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The Best French Films of All Time

From Méliès to the New Wave to today's Palme winners: French cinema ranked by our composite score across the world's canons.

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) leads with a composite score of 5.26. Top 100 of 772 films in our library.

  1. 1
    Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles1975 · Chantal Akerman · Belgium / France · drama
    5.26

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #4 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1978 #1

  2. 2
    The 400 Blows1959 · François Truffaut · France · drama, crime
    4.04

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #33 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #50 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1959 #5

  3. 3
    Breathless1960 · Jean-Luc Godard · France · drama, crime
    3.95

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #14 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #38 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1960 #3

  4. 4
    The Wages of Fear1953 · Henri-Georges Clouzot · France / Italy · drama, adventure
    3.63

    Palme d'Or winner 1953 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1955 · Berlin Golden Bear winner 1953

  5. 5
    Forbidden Games1952 · René Clément · France · war, drama
    3.46

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1954 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1953 #1 · Venice Golden Lion winner 1952

  6. 6
    Amour2012 · Michael Haneke · France / Germany / Austria · drama
    3.39

    Palme d'Or winner 2012 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2013 #1 · César Best Film winner 2013

  7. 7
    A Man Escaped1956 · Robert Bresson · France · drama, documentary, war
    3.35

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1956 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #41 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #95

  8. 8
    Anatomy of a Fall2023 · Justine Triet · France · thriller, crime, drama
    3.33

    Palme d'Or winner 2023 · César Best Film winner 2024 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2023 #3

  9. 9
    Au Hasard Balthazar1966 · Robert Bresson · Sweden / France · drama, crime
    3.29

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1966 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #25 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #37

  10. 10
    Day for Night1973 · François Truffaut · France / Italy · drama, comedy
    3.25

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1974 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1974 #3 · Siskel's annual top 10 1974 #1

  11. 11
    Beau Travail1999 · Claire Denis · France · drama
    3.23

    Film Comment year-end poll 2000 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #7 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #14

  12. 12
    Shoah1985 · Claude Lanzmann · France · documentary
    3.18

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #27 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1985 #1 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1989 #1

  13. 13
    Vagabond1985 · Agnès Varda · France · drama
    3.12

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1985 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #41 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #101

  14. 14
    Contempt1963 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · drama
    3.00

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1963 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #54

  15. 15
    Last Year at Marienbad1961 · Alain Resnais · France / Italy / Germany · drama
    2.91

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1961 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #169

  16. 16
    The Child2005 · Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne · Belgium / France · drama
    2.89

    Palme d'Or winner 2005 · Film Comment year-end poll 2006 #4 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2005 #4

  17. 17
    The Green Ray1986 · Éric Rohmer · France · romance, drama
    2.88

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1986 #1 · Venice Golden Lion winner 1986 · Sarris's annual top 10 1986 #1

  18. 18
    L'Argent1983 · Robert Bresson · France · drama, crime
    2.83

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1983 #1 · Kehr's annual top 10 1984 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72

  19. 19
    Belle de Jour1967 · Luis Buñuel · France / Italy · drama
    2.82

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1967 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1968 #1

  20. 20
    The Image Book2018 · Jean-Luc Godard · Switzerland / France · documentary
    2.74

    Palme d'Or winner 2018 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2019 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2019 #18

  21. 21
    Z1969 · Costa-Gavras · France · drama, thriller
    2.72

    Ebert's annual top 10 1969 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1970 #3 · Siskel's annual top 10 1969 #1

  22. 22
    The Long Absence1961 · Henri Colpi · France · drama
    2.68

    Palme d'Or winner 1961 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #1 · Kurosawa's 100 favorite films

  23. 23
    La Belle Noiseuse1991 · Jacques Rivette · France / Switzerland · drama
    2.67

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1992 #1 · Cannes Grand Prix winner 1991 · Kehr's annual top 10 1992 #2

  24. 24
    Under the Sun of Satan1987 · Maurice Pialat · France · drama
    2.64

    Palme d'Or winner 1987 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1987 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1989 #10

  25. 25
    The Passion of Joan of Arc1928 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · France · drama, silent
    2.62

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #21 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #30 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1929 #7

  26. 26
    Amélie2001 · Jean-Pierre Jeunet · France / Germany · comedy, romance, drama
    2.58

    César Best Film winner 2002 · TIFF People's Choice winner 2001 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2001 #6

  27. 27
    The Mother and the Whore1973 · Jean Eustache · France · comedy, drama
    2.58

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 1973 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #104

  28. 28
    La Grande Illusion1937 · Jean Renoir · France · drama
    2.53

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1949 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1938 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #146

