Online Film Critics Society

{{Short description|International professional association of online film journalists}}

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| name = Online Film Critics Society

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| abbreviation = OFCS

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| formation = {{start date|1997|01}}

| founder = Harvey S. Karten

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| type = Film criticism

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| membership = 284

| membership_year = 2020

| language = English

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The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) is an international professional association of online film journalists, historians and scholars who publish their work on the World Wide Web. The organization was founded in January 1997 by Harvey S. Karten, an early online critic who discovered that membership in the New York Film Critics Circle was open only to journalists working for newspapers and magazines.{{cite web |title=Harvey S. Karten |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/harvey-s-karten/movies |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=September 17, 2020 |quote=When my application for membership in the New York Film Critics Circle was circular-filed (print media only, sorry), I founded the Online Film Critics Society in January 1997 and three years later, NYFCO (New York Film Critics Online).}} Online critics have generally found it difficult to gain acceptance for their work, and one role of the OFCS is to provide professional recognition to the most prolific and successful online critics.{{cite news |title=Invasion of the Web Film Critics |work=Wired |last=Silverman |first=Jason |date=February 28, 2004 |url=https://www.wired.com/2004/02/invasion-of-the-web-film-critics/ |access-date=September 17, 2020}}

Since 1997, the OFCS has given out annual awards that recognize the best films in about seventeen categories. These awards are noted in the established print media such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, and are included in their annual speculation about the ultimate winners of the Academy Awards.{{cite news |title=Online Film Critics laud 'Social Network' |first=David |last=McNary |url=https://variety.com/2011/film/news/online-film-critics-laud-social-network-1118029615/ |date=January 3, 2011 |work=Variety |access-date=September 17, 2020}}{{cite news |title=Critics choices might foretell Oscar chances |last=Whipp |first=Glenn |date=January 9, 2012 |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/critics-choices-might-foretell-oscar-chances-1118048074/ |access-date=September 17, 2020}}{{cite news |title=SAG Awards Confirm Tremendous Support for 'The Help' -- and 'The Artist' (Analysis) |last=Feinberg |first=Scott |date=January 30, 2012 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |quote=This awards season, Plummer has won virtually every major Oscar-precursor best supporting actor award that there is to win: the National Board of Review Award, the Los Angeles Film Critics Circle Award, the Online Film Critics Society Award, the Critics' Choice Award, the Golden Globe Award, and now the Screen Actors Guild Award. |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/sag-awards-confirm-tremendous-support-285742 |access-date=September 17, 2020}}