What are the must watch films for film school students?

Natalie Nelson
Natalie Nelson Administrator Posts: 93
edited August 2023 in Students

What are your top 10 must-watch films for any student who is heading into film school, or coming out of film school about to make their transition into the film industry?

Comments

  • Gary King
    Gary King Member Posts: 22

    Citizen Kane, Battleship Potemkin, Taxi Driver, The Bicycle Thieves, Pickpocket, Army of Shadows, Tokyo Story, ali fear eats the soul, Daughters of Dust, but just too many to name. Anything Cassavetes, Scorsese, Spielberg, Cronenberg, Lynne Ramsey

  • Corey Sienega
    Corey Sienega Member Posts: 68

    Fun question and many ways to answer, but for transitioning into the industry, I'd keep my eyes on the films that are performing well in theaters and online, then go into the earlier works from those directors. Try to figure out the trajectory of these careers and filmmakers. Who were their early fans and why do you think? What are the indies outperforming expectations? Look for the singular voices coming out of the festivals— who were their influences? Dive deeply into the films you love and seek out the filmmakers who share the same film language.

  • Elizabeth Gengl
    Elizabeth Gengl Member Posts: 17

    I would add films that had a cultural impact, such as Reality Bites (term Gen X, anyone?). I'd love to hear from others about which films they feel had such an impact. Apollo 13's success changed the trajectory of NASA's space program in the 1990s.

  • Corey Sienega
    Corey Sienega Member Posts: 68

    So many of these too— adding to the GenX of it, Fast Times, Thelma & Louise, The Accused, Fatal Attraction, everything John Hughes and Brat Pack-related.

  • Elizabeth Gengl
    Elizabeth Gengl Member Posts: 17

    Yes! Hoping to watch the new docu on the Brat Pack that Andrew McCarthy just released.

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