  29. 29
    Blue Is the Warmest Colour2013 · Abdellatif Kechiche · France / Belgium / Spain · drama, romance
    2.43

    Palme d'Or winner 2013 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2013 #3 · Film Comment year-end poll 2013 #12

  30. 30
    Au revoir les enfants1987 · Louis Malle · France / Italy / Germany · drama, war
    2.43

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1987 · César Best Film winner 1988 · Vatican film list

  31. 31
    À Nos Amours1983 · Maurice Pialat · France · drama
    2.41

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1983 #1 · César Best Film winner 1984 · Sarris's annual top 10 1984 #2

  32. 32
    The Rules of the Game1939 · Jean Renoir · France · drama, romance
    2.38

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #13 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #38 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films

  33. 33
    The Artist2011 · Michel Hazanavicius · France / Belgium · comedy, romance, drama
    2.35

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2011 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2012 · César Best Film winner 2012

  34. 34
    Justice Is Done1950 · André Cayatte · France · drama
    2.33

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1951 · Venice Golden Lion winner 1950 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1954 #7

  35. 35
    My Life to Live1962 · Jean-Luc Godard · France · drama
    2.32

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1962 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1963 #5

  36. 36
    Hiroshima mon amour1959 · Alain Resnais · France / Japan · drama, romance
    2.31

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1959 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1960 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #169

  37. 37
    Playtime1967 · Jacques Tati · France / Italy · comedy, drama
    2.28

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #23 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #41 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #5

  38. 38
    The Sacrifice1986 · Andrei Tarkovsky · Sweden / France / United Kingdom · drama
    2.26

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 1986 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1986 #2 · Kehr's annual top 10 1986 #2

  39. 39
    A Prophet2009 · Jacques Audiard · France / Italy · drama, crime, thriller
    2.25

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 2009 · César Best Film winner 2010 · Film Comment year-end poll 2010 #5

  40. 40
    Army of Shadows1969 · Jean-Pierre Melville · France / Italy · drama, war
    2.21

    Film Comment year-end poll 2006 #3 · Sarris's annual top 10 2006 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #211

  41. 41
    The Umbrellas of Cherbourg1964 · Jacques Demy · France / West Germany · musical, romance, drama
    2.21

    Palme d'Or winner 1964 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #122 · Criterion Collection spine #716

  42. 42
    Children of Paradise1945 · Marcel Carné · France · romance, drama
    2.19

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1952 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #136 · TIME All-TIME 100

  43. 43
    The Cousins1959 · Claude Chabrol, Philippe de Broca · France · drama
    2.15

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1959 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1959 #4 · Sarris's annual top 10 1959 #4

  44. 44
    Claire's Knee1970 · Éric Rohmer · France · drama, romance, comedy
    2.14

    San Sebastián Golden Shell winner 1971 · Siskel's annual top 10 1971 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1971 #2

  45. 45
    Rosetta1999 · Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne · Belgium / France · drama
    2.14

    Palme d'Or winner 1999 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1999 #4 · Criterion Collection spine #621

  46. 46
    Pierrot le Fou1965 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · romance, drama, comedy
    2.13

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #85 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1967 #5

  47. 47
    The River1951 · Jean Renoir · United States / France · drama, romance
    2.12

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1951 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1952 #4 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #185

  48. 48
    My American Uncle1980 · Alain Resnais · France · drama
    2.06

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 1980 · TIME All-TIME 100 · Sarris's annual top 10 1980 #3

  49. 49
    Bande à part1964 · Jean-Luc Godard · France · crime, romance, drama
    2.05

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1964 #1 · TIME All-TIME 100 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films

  50. 50
    A Man and a Woman1966 · Claude Lelouch · France · drama, romance
    2.05

    Palme d'Or winner 1966 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1966 #5 · Criterion Collection spine #1304

  51. 51
    Pickpocket1959 · Robert Bresson · France · drama, crime
    2.02

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #93 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1959 #4 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #136

  52. 52
    Jules and Jim1962 · François Truffaut · France · romance, drama
    2.01

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1962 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #2 · Empire 500 (2008) #338

  53. 53
    Gervaise1956 · René Clément · France / Italy · drama
    2.00

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1957 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1956 #1

  54. 54
    Portrait of a Lady on Fire2019 · Céline Sciamma · France · drama, romance
    2.00

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #30 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2020 #3 · Letterboxd Top 250 #49

  55. 55
    Lacombe, Lucien1974 · Louis Malle · France / Italy · drama, war, romance
    1.99

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1975 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1975 #7 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  56. 56
    The Silent World1956 · Jacques Cousteau, Louis Malle · France / Italy · documentary
    1.97

