World Poll 2023 – Part 6 the editors January 2024 World Poll Issue 108 ENTRIES IN PART 6: Josh B Mabe Mattia Magi Bob Manning Miguel Marías Jack McCulloch Duncan McLeanTim McQueen Adrian D. Mendizabal Jamie Mendonça Stefano Miraglia Olaf Möller Josh B Mabe A librarian and filmmaker in Chicago I didn’t watch enough new movies this year and I really should have. I loved Matilda the Musical (Matthew Warchus, 2022) though. So here’s my top ten old movies seen in the theater for the first time in Chicago. Aerial (Zora Lathan, 1975) American Pie (Zora Lathanm, 1975), Performer’s Dressing Room (Zora Lathan, 1975) The Bump (Zora Lathanm, 1975), Trip or I’m Late I’m Late (Zora Lathanm 1975) My Neighborhood (Kurt Heyl, 1968) Utter (Henion Han, 1988) Spring Cycle (Stan Brakhage, 1995) The Guest (Pearl Bowser, 1977) Study In Leaders: Toward the 1970’s (Gerald Swatez, Kaye Miller, 1968) Skippy Peanut Butter Jars (Copper Giloth, 1980) The Watershow Extravaganza (Sophie Michael, 2016) Sears Sox (Chick Strand, Pat O’Neill, Neon Park, 1968) The Story of Srebrenica (“Nanny” Lynn Ochberg, 1996) Mattia Magi Software Engineer, Livorno Italy, cinema addicted Best films released in 2023: Beau is Afraid (Ari Aster, 2023) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese, 2023) Silent Night (Woo John, 2023) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, 2023) They Cloned Tyrone (Juel Taylor, 2023) The Creator (Gareth Edwards, 2023) Thanksgiving (Eli Roth, 2023) Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023) Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant (Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Ariane Louis-Seize, 2023) Rapito (Kidnapped, Marco Bellocchio, 2023) Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Best films watched for the first time in 2023: Ang-ma-reul bo-at-da (I Saw the Devil, Kim Ji-woon, 2010) Three Thousand Years of Longing (George Miller, 2022) The Loved Ones (Sean Byrne, 2009) Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai, Kurosawa Akira, 1954) I REC U (Federico Sfascia, 2012) Talk to Me (Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou, 2022) Ankabut-e moqaddas (Holy Spider, Ali Abbasi, 2022) Babardeala cu bucluc sau porno balamuc (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Radu Jude, 2021) Old Henry (Potsy Ponciroli, 2021) Heojil kyolshim (Decision to Leave, Park Chan-wook, 2022) Gretel & Hansel (Oz Perkins, 2020) Festivals: Fi-Pi-Li Horror Festival: Beautiful festival on horror and fantasy cinema in Livorno, Tuscany, Italy. This year in its 12th edition, has hosted and continues to host great masters of Italian genre cinema (such as Lamberto Bava, Ruggero Deodato, Michele Soavi, Dario Argento, Aldo Lado) with an always interesting program consisting of screenings, national premieres, short film competitions (national and international), and meetings with authors from the world of horror and fantasy cinema. Bob Manning Cinephile and Adelaide Cinémathèque member Los Colonos (The Settlers, Felipe Gálvez Haberle, 2023) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scoresese, 2023) L’ultima di Amore (Last Night of Amore, Andrea Di Stefano, 2023) The Killer (David Fincher, 2023) Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie, 2023) Asteroid City (Wes Anderson, 2023) Past Lives (Celine Song, 2023) Shayda (Noora Niasari, 2023) In the Land of Saints and Sinners (Robert Lorenz, 2023) Maestro (Bradley Cooper, 2023) Priscilla (Sofia Coppola, 2023) Bring Him to Me (Luke Sparks, 2023) John Farnham: Finding the Voice (Poppy Stockell, 2023) Come pecore in mezzo ai lupi (Like Sheep Among Wolves, Lyda Patitucci, 2023) Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka (The Boy and the Heron, Miyazaki Hayao, 2023) Champions (Bobby Farrelly, 2023) Bank of Dave (Chris Foggin, 2023) Mascarade (Masquerade, Nicolos Bedos, 2022) Miguel Marías Author of books on Manuel Mur Oti and Leo McCarey; Teacher; Former Director of the Spanish Film Archive (1986-88) a) Great recent Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes, Víctor