http://www.metromagazine.com.au | © ATOM | Metro Magazine 195• 125ARTISTIC CRISIS: THE 2017
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL CRITICS CAMPUS
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for having democratised what he sees as a specialist skill: ‘There’s
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interest and there’s a dilution of criticism in general because of the
internet and social media.’ On home shores, after severe cuts made
by Fairfax Media – which had already made serial redundancies in
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saw a hoard of articles declaring ‘crisis’, from1D@K3HLD’s roasting
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broadcaster at a budget price’) to Anwen Crawford’s3GD ,NMSGKX
piece lamenting the dwindling of cultural discourse (‘This country’s
culture is being starved, and with it any opportunity to understand
ourselves as something other than subjects of a ruthless economy’).
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the art of criticism in high esteem, arguing for its pride of place as
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believes in ‘speaking back to art’, inviting Crawford – alongside
several other luminaries – to mentor for its fourth Critics Campus,
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with individually assigned mentors – themselves working critics in
Australia and abroad – and attend panel discussions and roundta
bles on issues including diversity in criticism, pitching to editors, the
art of the interview, video and podcasting techniques, the relation
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The participants then produce four pieces of work: three for the
MIFF blog (written articles or video essays plus an interview piece)
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The pitching, securing and delivering of a professional piece of
work is arguably Critics Campus’ most crucial assignment – for both
the participants and MIFF. In addition to giving inexperienced critics
an understanding of how to complete such a task, from inception
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(Festival coverage for an approved platform is also a condition of
participation for campus mentors.)
In the context of Critics Campus, Crawford’s notion of the ‘ruth
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of how the industry works. Participating in social and networking
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built with editors and peers are when it comes to getting work and
getting paid. Campus mentor and Australian correspondent for3GD
'NKKXVNNC 1DONQSDQHarry Windsor was a perfect example of how
Critics Campus can produce concrete results in terms of career
development. Windsor was a participant in the inaugural program in
2014, and was invited back in 2017 as a mentor. Having come full
circle, he attributed his success to his Critics Campus run, at the
completion of which he had been offered a'NKKXVNNC1DONQSDQrole
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Over the 2017 proceedings, the importance of networking and
visibility was also emphasised, particularly when it came to the nuts
and bolts of how to secure enough paid work to constitute at least
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ments about the pursuit of criticism as art, we see how the crisis
takes shape. And it’s remarkably similar to the crisis likewise suf
fered by the art of the moving image. How can we focus on the art
if it must be commercially viable? If we are too busy talking about
how to cobble together a living, how to leverage contacts or how to
do it all for free alongside a paid pursuit, we simply run out of time
to talk about the art of the thing itself.
As a 2017 mentor myself – looking forward to getting into the
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logistics. What’s stayed with me, and what I hope the conversation
will return to, is Crawford’s insistence that good critics be passion
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that is where art happens.$3$1(/$77+(0,))&5,7,&6&$0386