ARTICLE I: ORGANIZATION
1. The organization will henceforth be known as the Critics Association of
Central Florida (CACF).
2. “Central Florida” shall be defined as the major
markets of Orlando and Tampa, and any location within a one-hundred mile radius
of either city.
ARTICLE II: MISSION
The mission of the Critics Association of Central Florida is as follows:
1. To represent the interests of the film critics in the Central Florida area.
2. To encourage the growth of the film critic community in the Central Florida area.
3. To annually honor the best in cinematic achievement.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
1. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP will be allowed for members who:
a. Publish content on a regular basis (defined as at least 25 new release reviews per calendar year).
b. Reside in Central Florida, as defined by the bylaws, for at least three months of the
year.
c. Have an active Central Florida mailing address.
2. There shall be no limit to the amount of members in the organization. A maximum of three journalists representing an outlet as their primary publication may be members of the organization at any given time.
3. There shall be no dues to participate in the organization. Any funds necessary to
conduct the organization’s business shall be raised by voluntary contribution from the
membership.
4. EMERITUS STATUS may be given to members who have been an active member within
the organization for at least two years, but no longer meet one of the requirements for
active membership (no longer actively publish content, or no longer live in Central Florida).
Once requested, emeritus status can be given by a simple majority vote by membership.
Members emeritus may keep their affiliation with the organization but receive no voting
privileges in matters of business or year-end awards, nor should a member emeritus serve
on the committee.
a. Founding members Sean Boelman, Billy Joynt, Joshua Ryan, and Adam
Sirdoreus automatically qualify for emeritus status for life.
5. PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS must meet all requirements for active membership, and may
submit themselves for consideration. A scout as designated by the committee shall
then vet the application, and will present qualified candidates for inclusion to the
membership. New members shall be inducted by a simple majority.
a. Qualifications evaluated for inclusion in the organization may include: reach,
quality of writing, professionalism of presentation, and voice or perspective in
writing.
b. Membership applications will be open from March 15th to July 15th of any given year.
c. New members must be inducted by August 31 to be included in that year's awards voting process.
6. A roster shall be kept by the committee with the information of all active and emeritus
members.
7. Members shall be expected to conduct themselves with the utmost integrity and ethics.
No harassment of any kind will be allowed, and members shall be expected to follow all
guidelines set by the organization and studios. Should a member be found to be in
violation of this policy, they may be stripped of their membership by the committee.
a. Members are expected to adhere to all strict embargoes set by the studios.
b. Members are not to attend any screenings to which they were not invited.
8. Active members who do not vote in matters of business or year-end awards may be disciplined. A member may be removed from the organization after missing 2 consecutive votes or 3 total votes in a three-year period.
9. Members may be disciplined by the organization for a violation of these bylaws after a majority vote by the committee. The committee can issue a warning, place the offending member in probationary status, or remove the offending member, at their discretion, depending on the severity and frequency of their violation. If a member is in probationary status and repeats the same infraction, or receives three total probations, they will be removed from the organization. Probationary status lasts for a period of one year.
ARTICLE IV: COMMITTEE
1. A committee of no less than three and no more than five members will be elected to
represent the interests of the greater organization.
2. Elections for the committee shall be conducted yearly in June by self-nomination and a
vote by a simple majority of the membership.
3. The initial committee shall consist of the members Sean Boelman, Billy Joynt, Joshua
Ryan, and Adam Sirdoreus. The first election shall occur in June of 2022.
4. In addition to the elected committee, there are positions that will be appointed by the
committee members for the sake of smooth operation:
a. SPOKESPERSON: The committee shall designate one of its own to be the
spokesperson for the organization. This person will be responsible for all
communications with non-members, including but not limited to PR firms and
studios.
b. POLL OFFICER: The committee shall designate one of its own to run all voting
needs for the organization. The poll officer shall not have any vote regarding
issues of membership or committee election, but will retain their right to vote in
business issues not related to membership and year-end awards.
c. TALENT SCOUT: The committee shall designate one of its own to vet new applicants
to the organization.
d. WEBMASTER: A member (of the committee or general membership) shall be
selected by the committee to maintain the website of the organization and fill any
related needs, such as graphic design.
e. Additional powers may be delegated by the committee as deemed necessary and
reasonable.
5. No more than one representative from any given outlet should serve on the committee at one time.
ARTICLE V: AWARDS
1. Awards will be given by the organization in early January of every year.
2. Voting for awards will be via preferential ballot system, and is to be conducted in late December of each year.
a. For each regular category, active members are to pick their top five choices in the
category. Five points will be assigned to choice one, four to choice two, and so
on. Points will be tallied from overall membership to decide a winner and
runner-up for each category.
b. Members must list five films on their ballot for each regular category they wish to vote in. If an active member has not seen five films eligible for a regular category, they are asked to abstain in said category, but may vote in the remainder of the awards.
c. Special category awards should be decided by a nomination process in which the
membership submits suggestions for the honor, the committee selects two films from the
suggestions, and the general membership votes between the two nominees or that neither
should be honored.
i. If neither of the nominees receives a simple majority vote among members who do not abstain, there will be no winner in the special honor that year.
d. Dishonest voting in matters of business or year-end awards is punishable up to and including removal from the organization.
3. Voting shall be held via online voting system, to be determined based on available
technology.
a. The members of the committee must vote before the ballot is sent to the general
membership.
4. REGULAR CATEGORIES for voting include: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cast, Best Documentary, Best International Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Original Song Hair & Make Up, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, Best Stunt Coordination, Best Editing, and Best Sound Design.
5. SPECIAL CATEGORIES include Best Central Florida Film, Best Achievement in
Diversity, and any other special honors which the membership deems necessary to
award in any given year.
6. ELIGIBILITY for films seeking awards shall be defined as:
a. Films released between the dates of January 1 and December 31 of the
applicable year, whether in theaters, on streaming, or otherwise for at-home
viewing.
b. Films which screened for critics in Central Florida (Orlando or Tampa) via
in-person press screening or screener.
i. Films which did not provide a screening or screener for critics in Central Florida for
release and/or during the FYC season will not be eligible to receive awards from the Critics
Association of Central Florida.
c. FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM, a film is defined as being “international” as
long as it originates from outside the United States. Preference should be given
to films primarily not in English.
d. FOR BEST CENTRAL FLORIDA FILM, a film is defined as being from “Central Florida” if it has a significant connection to the Central Florida area.
7. DEADLINES for awards are as follows:
a. Voting will begin no later than final Monday of the month of December, and close on the
following Friday.
b. The screening deadline for members to have watched eligible films is the date and time voting begins. Any films seen following the screening deadline should not be considered.
8. The winners of the awards shall be announced by the organization and members via their
social media channels.
ARTICLE IV: AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS
1. Amendments to by-laws may be suggested by any active member in the organization.
2. Amendments to by-laws may be ratified by a vote of simple majority held via online
voting.
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