Into the Big Leagues
After what she calls a “long history of being a really annoying amateur film critic,” Bay Weekly’s own Diana Beechener is now a member of the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association.
The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association keeps its membership select with “stringent” criteria. Its critics must have history — at least 50 reviews in a year. Their publication must have scope: 50,000 readers a month for print.
Beechener joins critics who write for The Washington Post and The New York Times, as well as bloggers who get more space and leeway to go in-depth than paper critics usually do. Beechener says she’s excited to meet and talk film with her 50 peers. Another perk of membership is that she now gets free passes to film screenings.
Her membership also means that Bay Weekly has influence at year-end awards. Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics is among a group of critical organizations around the country whose awards are credited with influence on the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
“It’s nice to be invited to the grown-ups’ table,” Beechener says.