World Poll 2024 – Part 1 the editors January 2025 World Poll Issue 112 ENTRIES IN PART 1: Antti Alanen Marcelo Alderete Hussain Al-Dubaisi Francisco Algarín Navarro Michael J. Anderson Swapnil Azad Martyn Bamber Jennifer Lynde Barker Michael Bartlett Arta BarzanjiRaphaël Bassan Sean Bell Malik Berkati Hannah Bonner Nandana Bose Stephen Bowie Collin Brinkmann Lisa K. Broad Samantha Broadhead Brandon Bui Antti Alanen Film historian, critic, teacher, Helsinki In viewing order. The Old Oak (Ken Loach, 2023) DCP, Tennispalatsi, Helsinki Zielona granica (Green Border, Agnieszka Holland, 2023) DCP, UGC Danton, Paris Anatomie d’une chute (Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet, 2023) DCP, MK2 Odéon Côté St Michel, Paris Benediction (Terence Davies, 2021) DCP, UGC Danton, Paris Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes, Víctor Erice, 2023) DCP, Lapinsuu, Midnight Sun Film Festival, Sodankylä Dâne-ye anjîr-e ma’âbed (The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Mohammad Rasoulof, 2024) DCP, Sheridan Opera House, Telluride Film Festival Apocalipse nos Trópicos (Apocalypse in the Tropics, Petra Costa, 2024) DCP, Le Pierre, Telluride Film Festival No Other Land (Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor, 2024) DCP, Le Pierre, Telluride Film Festival Santosh (Sandhya Suri, 2024) DCP, Le Pierre, Telluride Film Festival Io capitano (Matteo Garrone, 2023) DCP, Kinopalatsi, Love & Anarchy: Helsinki International Film Festival The Seed of the Sacred Fig Marcelo Alderete Freelance programmer, film critic at A Sala Llena (Argentina) There are few things easier to say than that the world is going through difficult times. A blind writer from my country (Jorge Luis Borges) wrote this, many, many years ago: “As with all men, it was his lot to live in bad times.” Of course the world is an increasingly complicated place (sometimes too complicated), but it is strange that those who insist the most on telling us this, on showing us the darkest shadows of the world, are film directors who parade their films with crazy budgets through cities like Cannes and Venice. Who also live lives absolutely far from the characters they portray in their fictions or documentaries. Fake filmmakers who even sacrifice the rigor they should have for their art to make pyrotechnic cinema, ever bigger, ever louder, ever more useless. In the best case scenario, TV news programs (with clever visual devices) on fashionable topics. If the titles below have anything in common, ranging from a debutante like Astrid van Nimwegen to a hyper-famous person like Olivier Assayas, it is that they are personal works, made in most cases with few resources but always faithful to their cinematic forms. Through fiction, essay or documentary, they portray universes as complicated as they are vital. A cinema full of life. A possible cinema for (how many times do we have to say it?) these difficult times in which we have to live. Pepe (Nelson Carlos de los Santos Arias, 2024) Through the Graves the Wind Is Blowing (Travis Wilkerson, 2024) Henry Fonda For President (Alexander Horwath, 2024) Monólogo colectivo (Collective Monologue, Jessica Sarah Rinland, 2024) A Few Mornings, an Evening (Astrid van Nimwegen, 2024) La Parra (Alberto Gracia, 2024) Pavements (Alex Ross Perry, 2024) Apprendre (Elementary, Claire Simon, 2024) Suyoocheon (By the stream, Hong Sang-soo, 2024) Hors du temps (Suspended Time, Olivier Assayas, 2024) Hussain Al-Dubaisi Cinephile, Qatif, Saudi Arabia Best films released in 2024: Anora (Sean Baker, 2024) Conclave (Edward Berger, 2024) Small Things Like These (Tim Mielants, 2024) Challengers (Luca Guadagnino, 2024) Civil War (Alex Garland, 2024) Best older films encountered for the first time in 2024: Tóngnián wangshì (A Time to Live, a Time to Die, Hou Hsiao-hsien, 1985) Hai shang hua (Flowers of Shanghai, Hou Hsiao-hsien, 1998) Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002) Liàn liàn fengchén (Dust in the Wind, Hou Hsiao-hsien, 1986) Ji-geum-eun-mat-go-geu-ddae-neun-teul-li-da (Right Now, Wrong Then, Hong Sang-soo, 2015) Francisco Algarín Navarro Editor, Film critic and programmer, co-founder of LUMIÈRE Magazine Films encountered for the first in 2024: A Man Playing Movie (Okuyama Jun’ichi, 1987) Apparent Motion (Paul Sharits, 1975) Back to Nature (George Kuchar, 1976) Colored Relations (Barry Spinello, 1970) Couch (Andy Warhol, 1964) Eniaios. Order XVI. Drug of Memory and Wisdom (Gregory J. Markopoulos, 1986-1990/2024) Glass (James Herbert, 1975) Im Garten (Ute Aurand, Bärbel Freund, 2002) Omega (Donald Fox, 1970) Pocos son los que conocen el secreto del amor (Narcisa Hirsch, 1976) Michael J. Anderson President & CEO, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, USA Top Ten World Premieres/New Commercial Releases (listed in alphabetical order): All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia, 2024) Feng liu yi dai (Caught by the Tides, Jia Zhang-ke, 2024) Grand Tour (Miguel Gomes, 2024) Juror #2 (Clint Eastwood, 2024) Miséricorde (Misericordia, Alain Guiraudie, 2024) Musik (Music, Angela Schanelec, 2023) The Shrouds (David Cronenberg, 2024) Suyoocheon (By the Stream, Hong Sang-soo, 2024) Uriui haru (In Our Day, Hong Sang-soo, 2023) Wu suo zhu (Abiding Nowhere, Tsai Ming-liang, 2024) Two Hong films on my list, and I’m certain others will include the fine Yeohaengjaui pilyo (A Traveler’s Needs, 2024) and Mul-an-e-seo (in water, 2023). For me, we have been living in the age of Hong for some time. Even as Gomes’s Grand Tour was my clear pick for film of the year, and Eastwood’s Juror #2 my sentimental favourite. Outside of the new cinema realm, I made a concerted effort to see more silent cinema for the first time in a while and was rewarded with Ernst Lubitsch’s wonderful Kohlhiesels Töchter (Kohlheisel’s Daughters, 1920), which was my favorite single screening at the Berlinale. Likewise, I had the opportunity to finally see a series of later works by the great Hiroshi Shimizi. His final film, Haha no Omokage (Image of a Mother, 1959), was one of the best new-to-me titles in the Japan Society’s essential program. Finally, I wanted to note some of the truly fabulous American repertory highlights that played in places like my own Oklahoma City: Ohikkoshi (Moving, Shinji Somai, 1993), Toute une nuit (A Whole Night, Chantal Akerman, 1982), and Bona (Lino Brocka, 1980). As much as any new release, these films made 2024 what it was for this cinema-goer. Santosh Swapnil Azad A cinephile from Calcutta 2024 was an unusual year. I didn’t have my best cinephilic appetite, so I haven’t watched most of the films I wanted to yet. This even includes recent works of filmmakers I admire most. I haven’t seen the new films by Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Jia Zhangke, Pa Ranjith, Mari Selvaraj, Don Palathara, Zack Snyder, or even Hong Song-soo! The Kolkata International Film Festival was back to its worst this year, marred by terrible curation and mismanagement. The ten-film restriction put on this year’s World Poll felt repressive; a sheer testament to how good a year this has been for cinema. My second entry to the Senses of Cinema World Poll thus comes with an asterisk: these are the ten movies I considered worth a shoutout on this platform. As always, cinema keeps changing. This year, the changes felt much closer to home. The RG Kar protests finally seem to have forced a political reckoning upon Bengali cinema. Conversations about unfair trade practices by unionists (masquerading political pawns) and Tollywood oligarchs are finally happening after the face-off between filmmakers and said unionists. Most remarkably for me, 2024 was the Year of Women in Cinema. No surprise, the three best films of the year are from emerging female filmmakers. Feminine love has seldom been put to screen this passionately, even more so in a single year. All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia, 2024) The worlds of Eastern and Western art and philosophy collide in the year’s most moving movie poem. Godard meets Ghatak, with allusions to the ancient Sanskrit texts of Kalidasa. The most Indian film of the year – textually, texturally – unlike what some would suggest. And, Towards Happy Alleys (Sreemoyee Singh, 2023) Sreemoyee Singh’s gesamtkunstwerk blends cinema, poetry, and music to compose a love letter to Iranian art. Featuring interviews more expressive than any acting performance could ever be. As brave-hearted as it is tender. One Piece Fan Letter (Megumi Ishitani, 2024) (TV Special) Our love for the One Piece manga/anime franchise couldn’t have been articulated better, cinematically. Ishitani centers her TV special upon a seemingly lesser member of the cast: Nami, and her fangirl. It follows her little journey with unmatched epic kinetic fury. Pop art at its finest! Cut to: The Men. The soft hearted, the furious, and violent men of 2024 movies. Meiyazhagan (Premkumar Chandran, 2024) A miraculous monument of love, empathy, and perseverance – both concerning what happens in the film and what happened to it. Premkumar resists the trend of masculine self-hatred, advocating mutual respect and empathy between men, women, and nature. The film was disfigured amidst its theatrical run and what was most unusual about the film was cut out. Not a mere business decision but an act of calculated censorship – if I may – in an attempt to control what the masses see, and in turn, what they think. Isn’t that exactly how they aid our collective cultural fatigue and manufacture consent? Amar Singh Chamkila (Imtiaz Ali, 2024) Imtiaz Ali turns spiritualist. Or, maybe he has always been? During its runtime, this biopic of the controversial artist and his times becomes soul-searching Sufism. Shri Swapankumar-er Badami Hyena’r Kobole (Debaloy Bhattacharya, 2024) Pulp gets political at the hands of Bengali auteur Debaloy Bhattacharya in a rare, noble Tollywood sleuth flick. Fun and funny, this is my most-watched movie of 2024. Saw it four times in theatres and twice at home. Viduthalai Part 1 and 2 (Vetrimaaran, 2024) A film meant to be as disjointed as it is disconcerting. Vetrimaaran, potentially