The second annual Museum of the Moving Image Institute in Film Criticism and Feature Writing took place from April 10 through April 15, 2008.

Thirteen print and on-line journalists from around the country took part in an intensive program designed to offer an expanded appreciation of the art, business, and history of film, and a global view of the complex and rapidly evolving nature of the film and entertainment industry.

The participants assessed and discussed the critical issues that face film journalists at a time when the experience of viewing and writing about movies is evolving in leaps and bounds. Panels and workshops emphasized the importance of film history and world cinema as well as a deeper understanding of technology-driven changes such as new methods of distribution and new forms of digital media. Topics also included the place of film criticism in contemporary culture, the role of film in political discourse, and its relationship with other disciplines.

Institute fellows met with experts in various fields through a series of presentations and panel discussions, with sessions at the Museum and at The New York Times. They met some of the city’s top critics, writers, and editors as well as leading filmmakers, distributors, executives, programmers, and publicists.

The New York Times Company Foundation Institutes

The worldwide explosion of knowledge requires reporters and editors in every field to respond with ever-increasing expertise. To help provide that background, The New York Times Company Foundation each year conducts a series of journalistic institutes that serve as immersion courses on various subjects.

Each institute is supplemented with a Web site where lectures, materials, and conversations are posted. This online venue creates a place for participants and alumni of repeating institutes to exchange experiences, ideas and sources. The sites also permit journalists who are unable to attend to listen and learn.