Re: The BiM Film Directory is now open!
Again, these films aren't being "rejected," they're in the directory but we're not recommending them to the public, so they're not going to show up on the listing by default. They're fully searchable, for example if someone wants to see a brickfilm about Boba Fett, all they need to do is search 'Boba Fett.' Or a user could search "Star Wars," in which case that movie will also show up in the results. People who aren't looking for Star Wars-themed brickfilms are not likely to enjoy it anyway. The standard for recommendation is probably a little higher than the standard for acceptance ever was at Brickfilms, but Brickfilms rejected about 80% of the submissions. I never liked that system, because I think it's better to have a larger, more complete directory of films.
Regarding the 'fan favorites,' technical quality is not the only consideration for acceptance. If I enjoy a film submitted, or think it's highly likely that most people would enjoy it, I'll make it public, regardless of technical quality. The opposite is also true, for example Sam and Stinky Get a Kitchen is of relatively high technical quality, but (sorry, Hazzat) I didn't enjoy it at all and couldn't find a reason to recommend it. I specifically posted about that film in the review panel forum because it was so borderline for me, I couldn't really write a review recommending it since I didn't like it, but I made it clear that if anybody on the panel liked it they're free to review it and make it public. If a film is a classic for some reason it'll probably be admitted, though generally we are aiming for films that most users would enjoy, not films that only a handful of people like due to an inside joke. If somebody visits the site, clicks the first film on the list, watches it, and is bored out of his or her mind, it doesn't make a good impression about the site as a whole and this person may not come back.
-Sméagol