the most radical filmmaker of our times, battles the escapist expectations of “mass cinema.” He throws us into our hearts of darkness and confronts us with tough political, ethical, and moral questions. A true adult film. I haven’t seen the theatrical release of Part 2 with all of its additions, it would have been higher on this list if I had. Thanks to the kind folks at Rotterdam and Stefan Borsos for accepting my accreditation and helping me get access to this film. Merry Christmas (Sriram Raghavan, 2024) A Bollywood French New Wave movie by India’s premiere Francophile filmmaker. Exuding Godard’s warmth and Chabrol’s thrills with a wicked sense of humour. The thriller we needed, but didn’t deserve. Pariah Volume 1: Every Street Dog Has a Name (Tathagata Mukherjee, 2024) In equating animal rights with human rights, Tathagata Mukherjee emerges as our seminal political allegorist. What’s true for the dogs in this film is also true for humans in the real world. Bengali cinema finally has a rebel with a cause. Indian 2 (Shankar Shanmugham, 2024) Speaking of rebels with a cause, Kamal Hassan reunites with Shankar in the most misunderstood film of the year. The old man, Senapathy, is the Indian cinematic hero of 2024. Martyn Bamber Martyn Bamber has written for Senses of Cinema and is a contributor to the book: Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964–1999 10 favourite new release films from 2024 in the UK, listed in alphabetical order: All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh, 2023) All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia, 2024) Anora (Sean Baker, 2024) The Bikeriders (Jeff Nichols, 2023) Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes, Víctor Erice, 2023) Juror #2 (Clint Eastwood, 2024) Kaibutsu (Monster, Koreeda Hirokazu, 2023) Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii (Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, Radu Jude, 2023) Robot Dreams (Pablo Berger, 2023) The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer, 2023) Anora Jennifer Lynde Barker Professor of Animation and Film History at Bellarmine University, Louisville, USA Favorite films viewed in 2024 (new and old), organized in no particular order. Yoru no kawa (Night River, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, 1956) Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, 2023) La passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Taste of Things, Trần Anh Hùng, 2023) Epäonnistunut tyhjyys (Failed Emptiness, Mika Taanila, 2024) Slocum et moi (A Boat in the Garden, Jean-François Laguionie, 2024) Phool Ka Chand (Rhythm of a Flower, Amit Dutta, 2024) From Soup to Nuts (Edgar Kennedy and Leo McCarey, 1928) Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023) Kaibutsu (Monster, Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2023) Le bleu du caftan (The Blue Caftan, Maryam Touzani, 2022) Michael Bartlett Michael Bartlett writes on film and reviews film, TV and novels Ten Best Films Of The Year All Of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh, 2023) Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes, Víctor Erice, 2023) Eureka (Lisandro Alonso, 2023) Kaibutsu (Monster, Koreeda Hirokazu, 2023) Khers nist (No Bears, Jafar Panahi, 2022) Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka (The Boy and the Heron, Miyazaki Hiyao, 2023) The Plains (David Easteal, 2022) That They May Face The Rising Sun (Pat Collins, 2023) Yeohaengjaui pilyo (A Traveller’s Needs, Hong Sang-soo, 2024) The Zone Of Interest (Jonathan Glazer, 2023) Arta Barzanji Iranian filmmaker, critic and curator based in London Yeohaengjaui pilyo (A Traveler’s Needs, Hong Sang-soo, 2024) Miséricorde (Misericordia, Alain Guiraudie, 2024) Scénarios and Exposé du film annonce du film “Scénario” (Jean-Luc Godard, 2024) Anora (Sean Baker, 2024) All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia, 2024) Juror #2 (Clint Eastwood, 2024) Suyoocheon (By the Stream, Hong Sang-soo, 2024) Bogancloch (Ben Rivers, 2024) A Fidai Film (Kamal Aljafari, 2024) Qingchun: Gui (Youth (Homecoming), Wang Bing, 2024) Raphaël Bassan French Film critic for Bref, le magazine du court métrage and Europe, revue littéraire, and cofounder in 1971 of the Collectif Jeune Cinéma (the first French experimental filmmakers’ distribution cooperative) In no particular order. My list reflects the films that I enjoyed the most, that moved me the most, and that I remember. To give context and relevance to my selection, I limited myself to films that had a full theatrical release, in France in 2024. Films that have only been screened at festivals or other limited release are not included. I made an exception by including Guy Fichman’s film, Ultrarouge-infraviolet (1974), a great French experimental film of the 1970s, which focuses on trapping and restoring the “movement of colors”, which painters do not know how to do (see Fred Camper’s text). This film was screened at the Pompidou Center in November for the book launch of L’Histoire d’une Histoire du cinéma (The Story of