These are lists of favorite films by some of the film industry’s most-acclaimed directors.
Woody Allen
Allen submitted this unranked list to the 2012 Sight and Sound poll:
- Amarcord (1972)
- The Bicycle Thief (Ladri di Biciclette) (1947)
- Citizen Kane (1941)
- The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise (Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie) (1972)
- 8 ½ (Otto e Mezzo) (1963)
- The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups) (1959)
- Grand Illusion (La Grande Illusion) (1937)
- Paths of Glory (1957)
- Rashômon (1950)
- The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet) (1957)
Source: OpenCulture.com (8/2/2013). “Woody Allen Lists the Greatest Films of All Time…”
Francis Ford Coppola
Coppola submitted this unranked list to the 2012 Sight and Sound poll:
Source: Flavorwire.com (7/31/2013). “10 Great Filmmakers’ Top 10 Favorite Movies: Francis Ford Coppola”
Guillermo del Toro
Del Toro submitted this unranked list to the Sight and Sound poll:
- Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bette) (1946)
- 8 ½ (Otto e Mezzo) (1963)
- Frankenstein (1931)
- Freaks (1932)
- Goodfellas (1990)
- Greed (1925)
- The Young and the Damned (Los Olvidados) (1950)
- Modern Times (1936)
- Nosferatu, a Symphony of Terror (aka “Nosferatu, the Vampire”) (Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens) (1922)
- Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Source: Flavorwire.com (7/31/2013). “10 Great Filmmakers’ Top 10 Favorite Movies: Guillermo del Toro”
Lena Dunham
Dunham selected 14 titles for a 2008 Criterion poll:
- Fish Tank (2009)
- Days of Heaven (1978)
- Broadcast News (1987)
- Weekend (2011)
- La Pointe Coure (1955)
- Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
- Le Bonheur (1965)
- Vagabond (1985)
- The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978)
- Fear Eats the Soul (Angst Essen Seele Auf) (1974)
- Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
- Straw Dogs (1971)
- Dead Ringers (1988)
- Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
- The War Room (1993)
Source: Criterion.com (6/25/2013). “Lena Dunham’s Top 10”
Rian Johnson
Johnson put this list together for Criterion:
- 8 ½ (Otto e Mezzo) (1963)
- Brazil (1985)
- F for Fake (1973)
- Amarcord (1972)
- Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander) (1982)
- Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot’s) (1953)
- Scenes from a Marriage (1973)
- The Third Man (1949)
- The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
- Down by Law (1986)
Source: Criterion.com (11/20/2008). “Rian Johnson’s Top 10”
Stanley Kubrick
In 1963, Kubrick submitted this top 10 list to Cinema magazine:
- I Vitelloni (1953)
- Wild Strawberries (1957)
- Citizen Kane (1941)
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
- City Lights (1931)
- Henry V (1944)
- La Notte (1961)
- The Bank Dick (1940)
- Roxie Hart (1942)
- Hell’s Angels (1930)
Source: OpenCulture.com (7/30/2013). “Stanley Kubrick’s List of Top 10 Films…”
Christopher Nolan
- The Hit (1984)
- 12 Angry Men (1957)
- The Thin Red Line (1998)
- The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
- Bad Timing (1980)
- Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)
- For All Mankind (1989)
- Koyaanisqatsi (1983)
- The Complete Mr. Arkadin (1955)
- Greed (1924)
Source: Criterion.com (1/29/2013). “Christopher Nolan’s Top 10”
Paul Schrader
Director, screenwriter, and film critic Paul Schrader submitted this unranked list to the 2012 Sight and Sound poll:
Source: The PendragonSociety.com (7/7/2019). “Paul Schrader’s Top Ten Favourite Films”
Martin Scorsese
Scorsese put this unranked list of his 12 favorite movies together for the 2012 Sight and Sound poll:
- Ashes and Diamonds (Popiól I Diament) (1958)
- Citizen Kane (1941)
- 8 ½ (Otto e Mezzo) (1963)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) (1963)
- Paisan (1946)
- The Red Shoes (1948)
- The River (1951)
- Salvatore Giuliano (1962)
- The Searchers (1956)
- Ugetsu (aka “Ugetsu Mongatari” or “Tales of a Pale Moon After the Rain”) (1953)
- Vertigo (1958)
Source: OpenCulture.com (7/31/2013). “Martin Scorsese Reveals His 12 Favorite Movies”
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg created this list of his 20 favorite movies, as published in Far Out magazine:
Source: Far Out Magazine (10/31/2022). “Steven Spielberg named his 20 favourite movies of all time” by Lee Thomas-Mason
Quentin Taratino
These are the 12 films Tarantino selected for the 2012 Sight and Sound poll:
Source: Flavorwire.com (7/31/2013). “10 Great Filmmakers’ Top 10 Favorite Movies: Quentin Tarantino”
Orson Welles
Director and actor Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) selected these as his top 10 favorite movies. There is no indication when this list was created.
- City Lights (1931)
- Greed (1924)
- Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916)
- Nanook of the North (1922)
- Shoe Shine (1946)
- Battleship Potemkin (Bronenosets Potyomkin) (1925)
- The Baker’s Wife (La Femme du Boulanger) (1938)
- Grand Illusion (La Grande Illusion) (1937)
- Stagecoach (1939)
- Our Daily Bread (1934)
Source: The PendragonSociety.com (8/3/2018). “Orson Welles’s Favourite Films”
Edgar Wright
- An American Werewolf in London (1981)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- Carrie (1976)
- Dames (1934)
- Don’t Look Now (1973)
- Duck Soup (1933)
- Psycho (1960)
- Raising Arizona (1987)
- Taxi Driver (1976)
- The Wild Bunch (1969)
Source: Flavorwire.com (7/31/2013). “10 Great Filmmakers’ Top 10 Favorite Movies: Edgar Wright”
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Originally posted 7/27/2019; last updated 6/9/2023. | 
