The Cinema Canon
All Lists & Awards
From the world's critics' polls to national film academies, Cannes to TSPDT — the 33 most prestigious film canons in one place.
33 lists · 2722 matched films
TSPDT — The 1,000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures Don't They — a constantly updated meta-list aggregated from hundreds of critic polls
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
The book canon — chronological tour of cinema essentials from Le voyage dans la lune (1902) to today
IMDb Top 250
The world's largest film database's user-voted ranking — the popular canon
Roger Ebert's Great Movies
Roger Ebert's lifelong 'Great Movies' essays — the canon of America's most beloved film critic
Letterboxd Top 250 Narrative Films
Letterboxd's user-voted + curated 250 best narrative feature films — the modern cinephile canon
Sight & Sound — Critics' Poll 2022
The BFI's once-per-decade critics' canon. The 2022 poll crowned Akerman's Jeanne Dielman as the greatest of all time.
U.S. National Film Registry
Films deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' by the U.S. Library of Congress
NYT — The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made
The New York Times film critics' 2002-2004 canon — the Anglo-American 1000
Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time
Empire magazine's reader + critic poll — where popular and arthouse canons meet
Sight & Sound — Directors' Poll 2022
The world's leading directors' all-time greatest. Distinct from the critics' choices — heavier on form-defining masterpieces.
Time Out's 100 Best Films of All Time
Time Out's poll of world-renowned critics and filmmakers — a ranked 100
AFI's 10 Top 10 — Genre Pinnacles
AFI's top 10 in 10 genres (Drama, Comedy, Western, Musical, etc.) — 100 films total
Criterion Collection — Top Spine
The first 100 spine numbers of the Criterion Collection — curated foundations of world cinema
AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies (2007)
The American Film Institute's 10th anniversary list — Citizen Kane still #1, Hollywood's canonical 100
Palme d'Or Winners
Films that won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival
Oscar Best Picture
Winners of the Academy Award for Best Picture
Cannes — Grand Prix
Cannes Film Festival's second-highest prize after the Palme d'Or
BAFTA Award for Best Film
British Academy of Film and Television Arts — Best Film
National Film Award for Best Feature (India)
The Government of India's Best Feature Film award
David di Donatello for Best Film (Italy)
Italy's highest national film prize
Golden Lion (Venice)
Masterpieces awarded at the Venice International Film Festival
Altın Portakal — Best Film (Antalya)
Best Film winners of the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival since 1964
Golden Bear (Berlinale)
The highest honor at the Berlin International Film Festival
Golden Leopard (Locarno)
Top prize at the Locarno Film Festival — a sanctuary for independent cinema
César — Best Film (France)
Annual winners of French cinema's highest honor
Ariel Award — Best Picture (Mexico)
The Mexican Academy's Best Picture award
Cannes — Jury Prize
Cannes jury's special prize — often to bold new voices
Sundance — Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic)
Sundance Film Festival's U.S. Dramatic Competition top prize
Goya — Best Film (Spain)
The Spanish Film Academy's Best Film award
Japan Academy — Picture of the Year
Japan Academy Film Prize for Picture of the Year
Blue Dragon — Best Film (South Korea)
South Korea's most prestigious annual film award
Crystal Simorgh — Best Film (Fajr)
Best Film at the Fajr Film Festival — Iran's top stage
Independent Spirit Award for Best Film
The top annual honor of American independent cinema