Rotten Tomatoes will expand its efforts to increase diversity among film and TV critics, with the review website announcing on Wednesday that it is renewing its contributions to the Toronto International Film Festival’s Media Inclusion Initiative and the LA Film Critics Association’s scholarship program.
TIFF Media Inclusion Initiative offers financial assistance to film critics who are from underrepresented backgrounds to help with travel expenses to the Canadian film festival. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of 350 film critics surveyed said travel costs are still a barrier to attending major film festivals. The majority also called on festivals and studios to make screenings more accessible via hybrid or virtual events.
“Supporting festival inclusion programs remains an important part of Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Outreach and Grant Program and we’re thrilled to be expanding our mentorship initiatives and scholarships for aspiring critics from underrepresented groups,”Jenny Jediny is Rotten Tomatoes Director for Critic Engagement.
Rotten Tomatoes created the Critics Outreach and Grant Program in 2018 to increase the number of women and persons of color who review its reviews. As part of the program, the site’s criteria for approving new critics was changed to focus on individual credentials rather than media outlets.
Rotten Tomatoes claims that among the more than 100 new Tomatometer Critics it has added, 74% come from underrepresented communities, 48% of them are women, 38% people of color, 76% freelancers, and 34% from new media platforms such as YouTube, podcasts and broadcast.