Erice, 2023) Mighty Afrin in the Time of Floods (Angelos Rallis, 2022/3) Aku wa sonzai shinai (Evil Does Not Exist, Hamaguchi Ryusuke, 2023) Chronique d’une liaison passagère (Diary of a Fleeting Affair, Emmanuel Mouret, 2022) Trenque Lauquen (Trenque Lauquen II, Laura Citarella, 2022) The U.S. and The Holocaust (Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, Sarah Botstein, 2022) And, Towards Happy Alleys (Sreemoyee Singh, 2023) Le Coeur Noir des forêts (Dark Heart of the Forest, Serge Mirzabekiantz, 2021) Boston Strangler (Matt Ruskin, 2023) The Natural History of Destruction (Sergei Loznitsa, 2022) Kuolleet lehdet (Fallen Leaves, Aki Kaurismäki, 2023) Între revolutii (Between Revolutions, Vlad Petri, 2023) Bowling Saturne (Saturn Bowling, Patricia Mazuy, 2022) Call Jane (Phyllis Nagy, 2022) b) Great older Bullfighter and the Lady (Budd Boetticher, 1951) Restored version Shiinomi Gakuen (The Shiinomi School, Shimizu Hiroshi, 1955) Parisette (Louis Feuillade, 1921) Vengeance Is Mine (Haunted, Michael Roemer, 1984/2022) Liebe auf den erste Blick (Love at first sight, Rudolf Thome, 1991) Japanese Story (Sue Brooks, 2003) The Valley of Silent Men (Frank Borzage, 1922) Naruto hichō (A Fantastic Tale of Naruto, Kinugasa Teinosukē, 1957) Il Vizio di Vivere (Dino Risi, 1988) Khayal Gatha (The Saga of Khayal, Kumar Shahani, 1989) Guest Wife (Sam Wood, 1945) The Affairs of Susan (William A. Seiter, 1945) Escrito en el cuerpo de la noche (Written on the Body of the Night, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, 2001) Missione d’Amore (Dino Risi, 1993) The Glass Wall (Maxwell Shane, 1953) La Lumière et l’Amour (Léonce Perret, 1912) Koenigsmark (The Secret Spring, Léonce Perret, 1923) Sister Kenny (Dudley Nichols, 1946) Primo Amore (First Love, Dino Risi, 1978) Citizen Jake (Mike De Leon, 2018) L’Adolescente, Sucre d’Amour (Une vie suspendue, Jocelyne Saab, 1985) Verrat an Deutschland (Veit Harlan, 1955) The Book Thief (Brian Percival, 2013) The White Sister (Victor Fleming, 1933) Singing Guns (R.G. Springsteen, 1950) c) Very good recent Les Derniers Hommes (The Last Men, David Oelhoffen, 2023) In The Land Of Saints and Sinners (Robert Lorenz, 2023) He bian de cuo wu (Only the River Flows, Wei Shujun, 2023) Vanskabte Land (Godland, Hlynur Pálmason, 2022) Boîte noire (Black Box, Yann Gozlan, 2021) L’Innocent (The Innocent, Louis Garrel, 2022) Le Parfum vert (The Green Perfume, Nicolas Pariser, 2022) La Nuit du 12 (The Night of the 12th, Dominik Moll, 2022) Ayeh haye zamini (Terrestrial Verses, Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami, 2023) Sira (Apolline Traoré, 2023) Joyland (Saim Sadiq, 2022) The Pale Blue Eye (Scott Cooper, 2022) Senya, ichiya (Thousand and One Nights, Kubota Nao, 2022) Une jeune fille qui va bien (A Radiant Girl, Sandrine Kiberlain, 2021) Gelditasuna Ekaitzean (Stillness in the Storm, Alberto Gastesi, 2022) No mires a los ojos (Staring at Strangers, Félix Viscarret, 2022) Los delincuentes (The Delinquents, Rodrigo Moreno, 2023) Love At First Sight (Vanessa Caswill, 2023) Une femme de notre temps (A Woman, Jean Paul Civeyrac, 2022) Master Gardener (Paul Schrader, 2022) Saint Omer (Alice Diop, 2022) Secaderos (Tobacco Barns, Rocío Mesa, 2022) Tengo sueños eléctricos (I Have Electric Dreams, Valentina Maurel, 2922) El amor de Andrea (Andrea’s Love, Manuel Martín Cuenca, 2023) The Whale (Darren Aronofsky, 2022) Isang Salaysay ng Karahasang Pilipino (A Tale of Filipino Violence, Lav Diaz, 2022) Plus que jamais (More than ever, Emily Atef, 2022) Bosco (Alicia Cano Menoni, 2021) Roter Himmel (Afire, Christian Petzold, 2023) La Dérive des continents (au sud) (Continental Drift (South), Lionel Baier, 2022) Les trois mousquetaires: D’Artagnan(The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan, Martin Bourboulon, 2023) Le Otto Montagne (The Eight Mountains, Felix van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch, 2022) Un Couple (A Couple, Frederick Wiseman, 2022) GO, FRIEND, GO (Gabriele Licchelli, Francesco