a History of Cinema). This is the first retrospective of experimental cinema spearheaded by Peter Kubelka in 1974-75 in France. It constitutes the bulk of the Center’s film collection. À son image (In His Image, Thierry de Peretti, 2024) Averroès & Rosa Parks (At Averroès & Rosa Parks, Nicolas Philibert, 2024) Dahomey (Mati Diop, 2024) Direct Action (Guillaume Cailleau, Ben Russell, 2024) Une langue universelle (Universal Language, Matthew Rankin, 2024) Bushman (David Schickele, 1971) La Bella Estate (The Beautiful Summer, Laura Luchetti, 2023) Benediction (Terence Davies, 2021) Occupied City (Steve McQueen, 2023) Los Delincuentes (The Delinquents, Rodrigo Moreno, 2023) + Ultrarouge-Infraviolet (Guy Fihman, 1974) Sean Bell Pop Culture Blogger at Sex & the Eternal City Cinematic Highlights of 2024: 10 Films in the order I saw them. All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh, 2023) Haigh’s emotionally wrenching ghost story provoked numerous interpretations and demanded multiple viewings. Its message – to move on from the past and open yourself to the possibility of love – was universal but for a generation of queer men it spoke movingly of a nostalgia we hold for a past that never was. Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, 2023) In this gentle celebration of physical media, Wenders does not need to make his protagonist a budding artist or poet to show how literature, photography and music make an ordinary life extraordinary. Io Capitano (Matteo Garrone, 2023) Italian cinema got much deserved attention beyond the festival circuit in 2024, including this Oscar nominated odyssey from Garrone. As in the director’s most famous work, Gomorrah (2008), Io Capitano explores the criminal exploitation of youth but also weaves in the dark fantastical elements of his 2019 adaptation of Pinocchio to create a harrowing account of the refugee experience. Io Capitano Origin (Ava DuVernay, 2023) DuVernay described her bold, not quite documentary/not quite narrative film as a ‘biography’ of a book – Isabel Wilkerson’s extraordinary Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents – a dissection of America’s viciously entrenched racial caste system. Wilkerson is played by a luminous Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, whose resilience through a series of personal losses underlines the importance of human connection as a starting point in resisting the historic systems of persecution and dehumanisation used to subjugate. The atrocities recounted and depicted are distressing, but the film’s most devastating scene features a boy alone in a swimming pool in 1951. It’s simple cruelty has haunted me all year. Robot Dreams (Pablo Berger, 2023) As far as bittersweet endings go, Berger’s sweet animation of love and loss in 80s New York is right up there with Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977) and Past Lives (Celine Song, 2023). Whether Robot and Dog’s is a romantic relationship is a moot point but the lesson, that as we journey through life there are people who we will need to let go of, is universal. Earth Wind and Fire’s disco classic September will now forever remind me of this film, simultaneously bringing a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. La chimera (Alice Rohrwacher, 2023) Whimsical, poetic with an undercurrent of melancholy, many non-Italian viewers might not have appreciated that this story of grave-robbers plundering buried antiquities around Lazio is actually a thing. With this and Challengers (Luca Guadagnino, 2024), Josh O’Connor was the year’s breakout star, albeit one who makes interesting choices. C’è ancora domani (There’s Still Tomorrow, Paola Corttellesi, 2023) It is easy to see why this trumped Barbieheimer at the Italian box office last year. Cortellesi’s neorealism pastiche is a bona fide crowd pleaser, but a smart one. Cortellesi’s excellent self-directed performance gives weight to her character’s small acts of agency and the title is revealed to be less a reference to the Douglas Sirk melodrama as a quotidian statement of political reality. All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia, 2024) Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prize winner is dominating the end of year “best of” lists this year. I hope this doesn’t overburden the film with expectation, as its joys are quiet and subtle. In this gentle depiction of female friendship, in a teeming blue patriarchal Mumbai, a trip to the sea leads to an epiphany and the possibility of forgiveness. Conclave (Edward Berger, 2024) Every once in a while a talented director takes a popular (I am loath to say “airport”) novel and turns it into a truly great film. It is so with Berger’s adaptation of Robert Harris’s Conclave. Whether this is destined for The Godfather-like classic status remains to be seen, but this was one of the most engaging and enjoyable cinema experiences I have had in a long time. The distinguished cast are all in top form and the plot avoids the usual Vatican-set cliches to keep you guessing right up to its jaw