organization of print, broadcast and internet film reviewers serving the North Texas area who meet association standards. Its objectives include:

v    Promote the publishing and broadcast of film reviews and bring together those who participate in said actions

v    Increase the public’s knowledge and enjoyment of films

v    Conduct an annual North Texas Film Critics Association awards ceremony to recognize excellence in film.  Members will be asked to submit their choices for top awards. This event and the results will be publicized.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

In general:  All members must publish or broadcast film reviews under their own names or bylines. “Student” memberships must meet the age requirement of eighteen (18) years of age. To preserve membership, members must pay the annual dues and participate in the NTFCA annual award opinion poll.

Members must qualify under at least one of the three membership categories. The NTFCA recognizes and appreciates that many reviewers participate in one or more of the categories.

1. PRINT:  Reviews must include the member’s byline and appear in one or more recognized publications with a minimum circulation of 3,000.

Members must release a minimum average of 3 reviews per month or (36) individual reviews annually and must remain current. It is the intent of the NTFCA that members give a rating and/or opinion within their review of all films.

When a publication issues reviews by more than one reviewer, an individual contributor must publish twenty-five (25) reviews annually to meet the membership requirements.

2. BROADCAST:  Members must broadcast on a regular basis on either commercial or public radio and/or television. The member must customarily broadcast commentary on recently-opened films in one or more segments each week.

3. INTERNET: A member must publish on a site of professional quality.  Each member must have reviews of an average of at least three reviews per month of at least 250 words per review for a minimum of 90 days (3 months) prior to membership. They must remain current by publishing, on average, at least three (3) reviews of films per month thereafter.

If a site hosts reviews by more than one reviewer, to be considered for membership, each individual reviewer must meet the above requirements.

MEMBERSHIP AND DUES: Each active member must pay dues of $20.00 annually, with a payment deadline of  January 2016, to be included in membership. New members joining during the year will be charged a prorated fee of $2 per month of the remaining months, not to exceed $20.  All monies collected will be expended on the costs of, but not limited to, establishing and maintaining the association website, preparing and disseminating screening and release calendars, and costs associated with year-end film ballots and awards. The Board President also may authorize the expenditure of funds for “reasonable” costs for the Annual Meeting / Awards Event.

AUXILIARY MEMBERS: This category is created for those individuals who routinely assist regular members (their sponsor) with research, drafts, or provide similar assistance on a regular basis.  Dues for auxiliary members are $5 annually due by January 1^st of each year. They normally will be accompanied to screenings by their sponsor, though on some occasions, such as conflicting screenings, etc., they may attend in the sponsor’s absence.  They may hold neither elected office nor vote in any election of officers nor award balloting.

MAINTENANCE OF MEMBERSHIP: An annual review of all members will be conducted by the end of December 2016 and any member failing to meet the requirements for membership will be placed on an inactive list and he or she must reapply for membership.

AMENDMENTS and RULE CHANGES: Revisions to membership requirements may be proposed by any member in writing to the President, Vice-President, or the Secretary of the NTFCA. Approval of any and all changes will require the approval of at least 51% of the membership via email or proxy.

OFFICERS

ELECTIONS:  The membership shall elect the following officers: President, Vice President, and Secretary, who may serve a maximum of two consecutive year terms.  In the event a position becomes vacant at any time, the President shall appoint a replacement to serve for the remainder of the term. Each general member will receive notification of any upcoming election and the candidate receiving the highest number of votes of the voting membership present during the Annual Meeting/Awards Event in January or by proxy will be elected.

The President is responsible for conducting all NTFCA meetings. The President may act as an ex-officio (non-voting) member of all committees. The President shall represent the NTFCA at all functions or may appoint a delegate to represent the NTFCA. The President shall appoint a replacement for any vacancy occurring on any committee.

The Vice-President shall act as aide to the President and will perform the duties of the President in his/her absence.

The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the membership and record the minutes of all general membership meetings. The secretary shall read the minutes of the previous meeting at each meeting when asked by the president.

The President shall be in charge of all monies received on behalf of the NTFCA and disburse monies owed by the association when needed.

The “Ballot” committee will oversee the issuance of the official NTFCA year-end award ballots with information on the films to be voted on for the year.

The intention of every member is to promote and work towards the continuation of THE NORTH TEXAS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION within the legal limits of the laws of city, county, state, and federal entities.