Lorusso. Andrea Settembrini, 2022) Something from Tiffany’s (Daryl Wein, 2022) Il sol dell’avvenire (A Brighter Tomorrow, Nanni Moretti, 2023) Retratos de fantasmas (Pictures of Ghosts, Kleber Mendonça Filho, 2023) Película del hierro y la nieve (Pablo Llorca, 2023) Bye Bye Tibériade (Bye Bye Tiberias, Lina Soulalem, 2023) The Lost King (Stephen Frears, 2022) Tuman (Fog, Natalia Gugueva, 2023) Fancy Dance (Erica Tremblay, 2023) Urotsite na Blaga (Blaga’s Lessons, Stephan Komandarev, 2023) Dreamers (Stéphanie Barbey, Luc Peter, 2023) Ankabut-e moqaddas (Holy Spider, Ali Abbasi, 2022) Vacacones de verano (Summer Vacation, Santiago Segyra, 2023) Una vida no tan simple (Not Such an Easy Life, Félix Viscarret, 2023) Joyland d) Very good older Toughest Man in Arizona (R.G. Springsteen, 1952) Wolf Song (Victor Fleming, 1929) Konjiki yasha (Shima Kōji, 1954) Highway 301 (Andrew L. Stone, 1950) The Dark Half (George A. Romero, 1993) Invaders from Mars\ (William Cameron Menzies, 1953) Sono yo wa wasurenai (A Night to Remember, Yoshimura Kôzaburô, 1962) Totsugu hi (Wedding Day, Yoshimura Kôzaburô, 1956) Que Dios me Perdone (May God Forgive Me, Tito Davison, 1948) El Corazón de la Noche (Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, 1983/4) Mujeres Sin Mañana (Women Without Tomorrow, Tito Davison, 1951) Más fuerte que el amor (Tulio Demicheli, 1955) Disco Pigs (Kirsten Sheridan, 2001) Két lány az uccán (Two Girls on the Street, André de Toth, 1939) Itim (The Rites of May, Mike De Leon, 1976) Dora Nelson (Mario Soldati, 1939) Deep Valley (Jean Negulesco, 1947) South Solitary (Shirley Barrett, 2010) Hell’s Heroes (William Wyler, 1930) Massacre (Louis King, 1956) Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women (Joseph Pevney, 1979) Her Night of Romance (Sidney Franklin, 1924) La Ciociara (Running Away, Dino Risi, 1989) Honeysuckle Rose (Jerry Schatzberg, 1980) Fool for Love (Robert Altman, 1985) Her Sister from Paris (Sidney A. Franklin, 1925) Outward Bound (Robert Milton, Ray Enright, 1930) Never Trust a Gambler (Ralph Murphy, 1951) The Come On (Russell Birdwell, 1956) Hurricane Smith (Jerry Hopper, 1952) Bel Ami (Antonio Momplet, 1946) Doña Diabla (The Devil Is a Woman, Tito Davison, 1950) Prisionera del Pasado (Tito Davison, 1954) Para Siempre (Tito Davison, 1955) Yo quiero ser artista (Tito Davision, 1957) Música de Siempre (Tito Davison, 1958) Sailor’s Lady (Allan Dwan, 1940) Le Jour des Rois (Marie-Claude Treilhou, 1991) Vientos de La Habana (The Winds of Lent, Félyx Viscarret, 2016) Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words (Jag är Ingrid, Stig Björkman, 2015) 1848 (Dino Risi, 1948) Cherchez Hortensia (Looking for Hortense, Pascal Bonitzer, 2012) Le Gros Alibi (The Great Alibi, Pascal Bonitzer, 2008) The Siege (Edward Zwick, 1998) Smart Woman (Edward A. Blatt, 1948) Hitler’s Children (Edward Dmytryk, Irving Reis, 1943) I Met My Love Again (Joshua Logan, Arthur Ripley, George Cukor, 1937/8) Born To Be Bad (Lowell Sherman, 1934) Desnúdate, Lucrecia (Tulio Demicheli, 1958) The Devil and Miss Jones (Sam Wood, 1941) Stolen Identity (Gunther von Fritsch, 1953) Appointment with a Shadow (Richard Carlson, 1958) Strange Bargain (Will Price, 1949) Jack McCulloch Location Sound Recordist & Sound Designer Top Films of 2023 Past Lives (Celine Song, 2023) Aftersun (Charlotte Wells, 2022) Tár (Todd Field, 2022) Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka (The Boy and the Heron, Miyazaki Hayao, 2023) Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, 2023) Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023) Kaibutsu (Monster, Kore-eda Hirokazu, 2023) Gojira Mainasu Wan (Godzilla Minus One, Yamazaki Takashi, 2023) Bên trong vỏ kén vàng (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, Phạm Thiên Ân, 2023) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese, 2023) Top Retrospective Screenings 2023 Lat sau san taam (Hard Boiled, Woo John, 1992) – 35mm, Melbourne Cinémathèque, Australian Centre of the Moving Image (ACMI) Silver City (Sophia