    Palme d'Or winner 1956 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1956 #9 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  57. 57
    La Cérémonie1995 · Claude Chabrol · France / Germany · drama
    1.96

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1995 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1996 #1 · Kehr's annual top 10 1996 #3

  58. 58
    Weekend1967 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · comedy, drama
    1.96

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #3 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1969 #4 · Ebert's annual top 10 1969 #3

  59. 59
    The Damned1947 · René Clément · France · drama
    1.93

    Palme d'Or winner 1947 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1948 #4

  60. 60
    Thérèse1986 · Alain Cavalier · France · drama, biography
    1.92

    César Best Film winner 1987 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1986 #7 · Sarris's annual top 10 1986 #3

  61. 61
    Elle2016 · Paul Verhoeven · France / Germany / Belgium · thriller
    1.88

    César Best Film winner 2017 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2016 #2 · Film Comment year-end poll 2016 #3

  62. 62
    Cyrano de Bergerac1990 · Jean-Paul Rappeneau · France · romance, drama, comedy
    1.86

    César Best Film winner 1991 · TIFF People's Choice winner 1990 · Empire 500 (2008) #143

  63. 63
    Cléo from 5 to 71962 · Agnès Varda · France / Italy · drama
    1.81

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #14 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · Criterion Collection spine #73

  64. 64
    The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie1972 · Luis Buñuel · France / Italy / Spain · drama, comedy, fantasy
    1.80

    Sarris's annual top 10 1972 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1974 #6 · TIME All-TIME 100

  65. 65
    The Class2008 · Laurent Cantet · France · drama, comedy
    1.76

    Palme d'Or winner 2008 · Film Comment year-end poll 2008 #13

  66. 66
    Synonyms2019 · Nadav Lapid · France / Israel / Germany · drama
    1.75

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 2019 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2019 #3 · Film Comment year-end poll 2019 #15

  67. 67
    BPM (Beats per Minute)2017 · Robin Campillo · France · drama
    1.73

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 2017 · César Best Film winner 2018 · Film Comment year-end poll 2017 #19

  68. 68
    La Haine1995 · Mathieu Kassovitz · France · drama, crime
    1.73

    César Best Film winner 1996 · Letterboxd Top 250 #21 · Empire 500 (2008) #170

  69. 69
    Titane2021 · Julia Ducournau · France / Belgium · drama, horror
    1.73

    Palme d'Or winner 2021 · Film Comment year-end poll 2021 #20

  70. 70
    Shoot the Piano Player1960 · François Truffaut · France · film-noir, drama, crime
    1.70

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1960 #4 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1963 #9 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films

  71. 71
    Of Gods and Men2010 · Xavier Beauvois · France · drama, war
    1.70

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 2010 · César Best Film winner 2011 · Film Comment year-end poll 2011 #34

  72. 72
    Too Beautiful for You1989 · Bertrand Blier · France · comedy, drama
    1.69

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 1989 · César Best Film winner 1990 · Siskel's annual top 10 1990 #5

  73. 73
    Jean de Florette1986 · Claude Berri · France / Italy / Switzerland · drama
    1.68

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1988 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1988 #9 · Siskel's annual top 10 1987 #4

  74. 74
    Dheepan2015 · Jacques Audiard · France · drama, crime
    1.66

    Palme d'Or winner 2015 · Criterion Collection spine #871

  75. 75
    Alphaville1965 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · sci-fi, drama, crime
    1.66

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1965 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #5 · Criterion Collection spine #25

  76. 76
    That Obscure Object of Desire1977 · Luis Buñuel · France / Spain · comedy, drama
    1.66

    Sarris's annual top 10 1977 #1 · Kehr's annual top 10 1978 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1984 #10

  77. 77
    Providence1977 · Alain Resnais · France / Switzerland · drama
    1.64

    César Best Film winner 1978 · Ebert's annual top 10 1977 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1979 #10

  78. 78
    Manon1950 · Henri-Georges Clouzot · France · romance, drama, crime
    1.63

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1949 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1950 #2

  79. 79
    Mon Oncle1958 · Jacques Tati · France / Italy · comedy
    1.63

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1958 #2 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1958 #8 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  80. 80
    Holy Motors2012 · Leos Carax · France / Germany · drama, fantasy
    1.61

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2012 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2012 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2013 #6

  81. 81
    A Room in Town1982 · Jacques Demy · France / Italy · musical, drama
    1.59

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1982 #1 · Kehr's annual top 10 1983 #2 · Criterion Collection spine #719

  82. 82
    Three Colours: Blue1993 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · France / Poland / Switzerland · drama
    1.56

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1993 · Criterion Collection spine #588 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1994 #9

