New York, NY (December 15, 2023) – The results of Film Comment’s annual end-of-year survey were revealed at a special live event last night at Film at Lincoln Center, with Todd Haynes’s May December, Kelly Reichardt’s Showing Up, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon claiming the top ranks among films released in the U.S. in 2023. Of the films that screened at festivals worldwide but have not yet announced stateside distribution, Eduardo Williams’s The Human Surge 3, Lisandro Alonso’s Eureka, and Víctor Erice’s Close Your Eyes received top rankings. 

The poll was voted on by more than 100 Film Comment contributors and colleagues from around the globe, including Jamsheed Akrami (scholar and filmmaker), Dessane Lopez Cassell (Seen), Erika Balsom (scholar and critic), Richard Brody (The New Yorker), Maya S. Cade (Black Film Archive), Edo Choi (The Museum of the Moving Image), Monica Castillo (The Paley Center for Media), Bilge Ebiri (New York magazine and Vulture), Jean-Michel Frodon (critic), Lovia Gyarkye (The Hollywood Reporter), Malcolm Harris (author, Palo Alto), Molly Haskell (critic), J. Hoberman (critic), Radu Jude (filmmaker), Beatrice Loayza (critic), Kevin B. Lee (Locarno Film Festival), Dennis Lim (Film at Lincoln Center), Cristina Nord (Berlinale Forum), Adam Piron (filmmaker and critic), Inney Prakash (critic and programmer, Prismatic Ground), B. Ruby Rich (Film Quarterly), Jonathan Romney (FC contributing editor), Dash Shaw (cartoonist and animator), Gavin Smith (critic), Imogen Sara Smith (critic), Amy Taubin (FC contributing editor), Manu Yáñez Murillo (Otros Cines Europa), Genevieve Yue (scholar and critic), and more.

From left: Devika Girish, Amy Taubin, Bilge Ebiri, Clinton Krute (Photo by Zhen Qin)

The top 20 films of 2023 were unveiled at the live event with critics Amy Taubin and Bilge Ebiri, moderated by Film Comment’s Co-Editors, Devika Girish and Clinton Krute; the lively discussion is now available on the Film Comment Podcast. The complete lists of released and undistributed films are included below.

“It speaks to the ongoing vitality of cinema as an art form, as well as the discernment of our critics in the year of ‘Barbenheimer,’ that this year’s top films represent some of the most boundary-pushing, complex movies of recent times—three new classics from contemporary masters,” said Krute.

“It’s invigorating to see so many independent films that boldly deny the conventions of narrative and nonfiction cinema—including Cyril Schäublin’s Unrest, Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós’s Dry Ground Burning, and Alain Gomis’s Rewind & Play—land in the Top 20, not to mention the wonderfully inventive gems in our undistributed list,” said Girish. “It’s reassuring for the future of not only cinema, but also criticism to see these titles emerge as the consensus picks of more than 100 critics!”

Film Comment’s Top 20 Films Released in 2023

  1. May December Todd Haynes, U.S.
  2. Showing Up Kelly Reichardt, U.S.
  3. Killers of the Flower Moon Martin Scorsese, U.S.
  4. Fallen Leaves Aki Kaurismäki, Finland 
  5. Pacifiction Albert Serra, France/Spain/Germany/Portugal
  6. Anatomy of a Fall Justine Triet, France
  7. Afire Christian Petzold, Germany
  8. The Zone of Interest Jonathan Glazer, U.K./U.S./Poland
  9. Unrest Cyril Schäublin, Switzerland
  10. Our Body Claire Simon, France
  11. Dry Ground Burning Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós, Brazil
  12. Passages Ira Sachs, France
  13. Trenque Lauquen Laura Citarella, Argentina
  14. Orlando, My Political Biography Paul B. Preciado, France
  15. De Humani Corporis Fabrica Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, France/Switzerland/U.S.
  16. Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros Frederick Wiseman, France/U.S.
  17. Youth (Spring) Wang Bing, France/Luxembourg/Netherlands
  18. Asteroid City Wes Anderson, U.S.
  19. Rewind & Play Alain Gomis, France/Germany
  20. The Boy and the Heron Hayao Miyazaki, Japan

Film Comment’s Top 10 Undistributed Films of 2023

  1. The Human Surge 3 Eduardo Williams, Argentina/Portugal/Netherlands/Taiwan/Brazil/Hong Kong/Sri Lanka/Peru
  2. Eureka Lisandro Alonso, Argentina/France/Portugal
  3. Close Your Eyes Víctor Erice, Spain
  4. ALLENSWORTH James Benning, U.S.
  5. Gush Fox Maxy, U.S.
  6. Nowhere Near Miko Revereza, U.S./Philippines
  7. The Plough Philippe Garrel, France
  8. La práctica Martín Rejtman, Argentina/Chile/Germany/Portugal
  9. About Thirty Martín Shanly, Argentina
  10. Samsara Lois Patiño, Spain

The complete list of films and participants can be found on FilmComment.com.

FILM COMMENT
Since 1962, Film Comment has been the home of independent film journalism, publishing in-depth interviews, critical analysis, and feature coverage of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Published by Film at Lincoln Center, Film Comment is a nonprofit publication that relies on the support of readers. Its activities supporting film culture include The Film Comment Podcast, the Film Comment Letter, and events and talks at Film at Lincoln Center and elsewhere. The magazine was founded under the editorship of Gordon Hitchens, who was followed by Richard Corliss, Harlan Jacobson, Richard T. Jameson, Gavin Smith, and Nicolas Rapold, and is currently co-edited by Clinton Krute and Devika Girish. Past and present contributing writers include Ashley Clark, Manohla Dargis, Raymond Durgnat, Roger Ebert, Manny Farber, Scott Foundas, Molly Haskell, J. Hoberman, Eric Hynes, Kent Jones, Dave Kehr, Nathan Lee, Kathleen Murphy, Sheila O’Malley, Brooks Riley, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Andrew Sarris, Amy Taubin, David Thomson, Amos Vogel, Robin Wood, and many more.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER
Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) is a nonprofit organization that celebrates cinema as an essential art form and fosters a vibrant home for film culture to thrive. FLC presents premier film festivals, retrospectives, new releases, and restorations year-round in state-of-the-art theaters at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. FLC offers audiences the opportunity to discover works from established and emerging directors from around the world with a passionate community of film lovers at marquee events including the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films.  

Founded in 1969, FLC is committed to preserving the excitement of the theatrical experience for all audiences, advancing high-quality film journalism through the publication of Film Comment, cultivating the next generation of film industry professionals through our FLC Academies, and enriching the lives of all who engage with our programs. 

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