Turkiewicz, 1984) – 35mm, Melbourne Cinémathèque, ACMI Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977) – 4K, Melbourne International Film Festival, ACMI Du rififi chez les hommes (Rififi, Jules Dassin, 1955) – 35mm, Melbourne Cinémathèque, ACMI O Bandido da Luz Vermelha (The Red Light Bandit, Rogério Sganzerla, 1968) – Melbourne Cinémathèque, ACMI Batman Returns (Tim Burton, 1992) – 35mm, Cinemaniacs, ACMI Oldeuboi (Oldboy, Park Chan-wook, 2003) – 4K, Astor Theatre 10 Things I Hate About You (Gil Junger, 1999) – Lido Cinemas Yīngxióng (Hero, 2002, Zhang Yimou) – 35mm, Melbourne Cinémathèque, ACMI Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night, Ingmar Bergman, 1955) – ACMI Duncan McLean Discipline Lead in Screen Studies at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, and general film nerd My list of the best films released in Australia this year, arranged alphabetically. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells, 2022) Babylon (Damien Chazelle, 2022) Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023) Birdeater (Jack Clark, Jim Weir, 2023) Gojira Mainasu Wan (Godzilla Minus One, Yamazaki Takashi, 2023) The Killer (David Fincher, 2023) Kaibutsu (Monster, Kore-eda Hirokazu, 2023) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese, 2023) Nimona (Troy Quane, Nick Bruno, 2023) Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan, 2023) Past Lives (Celine Song, 2023) Rye Lane (Raine Allen-Miller, 2023) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, 2023) Tár (Todd Field, 2022) Women Talking (Sarah Polley, 2022) Monster Tim McQueen Brisbane-based video editor and cinephile Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes, Víctor Erice, 2023) O trio em mi bemol (The Kegelstatt Trio, Rita Azevedo Gomes, 2022) Hit Man (Richard Linklater, 2023) The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Wes Anderson, 2023), The Swan (Wes Anderson, 2023) The Rat Catcher (Wes Anderson, 2023) Poison (Wes Anderson, 2023) It’s What Each Person Needs (Sophy Romvari, 2022) Kuolleet lehdet (Fallen Leaves, Aki Kaurismäki, 2023) Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Rocky and Rani’s Love Story, Karan Johar, 2023) Anyone But You (Will Gluck, 2023) Trenque Lauquen (Trenque Lauquen II, Laura Citarella, 2022) Aku wa sonzai shinai (Evil Does Not Exist, Hamaguchi Ryusuke, 2023) The People’s Joker (Vera Drew, 2022) EO (Jerzy Skolimowski, 2022) Roter Himmel (Afire, Christian Petzold, 2023) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese, 2023) Showing Up (Kelly Reichardt, 2022) My Darling in Stirling (Bill Mousoulis, 2023) The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg, 2022) Ferrari (Michael Mann, 2023) The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (William Friedkin, 2023) May December (Todd Haynes, 2023) Petrol (Alena Lodkina, 2022) Asteroid City (Wes Anderson, 2023) Tár (Todd Field, 2022) The Holdovers (Alexander Payne, 2023) Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret (Kelly Fremon Craig, 2023) This is an ungodly mix of leftovers from 2022, new releases actually from this year, and material that won’t see the light of day for most people until 2024, but here it is all the same. I still haven’t had a chance to see Priscilla (Sofia Coppola, 2023), Le grand chariot (The Plough, Philippe Garrel, 2023), L’été dernier (Last Summer, Catherine Breillat, 2023), The Feeling That The Time For Doing Something Has Passed (Joanna Arnow, 2023) or the new Godard (Film annonce du film qui n’existéra jamais: ‘Drôles de guerres’ (Trailer of the Film That Will Never Exist: ‘Phony Wars’, Jean-Luc Godard, 2023)) or Costa (As Filhas do Fogo (The Daughters of Fire, Pedro Costa, 2023)) shorts, all of which would probably have figured in here otherwise. Daughters of Fire Adrian D. Mendizabal Film Researcher, University of the Philippines Film Institute; Film Critic, Omnitudo: Interventions in Cinema and Philosophy (Blog) Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, 2023) Myanmar Diaries (The Myanmar Film