Film Comment Announces 2017 Best-of-Year Lists

Film Comment's annual end-of-year survey was released today with Josh and Benny Safdie's Good Time, Terence Davies's A Quiet Passion, and Olivier Assayas's Personal Shopper taking the top spots among films released in 2017. Of the films that screened at festivals worldwide but have not announced stateside distribution, Pedro Pinho's The Nothing Factory, Sergei Loznitsa's A Gentle Creature, and Heinz Emigholz's Streetscapes [Dialogue] received the top rankings.

The 2017 poll participants are all Film Comment contributors from the past year and include Ina Archer (The Smithsonian), Margaret Barton-Fumo (FC columnist), Ela Bittencourt (Brazil-based programmer), Andrew Chan (The Criterion Collection), Ashley Clark (BAMcinématek), Nick Davis (FC contributing editor; Northwestern University), Nicholas Elliott (Cahiers du Cinéma, BOMB), Molly Haskell, J. Hoberman (The New York Times), Eric Hynes (FC columnist and Museum of the Moving Image associate curator), Kristin M. Jones (The Wall Street Journal), Nellie Killian (programmer and FC contributing editor), Aliza Ma (Metrograph), Farran Smith Nehme (FC columnist), Sheila O'Malley (RogerEbert.com), Nick Pinkerton, Jonathan Romney (FC contributing editor), Jonathan Rosenbaum, Amy Taubin (FC and Artforum contributing editor), and Manu Yáñez Murillo (Otros Cines Europa).

Additionally, this week's Film Comment podcast features a lively discussion of the poll results with Editor-in-Chief Nicolas Rapold, Digital Producer Violet Lucca, and FSLC Director of Editorial and Creative Strategy Michael Koresky.

Film Comment's Top 10 Films Released in 2017:

1. Good Time Josh and Benny Safdie, USA
2. A Quiet Passion Terence Davies, U.K./Belgium
3. Personal Shopper Olivier Assayas, France
4. Get Out Jordan Peele, USA
5. Nocturama Bertrand Bonello, France
6. Ex Libris: The New York Public Library Frederick Wiseman, USA
7. The Death of Louis XIV Albert Serra, France/Portugal/Spain
8. Faces Places Agnès Varda and JR, France
9. The Lost City of Z James Gray, USA
10. Lady Bird Greta Gerwig, USA

Film Comment's survey also ranks films that have screened and made notable appearances at festivals throughout the year, but remain without U.S. distribution at press time.

Film Comment's Top 10 Unreleased Films of 2017:

1. The Nothing Factory Pedro Pinho, Portugal
2. A Gentle Creature Sergei Loznitsa, France/Germany/Lithuania/The Netherlands
3. Streetscapes [Dialogue] Heinz Emigholz, Germany
4. Milla Valérie Massadian, France
5. Tonsler Park Kevin Jerome Everson, USA
6. Mrs. Fang Wang Bing, France/China/Germany
7. Spoor Agnieszka Holland and Kasia Adamik, Poland/Germany/Czech Republic
8. Le Fort des fous Narimane Mari, France/Algeria/Greece/Germany/Qatar
9. 3/4 Ilian Metev, Bulgaria
10. The Venerable W. Barbet Schroeder, France/Switzerland

"Out of the hundreds of movies released in 2017, our esteemed contributors have distilled the year into an energized and energizing lineup of essential films," said Editor-in-Chief Nicolas Rapold. "This selection reflects Film Comment's love for the art and craft of cinema in its many forms, ranging from first-time filmmakers to 43rd-timers. Not to mention film's many seasons: the top five all opened before the traditional fall frenzy of releases. Read all about it in Film Comment."

The complete list of films and participants can be found on FilmComment.com, on the Film Comment app, and in the January/February issue, which hits newsstands the second week of January-pre-order the issue or subscribe today.

THE FILM COMMENT BEST OF 2017: THE COMPLETE LIST OF TOP 20 TITLES

RELEASED IN 2017

1. Good Time Josh and Benny Safdie, USA
2. A Quiet Passion Terence Davies, U.K./Belgium
3. Personal Shopper Olivier Assayas, France
4. Get Out Jordan Peele, USA
5. Nocturama Bertrand Bonello, France
6. Ex Libris: The New York Public Library Frederick Wiseman, USA
7. The Death of Louis XIV Albert Serra, France/Portugal/Spain
8. Faces Places Agnès Varda and JR, France
9. The Lost City of Z James Gray, USA
10. Lady Bird Greta Gerwig, USA

Rankings #11-20
11. The Human Surge Eduardo Williams, Argentina
12. The Other Side of Hope Aki Kaurismäki, Finland
13. The Florida Project Sean Baker, USA
14. Dawson City: Frozen Time Bill Morrison, USA
15. Phantom Thread Paul Thomas Anderson, USA
16. On the Beach at Night Alone Hong Sangsoo, South Korea
17. Wonderstruck Todd Haynes, USA
18. Mudbound Dee Rees, USA
19. BPM: Beats Per Minute Robin Campillo, France
20. THE SQUARE Ruben Östlund, Sweden

FILMS WITHOUT DISTRIBUTION IN 2017

1. The Nothing Factory Pedro Pinho, Portugal
2. A Gentle Creature Sergei Loznitsa, France/Germany/Lithuania/The Netherlands
3. Streetscapes [Dialogue] Heinz Emigholz, Germany
4. Milla Valérie Massadian, France
5. Tonsler Park Kevin Jerome Everson, USA
6. Mrs. Fang Wang Bing, France/China/Germany
7. Spoor Agnieszka Holland and Kasia Adamik, Poland/Germany/Czech Republic
8. Le Fort des fous Narimane Mari, France/Algeria/Greece/Germany/Qatar
9. 3/4 Ilian Metev, Bulgaria
10. The Venerable W. Barbet Schroeder, France/Switzerland

Rankings #11-20
11. Golden Exits Alex Ross Perry, USA
12. Mrs. Hyde Serge Bozon, France
13. The Wandering Soap Opera Raúl Ruiz & Valeria Sarmiento, Chile
14. Life and Nothing More Antonio Méndez Esparza, Spain/USA
15. Until the Birds Return Karim Moussaoui, France/Algeria/Germany
16. Good Luck Ben Russell, France/Germany
17. Distant Constellation Shevaun Mizrahi, Turkey/USA
18. The Quartet (Elohim, Abaton, Coda, Ode) Nathaniel Dorsky, USA
19. Drift Helena Wittmann, Germany
20. Untitled Matthew Glawogger & Monika Willi, Austria

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