dropping final twist. At its heart though, Conclave is an intelligent rumination on the relationship between leadership and ambition. Anora (Sean Baker, 2024) In 2024 Sean Baker attained full-on mainstream Palme D’or winning/Oscar front running success with this anti-Pretty Woman. Arguably, Anora is not his best film, but like The Florida Project (2017) and Tangerine (2015) it is a story of life on the fringes told with genuine empathy. Ani/Anora (Mikey Madison in a phenomenal star-making performance) has no romantic illusions about her marriage, she just wants to be respected for who she is and the spoiled Vanya to take some responsibility for their situation. Ani is a hero but also a damaged person who sees all relationships as transactional, managing them through the roles she plays. That’s not to say that she isn’t also searching for and deserving of love as the film’s unadorned, emotionally raw final scene testifies. Special Mentions: The Holdovers (Alexander Payne, 2023) – three terrific performances in a story of navigating loneliness at Christmas. This is destined to become a seasonal favourite. The Haka Party Incident (Katie Wolfe, 2024) – an often funny exploration of a pivotal moment in New Zealand race relations and Māori activism which couldn’t be more timely. Hard Truths (Mike Leigh, 2024) – a truly monumental performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste which is relentless, but never one-note, in a film about avoiding the hard truth of mental illness Malik Berkati Berlin-based Swiss journalist, film critic and political scientist Lists, top and flop charts aren’t really my thing. But, this yearly occasion is a chance for a personal and subjective take, something I don’t get to do as a film critic the rest of the year. Here are some films, from the thousand or so I’ve seen, that have resonated with me this year. They’re not necessarily the best in terms of technical aspects, performance, directing, or narrative. But, they’re the ones that have stayed with me, and that’s what counts! Čovjek koji nije mogao šutjeti (The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, Nebojša Slijepčević, 2024) Nebojša Slijepcevic’s The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent is only 14 minutes long, but it says more than all those films over two hours that occupy the screens of so-called feature films. The film takes place in February 1993. In Štrpci, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A passenger train is stopped by White Eagles paramilitary forces who are searching for non-Serb passengers. As they arrest Muslim Bosniak passengers, only one man out of the 500 train occupants stands up against them. You don’t need to be at war to know that being the first person to stand up and intervene in a dangerous or revolting situation is not easy. It’s always easy to judge after the fact, but who has never hesitated to intervene? Even on public transport, to prevent someone from being harassed? The question that always arises is this: what if several people stood up at the same time? Why is being passive en mass and the accompanying inertia (almost) always stronger? Why is the mob mentality, well known in violent actions, more difficult to mobilise when it comes to resisting or rebelling? This is what continues to resonate with us long after viewing the film. A Move (Elahe Esmaili, 2024) Also a short film, A Move (whose title could be interpreted as referring to a conscious and decisive action) not only echoes current events but resonates with the shared aspirations of a youth eager for freedom that is taken for granted in some parts of the world: the freedom to dress and present oneself as one wishes in public spaces. The death of a young woman from Iranian Kurdistan, Mahsa Amini, killed on 16 September 2022 by morality police officers for a supposedly improperly worn headscarf, shook the Iranian regime and society. The official slogan of the Iranian Republic: “Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic” was replaced in the country’s streets by the words of the Greater Kurdistan women’s movement: “Woman, Life, Freedom.˝ First chanted at her funeral, in her hometown of Saghez, they were quickly taken up during demonstrations in the Kurdish capital, Sanandaj, before being adapted in Farsi in Tehran and Mashhad. Since then, many women have gone out bareheaded in public spaces, despite the risks involved. A movement has begun. The filmmaker Elahe Esmaili is both a participant and a witness to this. With A Move, she stages another aspect of this struggle for the fundamental right to exercise one’s freedom of movement and representation, the one that takes place within the family circle in the broadest sense of the term. No Other Land (Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, 2024) Basel Adra, a Palestinian, and Yuval Abraham, an Israeli, chronicle the day-to-day situation of a village south of the occupied West Bank. Masafer Yatta, made up of several hamlets and caves, adapted for shelter when one of their houses is demolished by the