Collective, 2022) Aku wa sonzai shinai (Evil Does Not Exist, Hamaguchi Ryusuke, 2023) Stone Turtle (Woo Ming Jin, 2022) Nope (Jordan Peele, 2022) Oegye+in 1bu (Alienoid, Choi Dong-hoon, 2022) Schists 2023 (Dirk de Bruyn, 2023) Invisible Labor (Joanne Cesario, Aly Suico, Brian Sulicipan, Tel Delvo, and Mervin Aquino, 2023) All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh, 2023) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese, 2023) Kaibutsu (Monster, Kore-eda Hirokazu, 2023) Între revolutii (Between Revolutions, Vlad Petri, 2023) Tactical Forgetting (eeefff, 2023) The Archive: Queer Nigerians (Simisolaoluwa Akande, 2023) Los agitadores (Horseplay, Marco Berger, 2022) Stone Turtle Jamie Mendonça Theatrical Sales Manager, Curzon Film A severe drought of outstanding new cinema in 2023. Maybe it’s just me. Surprise of the year – Suzume no Tojimari (Suzume, Shinkai Makoto, 2023) A film not on my radar, proving the need to stray from your norm wherever possible. Why am I thinking of La grande bellezza (The Great Beauty, Paolo Sorrentino, 2013)? Perhaps it’s simply down to these works containing a certain “joy of life/cinema” that’s embedded within every frame; an irresistible charm that displaces you momentarily. Theatrical re-release of the year – The Idiots in 4K (Idioterne, Lars von Trier, 1998) You read that right: 4K resolution even though it was filmed on a camcorder in the late ‘90s. But format is irrelevant; this remains a highly influential film for me (first viewed on VHS as a teenager) and it only gets better with repeat viewings. Totally outrageous, offensive, extraordinary. The Dogme 95 movement was far too brief; unless there’s life in it yet… Cinema event of the year – Godland at BFI IMAX (Vanskabte Land, Hlynur Pálmason, 2022) Provided me with one of those rare, “this is why I do what I do” moments. Colleagues informed me this one was right up my street from the very beginning (disclaimer: Curzon Film released it) and they weren’t wrong. However, full confession: I didn’t totally love it the first two times; I was more in awe of it. By chance, my second viewing was on the IMAX screen at Bradford’s National Science and Media Museum as part of a closed industry event and this planted a seed in my head…what if we got this masterwork on the biggest screen in Britain as a special public preview? And it happened. I informally referred to the event as GODMAX, and being present on that Sunday morning for a third viewing amongst 150 others finally got me over the “Jamie you’ll love Godland” demand; I was now in love with it. As an aside, an old friend many years ago couldn’t understand the point of rewatching films; a “you’ve seen it, move on” kind of thing. This is of course a viewpoint I cannot accept. However, there are a small number of cinematic experiences I’ve had over the years which were so profound that I don’t dare spoil with a repeat viewing. I’m trying to think of an example, Mike Leigh’s Bleak Moments (1971)? 35mm presentation of the year – Sib (The Apple, Samira Makhmalbaf, 1998) Our old Artificial Eye release print was dusted off for a special screening at the BFI Southbank which allowed me to fill in a major blank on my personal “to see” list. It’s a stunning achievement (minor miracle, actually) although the print itself has certainly seen/heard better days; the soundtrack has almost gone. A timely reminder that celluloid, like any living being I suppose, is slowly but surely deteriorating. Documentary of the year – Sur l’Adamant (On the Adamant, Nicolas Philibert, 2023) Apart from simply being the next Philibert, here we had a seemingly quiet, unassuming film that felt, amongst other things, like a loving tribute to unsung heroes regardless of circumstances. I often wonder how many Mozarts have lived and died without an ounce of recognition? How many Tarkovskys could barely face the idea of even picking up a camera let alone film something? Nicolas’s film won the top prize at Berlin with Kristen Stewart on the jury, yet the world barely took