Year-End Lists

Marya E. Gates: Favorite Fifteen Films of 2020

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Driveways
   Andrew Ahn
2. Emma.
   Autumn de Wilde
3. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
4. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
   George C. Wolfe
5. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
6. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
   Charlie Kaufman
7. What Did Jack Do?
   David Lynch
8. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
9. Eurovision
   David Dobkin
10. Dick Johnson Is Dead
    Kirsten Johnson
11. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
12. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
13. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee
14. Monsoon
    Hong Khaou
15. The Assistant
    Kitty Green

Jason Shawhan: The 10 Best Films of 2020, as published by Nashville Scene

1. Possessor
   Brandon Cronenberg
2. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
3. She Dies Tomorrow
   Amy Seimetz
4. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
5. Bacurau
   Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
6. Vitalina Varela
   Pedro Costa
7. After Midnight
   Jeremy Gardner and Christian Stella
8. David Byrne's American Utopia
   Spike Lee
9. Zombi Child
   Bertrand Bonello
10. Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan
    Hitesh Kewalya

Honorable Mention

• And Then We Danced
  Levan Akin
• Ask Any Buddy
  Evan Purchell
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
  Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht
• Gretel & Hansel
  Oz Perkins
• The Invisible Man
  Leigh Whannell
• Nomadland
  Chloé Zhao
• Welcome to Chechnya
  David France
• The Whistlers
  Corneliu Porumboiu

Nicole Brenez: Best Films of 2020, as submitted to La Internacional Cinéfila Poll, alphabetized by director's name

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2012]

• Brazil is thee Haiti is (t)here
  Carlos Adriano
• Purple Sea
  Amel Alzakout and Khaled Abdulwahed
• The Mirror of Possible Worlds
  Fergus Daly
• Her Name Was Europa
  Anja Dornieden and Juan David Gonzalez Monroy
• France Against the Robots
  Jean-Marie Straub

Debut Film

• Ofrenda
  Juan Mónaco Cagni

This list contributes to:

• La Internacional Cinéfila Poll: Best Movies of 2020

La Internacional Cinéfila Poll: Best Movies of 2020, a survey of 161 programmers, critics, and filmmakers from around the world, posted with entries and notes from each participant

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

• First Cow
  Kelly Reichardt
• The Year of the Discovery
  Luis López Carrasco
• Days
  Tsai Ming-liang
• The Woman Who Ran
  Hong Sang-soo
• The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)
  Anders Edström and C.W. Winter
• My Dear Spies
  Vladimir Léon

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• La Internacional Cinéfila Poll: Nicole Brenez: Best Films of 2020

Saige Walton: Favorite Films of 2020, as posted to Twitter

[see also 2022 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. David Byrne's American Utopia
   Spike Lee
2. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
3. Another Round
   Thomas Vinterberg
4. Uncut Gems
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
5. Possessor
   Brandon Cronenberg
6. Eurovision
   David Dobkin
7. Apples
   Christos Nikou
8. When Pomegranates Howl
   Granaz Moussavi
9. The Invisible Man
   Leigh Whannell
10. On the Rocks
    Sofia Coppola

Jordan Ruimy: The 15 Best Movies of 2020, as published by World of Reel

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2010s • 2019]

1. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
2. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
3. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
   Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
4. Da 5 Bloods
   Spike Lee
5. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
6. The Invisible Man
   Leigh Whannell
7. Bad Education
   Cory Finley
8. Young Ahmed
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
9. Sound of Metal
   Darius Marder
10. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
11. Promising Young Woman
    Emerald Fennell
12. Bacurau
    Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
13. Pieces of a Woman
    Kornél Mundruczó
14. David Byrne's American Utopia
    Spike Lee
15. Palm Springs
    Max Barbakow

Runners-Up

• The Nest
  Sean Durkin
• Spree
  Eugene Kotlyarenko
• Possessor
  Brandon Cronenberg
• The Father
  Florian Zeller
• Host
  Rob Savage
• Incitement
  Yaron Zilberman
• Small Axe: Mangrove
  Steve McQueen
• The Devil All the Time
  Antonio Campos
• 76 days
  Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous

Glenn Heath Jr.: Best Films of 2020

[see also 2017]

1. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
2. The Cordillera of Dreams
   Patricio Guzmán
3. Undine
   Christian Petzold
4. Da 5 Bloods
   Spike Lee
5. Time
   Garrett Bradley
6. Fire Will Come
   Oliver Laxe
7. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
8. Dear Comrades!
   Andrei Konchalovsky
9. Driveways
   Andrew Ahn
10. On the Rocks
    Sofia Coppola

Honorable mentions in alphabetical order

• Alone
  John Hyams
• Fourteen
  Dan Sallitt
• I Was at Home, But
  Angela Schanelec
• Martin Eden
  Pietro Marcello
• News of the World
  Paul Greengrass
• Sorry We Missed You
  Ken Loach
• The Assistant
  Kitty Green
• The Invisible Man
  Leigh Whannell
• The Whistlers
  Corneliu Porumboiu
• To the Ends of the Earth
  Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Todd McCarthy: Top 10 Films of 2020, as published by Deadline Hollywood

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
2. The Father
   Florian Zeller
3. Promising Young Woman
   Emerald Fennell
4. Dick Johnson Is Dead
   Kirsten Johnson
5. Small Axe: Mangrove
   Steve McQueen
6. Into the Deep
   Emma Sullivan
7. Soul
   Pete Docter
8. The King of Staten Island
   Judd Apatow
9. The Outpost
   Rod Lurie
10. Devil Between the Legs
    Arturo Ripstein

Runners-up

11. Minari
    Lee Isaac Chung
12. First Cow
    Kelly Reichardt
13. The Dissident
    Bryan Fogel
14. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
15. Martin Eden
    Pietro Marcello
16. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
17. The Painted Bird
    Václav Marhoul
18. Beanpole
    Kantemir Balagov
19. On the Rocks
    Sofia Coppola
20. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
    George C. Wolfe

Michael J. Anderson: Ten Best Films of 2020

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2010s • 2017]

1. Days
   Tsai Ming-liang
2. Wife of a Spy
   Kiyoshi Kurosawa
3. The Calming
   Song Fang
4. The Woman Who Ran
   Hong Sang-soo
5. Undine
   Christian Petzold
6. The Salt of Tears
   Philippe Garrel
7. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
8. City Hall
   Frederick Wiseman
9. The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)
   Anders Edström and C.W. Winter
10. Malmkrog
    Cristi Puiu

Cole Duffy: Top 10 Films of 2020, as published by Cinema Etc.

1. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
2. City Hall
   Frederick Wiseman
3. Black is King
   Beyoncé
4. Minari
   Lee Isaac Chung
5. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
6. Days
   Tsai Ming-liang
7. Another Round
   Thomas Vinterberg
8. Collective
   Alexander Nanau
9. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
10. Wolfwalkers
    Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

Honorable Mentions

• Da 5 Bloods
  Spike Lee
• The 40-Year-Old Version
  Radha Blank
• Last and First Men
  Jóhann Jóhannsson
• Lingua Franca
  Isabel Sandoval
• Lux Æterna
  Gaspar Noé
• Small Axe: Mangrove
  Steve McQueen
• Shirley
  Josephine Decker
• There Is No Evil
  Mohammad Rasoulof
• The Traitor
  Marco Bellocchio
• Undine
  Christian Petzold

This list contributes to:

• Cinema Etc.: Top 10 Films of 2020