The Critics Circle
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The Critics Circle, a professional association of British critics of drama, music, film, and dance, was established in 1913 as an offshoot of the Society of Dramatic Critics, which had been formed six years earlier but had become inactive.
For many years the Circle refrained from granting awards, but in 1980 the critics from the film section (aka the London Film Critics Circle) established the ALFS Awards to acknowledge special achievements in the cinema. The annual awards have become a major event in London, with a celebrity-studded banquet held in a large West End hotel for the benefit of, since 1995, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). Past winners (which are not limited to British subjects) include Peter Sellers, James Mason, Susan Sarandon, John Travolta, Steven Spielberg, Billy Bob Thornton, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Sean Penn, Julianne Moore, and Emma Thompson.
In 1989, the drama critics organized the first of their awards ceremonies, which are more intimate luncheon affairs. It was not until 2002 that dance awards were presented; to date, the music section, loath to single out individual artists for approval, continues to refuse to award prizes.