notice. I’d like to share some text from the end of the film: “In a world where thinking is confined to ticking boxes, and singularity is stifled, some places continue to resist, to keep the poetic function of mankind and language alive. For how much longer?” Wildcard of the year – Robbie Williams (Joe Pearlman, 2023) A fascinating and valuable document on mental health. The only worthwhile thing I saw at home all year, although admittedly I don’t really watch films outside of a cinema anymore. This ‘docuseries’ might appear slightly self-indulgent to some but there’s a lot going on beneath the surface and I really didn’t want it to end. Brought back memories of Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive (Ross Wilson, 2006) which also featured Mr Williams. Experimental work / Short film of the year – Lateral (Charlie Shackleton, 2023) Self-described as “Cinema history is scoured for hidden depths in this improvised experiment in perception, presented in stereoscopic 3D”, anything that challenges the form deserves a shout. Imagine seeing a Chantal Akerman sequence in three dimensions… “Thank god this particular filmmaker is still making films” film of the year – Kuolleet lehdet (Fallen Leaves, Aki Kaurismäki, 2023) Goes without saying; what a dull world (or at least: dull film culture) it would be without Aki in it. Like I used to say with Godard, and always with Wenders, we live during the era where we can “go catch the new Kaurismäki”. Don’t take it for granted! Festival of the year – Romanian Film Festival in London Annually hosted at my second home the Curzon Soho and run by the wonderful Ramona Mitrica, the lineup is always excellent and this year audiences got to revisit Cristian Mungiu’s 4 luni, 3 săptămâni și 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, 2007) on 35mm, plus a special screening/Q&A of his little-seen-on-release R.M.N (2022). The festival is always a joy, and there’s no doubt that some of the finest contemporary cinema hails from Romania. New film of the year – Retour à Séoul (Return to Seoul, Davy Chou, 2023) Every now and then I’m watching a film and already fantasising about rewatching it. This was a very special work of cinema. Runner-up is the second half of Past Lives (Celine Song, 2023) which took me a good while to warm to …but it was so worth the wait. Bronze goes to Christian Petzold’s haunting Roter Himmel (Afire, 2023) which also had the finest soundtrack of the year. Otherworldly film of the year – Samsara (Lois Patiño, 2023) There’s hope for film culture yet. The finest work of interactive cinema since Diqiu zuihou de yewan (Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Bi Gan, 2018). Transformative, quite literally. Stefano Miraglia Artist and curator Films released in 2023 A Common Sequence (Mary Helena Clark, Mike Gibisser, 2023) Spark from a Falling Star (Ross Meckfessel, 2023) La Force Diagonale (The Diagonal Force, Annik Leroy, Julie Morel, 2023) Zero Woods of the Wild Place (Josh Weissbach, 2023) Nafura (Paul Heintz, 2023) The Secret Garden (Nour Ouayda, 2023) Mes indésirables (Félix Fattal, 2023) Starouarzazate (the postmake) (Occitane Lacurie, 2023) Artistes en zones troublés (Lionel Soukaz, Stéphane Gérard, 2023) Jeune Cinéma (Yves-Marie Mahé, 2023) Sensitivity in Low Light Conditions (Stefan Kruse Jørgensen, 2023) bleared eyes of blue glass (Park Kyujae, 2023) Bloom (Helena Girón, Samuel M. Delgado, 2023) I Cannot Now Recall (Kersti Jan Werdal, 2023) Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes, Víctor Erice, 2023) Nafura Older films encountered for the first time in 2023 Exhibition (Mary Helena Clark, 2022) Navigators (Noah Teichner, 2022) Island Flight (Victor Burgin, 2022) Odorless Blue Flowers Awake Prematurely (Panos Aprahamian, 2022) The Power of Two or Three Suns (Yto Barrada, 2021) Electrical Gaza (Rosalind Nashashibi, 2015) Lewiston (James N. Kienitz Wilkins, John Aaron Frank, 2002) Ashbah Beyrouth (Phantom Beirut, Ghassan Salhab, 1998) Echo Vocis Imago (Jan Jedlička, 1994) Home Suite (John