Statute

I. Purpose of the Federation
II. Members of the Federation
III. Organs of the Federation
IV. Financial matters
V. Change of statutes

I.  Purpose of the Federation

 Article 1

The organizations of professional film critics and film journalists established in different countries for the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests, constitute the International Federation of the Cinematographic Press (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique – FIPRESCI) – an institution initiated in 1925 and officially founded on the 6th of June 1930.

Article 2

The purpose of the Federation is to develop, on an international scale, the activities of its members, as they are described in article 1, and particularly:

1. To safeguard the freedom and ethics of film criticism and film journalism and of information.
2. To promote and expand the idea of the cinema as a means of artistic expression and of cultural education.
3. To discuss, define and confirm the specific rights and obligations of film criticism and journalism.
4. To encourage the exchange of ideas and experience among film critics and film journalists of all countries and thereby create, outside all ideological and political distinctions, a new foundation for a permanent dialogue.
5. To be opposed in the frame of its purpose to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination based on gender identity, disability, race or ethnicity, skin color, age, language, religion or belief, membership of a national minority, body size and/or body weight, socio-economic and/or socio-cultural background.
6. To publish and distribute by any communication means all the documents which accord with its purpose.

Article 3

The official languages of the Federation are English and French.

II.  Members of the Federation

Article 4

1. The Federation is constituted of national All such national organizations have the same rights and the same obligations.
2. By this means each national organization is considered to be the National Section of the Each National Section has one vote at the meetings and manifestations of the Federation.
3. As a rule, National Sections should be made up by one organization only, satisfying the terms stipulated in the present statute.
4. In exceptional cases, a maximum of two organizations can be affiliated to FIPRESCI within a National Section. They will be organized as specified in article 7.

Article 5

1. The Federation is constituted and organized for professional film journalists and film critics.
2. The affiliated organizations are obliged to write into their respective statutes a minimum definition of film journalism as for example the following: “Every person contributing regularly film journalism or film criticism to daily papers or periodicals, to cultural magazines, specialized or not, to radio or television, or to electronic publications, in as far as they are published regularly and the contributors have the status of critics or journalists in their country”.
3. The affiliated institutions are obliged to write into their respective statutes that critics or journalists being involved, directly or indirectly, with publicity activities for companies of the film industry, or having their main professional activity in the film industry, cannot be accepted as members.

Article 6

1. The National Sections have to register those members who wish to take part in the activities of the Federation.
2. This registration must be supported by evidence confirming the qualifications defined by articles 2, 3 and 5 and by all necessary professional data.
3. Only registered members can participate at assemblies and other manifestations of the Federation.
4. Registration cannot be accepted if the persons wishing to take part in the activities of the Federation have a permanent or part-time connection with production, distribution or advertising companies or institutions, or in films shot in recent Registration can be accepted conditionally if they have connections with film festivals where the Federation establishes a jury; in this case, they cannot be part of the Federation’s activities in those festivals.

Article 7

1. In countries where two organizations exist, satisfying the terms stipulated in the present statute and who ask for membership of the Federation, the affiliation of these organizations has to be effected by means of a National Section, joining together the two organizations of the country.
2. In this case, the respective National Section is equally made up of the two organizations concerned and being equally They are obliged to discuss and decide together every subject regarding FIPRESCI. In case this coordination is not possible, for what reason ever, the Board is authorized to decide the National Section’s representation in all manifestations of the Federation.
3. The two organizations concerned have to agree on only one vote for all items being discussed at the Federation and its Should they not obtain any agreement, their vote will be considered as null and void. In the absence of one of them, the organization present will have the only right to vote.

Article 8

1. Film critics and film journalists in countries where does not exist a National Section of FIPRESCI may join the organization on an individual basis. Their membership has to conform to all the relevant articles of this statute.
2. Whenever a qualified film critic or film journalist is prevented, for reasons that will appear legitimate to the Board of FIPRESCI, from joining a national section, they may join FIPRESCI as an individual Their membership has to conform to all relevant articles of this statute.
3. A qualified film critic or film journalist, who is not a member of FIPRESCI, who offers to help for a precise task of FIPRESCI can be accepted by the Board as a temporary individual member for the length of the task, which should not be longer than six months. A person cannot be accepted more than once as a temporary individual member and should join FIPRESCI, through a national section or as a regular individual member in order to participate again in FIPRESCI activities.
4. The individual members of the Federation make up the “Section of the individual members”, which is considered as one National Section The section of individual members is administered by one or several coordinators appointed by the Board.

Article 9

The Board of FIPRESCI decides on every application for membership. Candidates unanimously accepted immediately receive the benefits of membership. Candidates not having been accepted unanimously are presented by the Board, with due objections, to the General Assembly which makes the final decision.

Article 10

1. Each National Section must provide the Federation every four years at the most with updated information on its members and its national board, on changes of its statutes and other essential items. In particular, each National Section must inform the Federation biannually on its main activities.
2. Individual members have to substantiate their professional activities every four years at the most.

III.  Organs of the Federation

Article 11

The Federation is defined as consisting of:

1. The Board
2. The General Assembly

Article 12

1. The Board constitutes the management body of the It develops the program of activity within the Federation and regulates its implementation.
2. The Board is made up by the President and three Vice-Presidents, with the addition as consultative members of the Treasurer and of the Head of Legal Affairs.
3. In case of equality of votes, the President has the casting vote.

