St. Louis Film Critics Awards, 2018

An Inside Look

Though the Oscars are still several months away, the 2018 film awards season has been in full swing for a while now. This early phase is all about what the film critics have to say, their own year-end top ten lists dovetailing nicely into the proceedings. Those critics who are members of a recognized local critics organization also vote as part of the group for all manner of categories, decided by the groups themselves.

Since 2011, I’ve been honored to take part in this annual ritual. We gorge ourselves on the many, many movies vying for traction in the still-distant Oscar race. And then, after weeks of screenings, screeners, debate and cinematically-inflicted emotional exhaustion, we vote. Making sense of it all in very little time requires the tireless devotion of our Secretary and our Awards Coordinator, currently Lynn Venhaus (Webster-Kirkwood Times), Jim Batts (We Are Movie Geeks), and Andrew Wyatt (The Lens), among others. I’m proud to currently hold the position of President of the organization. ZekeFilm contributor Max Foizey, of “Max on Movies” radio fame, is also a devoted member of this group. Our 2018 results are listed below.

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Timothy Robert Venhaus 1984-2018

A SPECIAL NOTE… ZekeFilm respectfully remembers and pays tribute to the late Tim Venhaus, the son of the SLFCA’s intrepid and vigilant Secretary and Awards Coordinator, Lynn Venhaus. Tim’s untimely passing coincided with the SLFCA’s in-person nomination process, a true shock to us all. A sometime film critic in his own right, he was in the process of earning an MFA in Screenwriting at DePaul. Tim’s own favorite 2018 film thus far was The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. According to his loving mother, “He was passionate about film, devoted to his friends and family, so very funny, and had a big heart.”

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