Israelis. In a hilly region, the Palestinians are surrounded by settlements that are constantly expanding and encroaching on their land. Aided by the justice system and army – which has declared these lands as a military firing range – colonisation unfolds across the entire spectrum of ethnic cleansing methodologies. Starting with the daily provocations of the settlers, the weekly intrusion of army bulldozers that destroy homes, furniture, animal shelters, water sources, and even the school that was once opened by Tony Blair! Then there are the soldiers who sometimes kill community members who get in their way, soldiers armed to the teeth facing people who have only their raw anger to oppose them. Night raids invade homes to arbitrarily arrest a family member, or simply wake everyone up, to ransack the place and frighten the children. Nothing is left to chance in these raids. One of the most pernicious things in the film is the sequence where the army comes to destroy the school, while the children are there. A powerful film that has collected audience and official awards, including best documentary at the Berlinale and the European Film Academy. Cong jin yihou (All Shall Be Well, Ray Yeung, 2024) With Suk Suk (2019), Hong Kong director Ray Yeung had already explored the complexities of daily life within the gay community, particularly for older individuals. In his latest film, All Shall Be Well, Yeung plunges viewers into the emotional whirlwind of the lives of Angie and Pat, a lesbian couple who shared three decades of their lives in Hong Kong. The story begins after a family celebration of the Moon Festival, when the sudden death of Pat (Maggie Li Lin Lin) disrupts the tranquility of Angie, superbly portrayed by Patra Au Ga Man. As Angie navigates the painful loss of her partner, tensions arise within the family due to disagreements over funeral arrangements. The ceremony at the columbarium provides a poignant pivotal moment where Angie feels a growing sense of detachment from Pat’s family, foreshadowing the inheritance issues that will come to poison previously cordial relationships. Avoiding melodrama, the film skillfully moves through the intricacies of grief, family dynamics, and legal subtleties, adding touches of cinematic delicacy that accompany the emotional journey of Angie and the characters who shape the obstacles she must face. A poignant work that resonates beyond the boundaries of sexual orientation, offering a profound reflection on the human condition and the complexity of life. A Move Hannah Bonner Hannah Bonner is the author of Another Woman (EastOver Press 2024) Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii (Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, Radu Jude, 2023) Aku wa Sonzai Shinai (Evil Does Not Exist, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi 2023) Nickel Boys (RaMell Ross, 2024) L’été dernier (Last Summer, Catherine Breillat 2024) I Saw the TV Glow (Jane Schoenbrun, 2024) Bogancloch (Ben Rivers, 2024) Invention (Courtney Stephens, 2024) Al Dhakira al Khasba (Fertile Memory, Michel Khleifi 1981) Kiri no oto (Sound in the Mist, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1956) How To Run A Trotline (Carl Elsaesser, 2024) Nandana Bose Dr. Nandana Bose is an independent film scholar, author and former Associate Professor of Film Studies, based in India These are the most memorable films that I experienced in 2024, in no particular order: Kaibutsu (Monster, Koreeda Hirokazu, 2023) – thanks to the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) 2023 Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, 2023) – thanks to MUBI India Ullozhukku (Undercurrent, Christo Tomy, 2024) – an unusual, bold, sensitive film from the Malayalam industry, featuring two female central protagonists trapped in a flooded house, with riveting performances by Parvathy and Urvashi Manjummel Boys (Chidambaram Poduval, 2024) – yet another Malayalam thriller based on true events Anatomie d’une chute (Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet, 2023) – seen at the PIFF 2023 Kishkindha Kaandam (Kishkindha Chapter, Dinjith Ayyathan, 2024) – from the mighty Malayalam industry that is the most experimental filmmaking center in India, far surpassing the mediocrity and banality of Bollywood! Vaazhai (Mari Selvaraj, 2024) – outstanding cinematography and sound design, and brilliant performances in this devastating Tamil film based on true events While We Watched (Vinay Shukla, 2022) – this 2024 Peabody-winning documentary, that has finally been released on MUBI India, depicts the iconic prime-time Hindi TV journalist, Ravish Kumar’s struggle to speak truth to power in Modi’s India, as his channel NDTV India faces existential crises. Essential viewing for anyone interested in India’s steady decline as a democracy into the rabbit-hole of communalism and Islamophobia, authoritarianism and populist majoritarianism. A Road to a Village (Nabin Subba, 2023) – a rare gem of a film from Nepal! All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia, 