Article 13

1. The President represents FIPRESCI in all matters, supported by its Vice-
2. The President and the Vice-Presidents are elected for four years by the General Assembly, and may be reelected immediately only once in a They cannot be of the same nationality nor represent the same Section.
3. The candidatures for the Presidency and the Vice-Presidencies must be given, in writing, by a date published in the circular of the Federation, and they are made known to the members a month before the General Assembly by the Board.
4. In case of a vacancy of these positions, the Board may coopt a replacement until the next General Assembly where elections for the vacant positions will take place under their usual The replacing member may candidate to the vacant position without any restriction other than above.
5. The Federation is registered in France and its Head Office is based in the town where the President resides.

Article 14

1. The main tasks of the Board are
   • to carry out all the actual work of the Federation
   • to prepare the bulletin of information and the circulars addressed to members
   • to ensure that the statutes and the regulations are being respected

2 . At each General Assembly the Board presents a report on the activities of the Federation joined by an individual report of each member.

Article 15

1. The main tasks of the Federation are
   • Organization of the International Critics Juries
   • Membership
   • Internet and social media services
   • Education
   • Fipresci Grand Prize organization and other special tasks which might have been decided by the Board

The Board decides of their repartition between its members and may delegate some tasks or departments for a limited span of time if necessary

2. For Finances and Legal affairs, the Board appoints after its election two Heads for four years, who may be appointed again without limitation, and are members of the Board with a consultative voice.

Article 16

1. The General Assembly is the supreme institution of the Federation: in all matters it constitutes the final jurisdiction of decisions Within the limits of the statutes, the Assembly can make decisions on every subject and particularly:
   a. discuss and approve the guidelines of the Federation’s activities
   b. discuss and approve the yearly written reports of activity of the Board members
   c. withdraw the mandates given to a member of the Board with a majority vote of withdrawal, particularly if the yearly report of activity of the member has not been previously approved
   d. settle possible controversies
   e. give an authentic interpretation of the spirit embodied in the statutes for matters not covered in the statutes themselves
   f. Admit or exclude members
   g. Decide on moral sanctions
   h. On the proposal of the Board, give the titles of “Honorary President”, “Honorary Vice-President” or “Honorary Member” of FIPRESCI to persons who in its opinion appear to have significant positions in the international cinema press or to any person having been of exceptional service to the organization.

2. The General Assembly should take place every year. It is called by the Board. Its agenda is made known one month in advance to all the During the course of the Assembly no matter, not being already included on the agenda, can be discussed, except in case of consent by a majority of the representatives. If the General Assembly cannot be organized in the physical presence of its members, the Board may decide to call an electronic General Assembly which will have exactly the same powers except in matters related to the aim of the Federation, the principal conditions for membership, and the dissolution of the Federation.
3. The General Assembly is composed of all the members of the Board and of one delegate for each National Section attending as well as one delegate of the “Section of individual members”. A delegation of votes is not possible. The names of the delegates attending the Assembly must be given written to the Board in advance and by a date published in the circular of the Federation.

b. For the elections to the board, Board members who are again candidates to another Board position cannot vote except if they are also representatives of a National Section.
c. A Board member who is also a representative of a National Section will have only one vote.

4. The resolutions made by the Assembly are obtained by a majority of the votes of members of the Assembly being present at the The ballots can be secret if three of the National Sections demand it. In case of equality in voting, the matters in question are resolved negatively. The withdrawing of mandates, the dissolution and the transformation of the Federation, as well as the alteration of the statutes, cannot be adopted except by two thirds of the votes expressed.
5. In case the General Assembly does not approve the reports given by the members of the Board, the concerned members have to ask for a vote of confidence. Their mandates can be withdrawn only if two thirds of the votes require it.

6. An Extraordinary General Assembly may be called by the Board or at the request of at least one third of the National Sections.

7. Between General Assemblies, the Board may consult directly the National Sections by postal or electronic voting instead of waiting for the next General Assembly, except in matters related to the aim of the Federation, the principal conditions for membership, and the dissolution of the Federation.

IV. Financial matters

Article 17.

The annual membership fees paid by the sections and by the individual members are determined by the General Assembly on the proposition of the Board.

Article 18.

National Sections or individual members not paying one year’s membership fees cannot participate in the activities of the Federation are not allowed to vote and cannot be elected to the Board unless a specific clearance is exceptionally given by the General Assembly.

Article 19.

A national section or an individual member failing to settle membership fees for three consecutive years will be considered as having resigned unless a specific clearance is exceptionally given by the General Assembly.

Article 20.

In the case of the dissolution of the Federation, the balance of funds will be paid to a worthy cinematic cause.

Article 21.

The elected members of the Board cannot get any retribution from the organization except the reimbursement of expenses initiated by their duties for the Federation.

V. Changes of statutes

Article 22.

1. Changes of statutes must be adopted by the General Assembly with a two-third majority, and are final unless a majority of sections electronically demands a new deliberation within one month after their dissemination to the members.

2. The mandates of the Board members elected according to the 2013 statutes will be terminated at the end of the first General Assembly which follows the adoption of these statutes. They might be candidates to any position with no limitation other than these included in the new statutes.

Statutes approved by unanimous electronic vote, March 26^th-April 27^th 2025.