  83. 83
    Emilia Pérez2024 · Jacques Audiard · France · musical, comedy, crime
    1.56

    César Best Film winner 2025 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2024 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2025 #6

  84. 84
    L'Atalante1934 · Jean Vigo · France · drama, romance
    1.54

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #34 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  85. 85
    Sans Soleil1983 · Chris Marker · France · documentary
    1.52

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #59 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1989 #3

  86. 86
    Lady Chatterley2006 · Pascale Ferran · France / United Kingdom / Belgium · drama
    1.51

    César Best Film winner 2007 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2006 #4 · Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #7

  87. 87
    Wild Reeds1994 · André Téchiné · France · drama
    1.51

    César Best Film winner 1995 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1994 #4 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  88. 88
    La Symphonie Pastorale1946 · Jean Delannoy · France · drama
    1.50

    Palme d'Or winner 1946

  89. 89
    Antoine and Antoinette1947 · Jacques Becker · France · comedy, drama, romance
    1.50

    Palme d'Or winner 1947

  90. 90
    The Aviator's Wife1981 · Éric Rohmer · France · comedy, drama
    1.50

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1981 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1981 #1 · Kehr's annual top 10 1982 #null

  91. 91
    First Name: Carmen1983 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Switzerland · drama
    1.50

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1983 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1984 #3

  92. 92
    Dahomey2024 · Mati Diop · France / Senegal / Benin · documentary
    1.50

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 2024 · Film Comment year-end poll 2024 #3

  93. 93
    La Ronde1950 · Max Ophüls · France · drama, comedy, romance
    1.47

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1952 · Sarris's annual top 10 1969 #5 · Criterion Collection spine #443

  94. 94
    Beauty and the Beast1946 · Jean Cocteau, René Clément · France · fantasy, drama
    1.45

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1948 #6 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films · Empire 500 (2008) #292

  95. 95
    Annette2021 · Leos Carax · France / Germany / Belgium · musical
    1.45

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2021 #2 · Film Comment year-end poll 2021 #4 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2022 #5

  96. 96
    My Night at Maud's1969 · Éric Rohmer · France · drama
    1.43

    Siskel's annual top 10 1970 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1970 #2 · Ebert's annual top 10 1970 #6

  97. 97
    Tomorrow Is My Turn1960 · André Cayatte · France / Germany / Italy · romance, drama
    1.39

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1960 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1961 #5

  98. 98
    Pacifiction2022 · Albert Serra · Spain / France / Germany · drama, thriller
    1.39

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2022 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2023 #5

  99. 99
    Lola1961 · Jacques Demy · France / Italy · drama, romance
    1.38

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1961 #1 · Criterion Collection spine #714 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  100. 100
    Happiness1965 · Agnès Varda · France · drama
    1.36

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1966 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #152 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #10

The other founding cinema

France has a plausible claim to having invented the movies twice: once in 1895, when the Lumière brothers held the first paid public screening, and again in 1902, when Georges Méliès — a magician who saw the Lumières' machine and immediately understood it was a trick box — made A Trip to the Moon and gave cinema fantasy, effects and narrative showmanship. From that origin, French film history runs as a continuous argument between realism and artifice: Renoir's humanist camera against Méliès' painted moons, the New Wave's street shooting against the "cinema of quality" it overthrew.

Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game (1939) is the keystone. Booed at its premiere, cut, banned by the Vichy government as demoralizing, its negative destroyed in an Allied bombing raid — then reconstructed in the 1950s and elevated by critics until it spent half a century in the top five of the Sight & Sound poll. No film better demonstrates that canonical standing is made over time by institutions, restorations and polls, which is precisely what a composite score measures. Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), shot in France with a French cast, belongs to the same tier: silent cinema's most intense achievement, nearly lost to fire, rediscovered — famously — in the closet of a Norwegian mental institution in 1981.

The New Wave and its long afterlife

The 1958–1968 explosion gets its own page on this site, but its gravitational pull on this list is unmissable: Truffaut's The 400 Blows, Godard's Breathless, Varda's Cléo from 5 to 7 and Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg remade world cinema's idea of what a film could cost, look like and be about. The tradition they founded — director-driven, festival-launched, state-supported through the CNC's avance sur recettes system — is why France has remained the world's most reliable producer of canonical cinema per capita: Resnais' Hiroshima Mon Amour topping Cahiers' 1959 list, Haneke's Paris-set Amour taking the 2012 Palme, Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) entering the Sight & Sound top 30 at its first eligible poll, and Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall (2023) winning the Palme and cracking the Oscars' top categories. The pipeline from Méliès to Triet has never actually broken — this page is its measurement.