2024) Honorable Mention for the most ‘fun’ theatrical experience: the record-breaking mega-blockbuster, Bollywood horror comedy, Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (Woman 2: Terror of the Headless, Amar Kaushik, 2024). Stephen Bowie Writer and researcher, The Classic TV History Blog Some standouts among the 431 features I watched during the first 51 weeks of 2024, in chronological order: The Cat and the Canary (Paul Leni, 1927) Johnny Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (Joe May, 1944) Winter Meeting (Bretaigne Windust, 1948) Daibutsu sama to kodomotachi (Children of the Great Buddha, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1952) Symphonie pour un massacre (Symphony for a Massacre, Jacques Deray, 1963) Si j’étais un espion (If I Were a Spy, Bertrand Blier, 1967) Hollywood 90028 (Christina Hornisher, 1973) Furenzoku satsujin jiken (Case of the Disjointed Murder, Chûsei Sone, 1977) Sûpâ gun redei Wani Bunsho (Super Gun Lady: Police Branch 82, Chûsei Sone, 1979) Sonatine (Micheline Lanctôt, 1984) Although the addition of Hornisher’s forgotten New Hollywood masterwork to the canon feels like the event of the year, Sone’s jaw-dropping multiplanar long takes and Blier’s rigorous Hitchcock pastiche are my favorite discoveries, in part because (vanity!) I’ve never seen anyone else take note of them. Crucially for both autonomy of curation (a dozen Poverty Row noirs; a staycation of French New Wave B sides; all the Rouben Mamoulians I hadn’t already seen; a holiday week of ’70s exploitation) and quality of experience, I screened all but two of these on disc (in high definition when available, and augmented with custom subtitles when necessary). Second to projected celluloid, optical media remains the only worthwhile option for taking in movies – one that we should all unite to protect against the transient murk that spills forth from the sewer of streaming. Anyone with a zillion bucks want to bring the video rental store back to New York City? Collin Brinkmann Wisconsin cinephile & writer Bên trong vo kén vàng (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, Phạm Thiên Ân, 2023) Napoleon: The Director’s Cut (Ridley Scott, 2024) Here (Robert Zemeckis, 2024) Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola, 2024) Juror #2 (Clint Eastwood, 2024) Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes, Víctor Erice, 2023) Goodrich (Hallie Meyers-Shyer, 2024) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (George Miller, 2024) The Old Oak (Ken Loach, 2023) Civil War (Alex Garland, 2024) Lisa K. Broad Director of Film Programming, Oklahoma City Museum of Art My favorite films (new and new-to-me) of the year were ones that felt bigger on the inside than on the outside – where intimate spaces, small gestures, significant objects, and unseen encounters briefly held the center of vast and detailed cinematic worlds. Thanks to the filmmakers, distributors, restorers, programmers, and projectionists who brought them to theaters and screens. All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia, 2024) Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point (Tyler Taormina, 2024) Grand Tour (Miguel Gomes, 2024) Ohara Shôsuke-san (Mr. Shosuke Ohara, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1949) on 16mm! Ohikkoshi (Moving, Shinji Sōmai, 1993) Qing chun (Ku) (Youth (Hard Times), Wang Bing, 2024) The Shrouds (David Cronenberg, 2024) Suyoocheon (By the Stream, Hong Sang-soo, 2024) Toute une nuit (A Whole Night, Chantal Akerman, 1982) Wu suo zhu (Abiding Nowhere, Tsai Ming-liang, 2024) By the Stream Samantha Broadhead Professor Samantha Broadhead is the Head of Research at Leeds Arts University, UK. Interested in the fabric of film It has been an exceptional year for the horror genre, leading to a rich pool of films to choose from. My selection strategy has been to identify ten that exemplify persistent themes. The first three offerings include two from Yorkshire, England, that are set in nature. The sounds and textures of earth, trees and plants are important backdrops to stories about grief, loss and dread. The other films selected often reveal an anxiety and awkwardness about the female body that often is associated with something monstrous. A final thread that runs through many of the chosen films is a discomfort with religion and spiritual belief. In a Violent Nature (Chris Nash, 2024) is a Canadian slasher film. The majority of the shots come from a disquieting point of view, its not quite the killer’s perspective but as if we, the viewers, are following him. The methodical crunching of the leaves as the killer (Johnny) walks through the woods lulls the viewer into a false sense of security. The birdsong and gentle pace of nature is contrasted with horrific acts of violence, as seen in the infamous yoga kill. The long and enigmatic ending is where the final girl appears to have escaped by getting a lift from a middle-aged female, a “good Samaritan” driving a pickup truck. As an audience, we are left wondering: Has she survived? Is her saviour true? Will