9 March 2026
The Critics” Circle is delighted to announce that pioneering filmmaker, critic and academic Laura Mulvey has been welcomed as an honorary and full member of its Film Section, recognising her extraordinary contribution to cinema culture, film theory and criticism.
Mulvey is internationally renowned as one of the most influential voices in film studies. Her groundbreaking 1975 essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema transformed the way scholars and critics understand representation, spectatorship and gender in film, introducing ideas that continue to shape contemporary film criticism and academic debate.
Alongside her academic work, Mulvey has also made a significant mark as a filmmaker, collaborating on experimental works including Riddles of the Sphinx and contributing to decades of critical discourse around moving images.
Film Chair Jane Crowther welcomed the appointment, saying:
“We’re delighted to offer Laura Mulvey honorary membership of the critics circle film section in recognition of her trailblazing work and contribution to cinema as a critic, academic and filmmaker.”
To celebrate Mulvey’s influence the Critics Circle recently organised a special event in her honour at the BFI. The evening brought together members from across the Circle’s sections for a wide-ranging conversation about Mulvey’s work and its continuing impact on cinema and film criticism.
The discussion was chaired by film critic and author Hanna Flint, a member of the Critics Circle, and concluded with a lively audience Q&A in which critics from across the organisation engaged with Mulvey on subjects ranging from feminist film theory to the future of cinema culture.
Laura Mulvey & Hanna Flint
The event marked both a celebration of Mulvey’s remarkable legacy and a recognition of the continuing dialogue between critics, filmmakers and scholars that lies at the heart of the Critics Circle’s work.
Mulvey with Film Chair Jane Crowther and Author Hanna Flint