Smith, 1994) Topic I & II (Pascal Baes, 1989) 46’ BIS (Pascal Baes, 1988) Somewhere Between Jalostotitlan and Encarnacion (Philip Hoffman, 1984) Xénogénèse (Akihiko Morishita, 1981) Photophthalmia (Werner Nekes, 1975) Carrefour de la chaussée d’Antin (Bernard Heidsieck, Françoise Janicot, 1973) Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son (Ken Jacobs, 1969) Olaf Möller German Critic, Professor and Programmer Olaf Möller’s eleven friends 2023 Team Manager Team (Films of the Year) Dà xiá Hú Jīnquán dì yī bù qǔ: Xiānzhī céngjīng láiguò (The King of Wuxia Part 1: The Prophet Was Once Here, Lin Jing-jie, 2022) and Dà xiá Hú Jīnquán dì èr bù qǔ: Duàncháng rén zài tiānyá (The King of Wuxia Part 2: The Heartbroken Man on the Horizon, Lin Jing-jie, 2022). Gehen und Bleiben (Leaving and Staying, Volker Koepp, 2023) First Team (Line-up in strictly alphabetical order) Adagio (Stefano Sollima, 2023) Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes, Víctor Erice, 2023) John Wick: Chapter 4 (Chad Stahelski, 2023) Khun Pan 3 (Kongkiat “Kome” Komesiri, 2023) Nome (Sana Na N’Hada, 2023) Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023) A Paixão Segundo G.H. (The Passion According to G.H., Luiz Fernando Carvalho, 2023) Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A (Somewhere Beyond the Seven Seas – Side A, Hemanth M. Rao, 2023) Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side B (Somewhere Beyond the Seven Seas Side B, Hemanth M. Rao, 2023) Tage (Days, Peter Schreiner, 2023) Born in Gunsan and After Seven Years, I Was Repatriated to Japan… (Zonpilone, 2023) Za nas s vami! (Here’s to You and Us!, Andrej Smirnov, 2023) D’argent et de sang (Of Money and Blood, Xavier Giannoli, Frédéric Planchon, 2023) Nome Substitutes Demminer Gesänge (Hans-Jürgen Syberberg, 2023) // Essential Truths of the Lake (Lav Diaz, 2023) // Hayat (Life, Zeki Demirkubuz, 2023) // Hidaruma Kaita yo (Dear Kaita Ablaze, Satō Hisayasu, 2023) // La huella de unos labios (The Trace of Your Lips, Julián Hernández, 2023) // Jeder schreibt für sich allein (Melting Ink, Dominik Graf, Felix von Boehm, 2023) // Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka (The Boy and the Heron, Miyazaki Hayao, 2023) // Manjianghong (Full River Red, Zhang Yimou, 2023) // Menus plaisirs – Les Troisgros (Frederick Wiseman, 2023) // Ponniyin Selvan 2 (The Son of Ponni, Mani Ratnam, 2023) // Ricardo et la Peinture (Ricardo and Painting, Barbet Schroeder, 2023) // Rapito (Kidnapped, Marco Bellocchio, 2023) // Si (Elegies, Hui Ann, 2023) * Mein Falke (My Falcon, Dominik Graf, 2023) Dear Katia Ablaze Extended Team Aggro Dr1ft (Harmony Korine, 2023) // Chronique d’une liaison passagère (Diary of a Fleeting Affair, Emmanuel Mouret, 2022) // Comandante (Edoardo De Angelis, 2023) // Ferrari (Michael Mann, 2023) // Gojira Mainasu Wan (Godzilla Minus One, Yamazaki Takashi, 2023) // Hajjan (Abu Bakr Shawky, 2023) // Hanakutashi (A Spoiling Rain, Arai Haruhiko, 2023) // Jin Khodam (Tema Patrosza, Dedy Mercy, 2023) // Das Lehrerzimmer (The Teacher’s Lounge, Ilker Çatak, 2023) // Libertate (Freedom, Tudor Giurgiu, 2023) // La Luna (Raihan Halim, 2023) // Marisa y Gomoso (Pablo Parés, 2023) // Mar3y El Breemo (Saeed Hamed, 2023) // Men qian bao di (100 Yards, Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng, 2023) // Neandria (Reha Erdem, 2023) // Outlaw Johnny Black (Michael Jai White, 2023) // La próxima película de Carmen Trevilla (Carmen Trevilla’s Next Film, Gonzalo García Pelayo, 2023) // Purusha Pretham (The Male Ghost, Krishand PK, 2023) // Rehragout-Rendezvous (Ed Herzog, 2023) // Rescued by Ruby (Katt Shea, 2022) // Revolution +1 (Adachi Masao, 2022) // Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (Prashanth Neel, 2023) // Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes (Robert Schwentke, 2023) // Shin Gojira: Ortho (Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic, Anno Hideaki, Higuchi Shinji, 2017/23) // Suzume no Tojimari (Suzume, Shinkai Makoto, 2023) // La forêt de mademoiselle Tang (The Forest of Miss Tang, Do Denis, 2023) * Dekigokoro (Jōjō Hideo, 2023) // Gesicht der Erinnerung (Dominik Graf, 2023) Eleven Friends 2023 Medical Staff (film/video-based/related installations, film/video art projects, films seen in exhibitions, and various other film related works in radio, literature etc.) Extra-Natural 2023 (Miguel Chevalier, 2023) Interactive Video Installation // Loophole (Jordan Strafer, 2023) // Rakazvirova rikazhamba (it (the cock) hit itself and it cried) (Kresiah Mukwazhi, 2023) Olaf Möller’s eleven veterans 2023 Team Manager Team (Revelation of the Year) Himala Ng Birhen (Sa Antipolo) (Susana Canseco de Guzman, 1947) Sumpaan (Susana Canseco de Guzman, 1948) Tininti Del Baryo (Susana Canseco de Guzman, 1950) Yolanda (Susana Canseco de Guzman, 1951) Correccional (Susana Canseco de Guzman, 1952) Pasiya Ng Langit (Susana Canseco de Guzman, 1954) Sanga-Sangang Puso (Susana Canseco de Guzman, 1957) Dahlia (Susana Canseco de Guzman, 1960) First Team (Line-Up in strictly alphabetical order) Ad Dei Honorem. Hans Brüggemanns Bordesholmer Passionsaltar von 1521 im Dom zu Schleswig (Alfred Ehrhardt, 1948) Ejercicios de dirección. 2º curso (Javier Aguirre, 1957) Fiamma simbolica (Eugenio Perego, 1917) The Flute of Krishna (Rouben Mamoulian, 1926) Fuera de la ley (Outside the Law, Manuel Romero, 1937) El gran circo Chamorro (The Big Chamorro Circus, José Bohr, 1955) Idees Fixes / Dies Irae (Variations on the Same Subject, Antouanetta Angelidi, 1977) Näkymätön käsi (The Invisble Hand, Veronica Leo, 1962) The Love in Okinawa (Fu-Ti Lin, 1968) Sunset Over the Horizon (Fu-Ti Lin, 1968) Tarkan: Gümüs Eyer (Tarkan and the Silver Saddle, Mehmet Aslan, 1970) Za oponou smrti (Ferenc Futurista, 1923) Ihr glücklichen Augen (Margareta Heinrich, 1992) Danger Zone III: Steel Horse War (Douglas Bronco, 1990) Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy (Giacomo Talamini, 2009) Substitutes 20 de Noviembre de 1936 ¿Te acuerdas de esta fecha, compañero? (1937) // Aufenthaltserlaubnis (Antonio Skármeta, 1978) // La Bouteille de Patouillard (Bill Buys a Bottle of Champagne, Roméo Bosetti, 1911) // Cvetushhaja junost (Blossoming Youth, Aleksandr Medvedkin, Vladimir Fejnberg, 1939) // Happy Days Are Here Again (Cirio Hermoso Santiago, 1974) // Urutora 6-kyodai tai kaijû gundan (Hanuman vs 7 Ultraman, Sompote Sands, Shohei Tôjô, 1974) // Hrabina Cosel (The Countess Cosel, Jerzy Antczak, 1968) // Janam Janam Ke Phere (Manmohan Desai, Vijay Sadanah, 1957) // Jasenovac (Bogdan Žižić, 1966) // Kara Kafa (Black Head, Korhan Yurtsever, 1979) // Luponini de Chicago (Luponini from Chicago, José Bohr, 1935) // Mavro + aspro (Black + White, Thanasis Rentzis, Nikos Zervos, 1973) // Meren kasvojen edessä (Teuvo Puro, 1926) // Modesta (Benjamín Doniger, 1955) // Oyoyo (Chetna Vora, 1980) // Privarzaniyat balon (The Tied Up Balloon, Binka Željazkova, 1967) // Raden Adjeng Kartini (The Life of Lady Kartini, Sjuman Djaya, 1982) // Raw Wind in Eden (Richard Wilson, 1958) // Sénégal an XVI (Babacar Gueye, Orlando Lopez, 1976) // Shi wan jin shan (The Ghost Hill, Ting Shan-hsi, 1971) // Si mis campos hablaran (José Bohr, 1947) // [Singapore] (The Corrick Collection, 1903) // Skarpretteren. en fortælling om kvindens fornedrelse og ophøjelse (The Executioner, Ursula Reuter Christiansen, 1972) // Upa en apuros (Dante Quinterno, 1942) // Von Buttiglione Sturmtruppenführer (Mino Guerrini, 1977) // Yôsô (The Bronze Magician, Kinugasa Teinosuke, 1963) * Yōjutsu bugei-chō [Miniseries] (Toyama Tōru, Hayashi Nobunori, 1969) * Le Syndrome d’Edgar Poe (Norbert Moutier, 1995) * B2 – The Story (Kai Rinkinen, 2007) Eleven Veterans 2023 Medical Staff (film/video-based/related installations, film/video art projects, films/videos seen in exhibitions, and other creations and happenings such as these) Lungenkraut (Jan Haft, 2019) // RN882 – Transforming Still Life Painting, after Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder (1573-1621), Vase With Flowers in a Window, 1618 (Nick Carter, Rob Carter, 2012)