the killer somehow find her? Finally, the status quo has been re-established as Johnny gets his stolen locket back. It is a perfectly structured slasher that has a quiet freshness to it. The Moor (Chris Cronin, 2024) is a British mystery horror drama film. A horror set in Yorkshire that combines nature, loss and the supernatural. The mysterious and eerie moor, shrouded in fog, is the backdrop as the two protagonists search (with the help of a psychic) for the body of Danny, a little boy who has been murdered by a serial killer. Many aspects of this film suggest it could be read as a contemporary folk horror. Ritual, ancient rune carvings and the power of the squelching marshland mark the sense of place that is the Yorkshire Moors. Starve Acre (Daniel Kokotajlo, 2023) a British folk horror film that deals with very similar themes to The Moor and is also set in Yorkshire. A couple’s grief raises a hare from the dead, who is a manifestation of the malevolent spirit Jack Grey. They care for the hare as if it was their own baby, replacing their dead son. But there is a cost the couple must pay so that bloody sacrifice can be exchanged for joy. The Substance (Coralie Fargeat, 2024) is a satirical body horror film. Demi Moore gives a generous performance as she exposes her body to the unrelenting camera’s eye. Patriarchy in the entertainment business is seen to create anxiety and misery over body image leading to an extreme fear of aging. Science seems to offer a solution, but it actually leads to a more monstrous body. In other words, the more desperate we are to attain youth and perfection the more unobtainable they become. Smile 2 (Parker Finn, 2024) the American psychological supernatural horror film is a sequel to Smile (Parker Finn, 2022). Like The Substance, this film is a critique of celebrity and fame. Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), an international pop star, seems to have it all. But she is actually grieving the loss of her partner and is quite isolated, having few friends she can count on. This vulnerability means she has to face the eponymous ‘Smile’ alone. This sequel has some very creepy moments, such as when Skye is trapped in her apartment with a myriad of leering fans, chasing her in unison akin to a choreographed pack of ghouls. Immaculate (Michael Mohan, 2024) is an American psychological horror film that presents another form of anxiety over the female body. This time it is about reproduction. It marks the continuing importance of Catholicism and its iconography in horror films. Cecelia, a young nun, joins a remote convent in Italy. Subsequently, she becomes mysteriously pregnant and the other nuns believe she is carrying a new saviour. But, all is not as it seems and it is revealed that the unscrupulous intervention of science creates monsters. The First Omen (Arkasha Stevenson, 2024) an American supernatural horror film that also focuses on nuns and reproduction. Many plot lines are similar to those in Immaculate, as if both films are responding to something in the zeitgeist. At the same time, this film is a gratifying continuation of the ‘Omen’ narrative. Margaret, a novice nun, travels from America to join the Vizzardeli Orphanage in Rome. She eventually becomes pregnant and brought to Italy to be a vessel of the Antichrist. Having given birth to twins, the church takes the boy (Damien) and leaves Margaret and her daughter to burn with ‘the beast’. The First Omen and Immaculate suggest that some women lose control over their bodies when they are co-opted by patriarchal institutions. Heretic (Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, 2024) is an unusual American psychological horror film. Two Mormon missionaries, against their better judgment, are enticed into the home of a manipulative recluse adeptly played by Hugh Grant. He is able to metaphorically tie the two girls up in knots, playing on their social awkwardness and desire to be polite. The viewer squirms at the girls’ discomfort as they feel unable to leave the recluse’s ominous lair. Longlegs (Osgood Perkins, 2024) is an American police procedural horror film. The formalism of Perkins is incredibly striking. The opening sequence reveals a white house set against the palest sky and the crispest snow. It is in this cold and bleached setting that a little girl first sees the whitened hair, clothes and skin of Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). His face is cropped so we only see his anaemic lips, reminding us we never see the whole picture, both as a child and as a spectator of mysteries. Brandon Bui Sometimes-cinephile, Canada Scénarios (Jean-Luc Godard, 2024) Drama 1882 (Wael Shawky, 2024) Feng liu yi dai (Caught by the Tides, Jia Zhang-ke, 2024) Being John Smith (John Smith, 2024) The Shrouds (David Cronenberg, 2024) exergue – on documenta 14 (Dimitris Athyridis, 2024) Archipelago of Earthen Bones — To Bunya (Malena Szlam, 2024) Miséricorde (Misericordia, Alain Guiraudie, 2024) Mineur Mineur (Bertille Bak, 2022) We Began by Measuring Distance (Basma Alsharif, 2009)