209 global critics, at the request of the BBC news service, have selected the best non-English language films in cinema history, with "A Separation" directed by Asghar Farhadi ranking twenty-first; two places above "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (Carl Theodor Dreyer) and three places above "Battleship Potemkin" (Sergei Eisenstein), two films that occupy significant portions in cinema history reference books. Abbas Kiarostami's film "Close-Up" ranked thirty-ninth, while two other films by this filmmaker, "Where Is the Friend's Home?" and "Taste of Cherry," achieved ranks ninety-four and ninety-seven, respectively. Thus, four films from Iranian cinema are included among the hundred selected films.
Kite Shiri from Britain chose "A Separation" as her top film, and the BBC, in a separate article, introduced twelve amazing lesser-known films, including "Time for Drunken Horses" by Bahman Ghobadi. "A Separation," produced in 1389/2011, is the most recent film among the twenty-five final selections. In total, only three films from the twenty-first century made it into the critics' top twenty-five. These 209 critics, including cinema instructors and some festival organizers, participated in this survey from 43 countries worldwide, selecting their top ten films in order. The order of selections played a major role in the results, as the first film of each critic received ten points and the tenth film one point; thus, if the voting system had counted votes without order and based solely on one point for each selection, the results would have certainly been different.
Ultimately, global critics chose "Seven Samurai" (1954) by Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa as the best non-English language film in cinema history. This masterpiece by Kurosawa, about the hiring of seven samurai by simple and poor villagers to protect them from bandits, is his most acclaimed film and is taught in many film schools. The narrative style, astonishing mise-en-scène, and excellent performances have made this Kurosawa film a unique work in cinema history.
"Bicycle Thieves" by neorealist Vittorio De Sica (1948) secured second place, followed by the following films: "Tokyo Story" (Yasujiro Ozu - 1953), "Rashomon" (Kurosawa - 1950), "The Rules of the Game" (Jean Renoir - 1939), "Persona" (Ingmar Bergman - 1966), "8½" (Federico Fellini - 1963), "The 400 Blows" (François Truffaut - 1959), "In the Mood for Love" (Wong Kar-wai - 2000), and "La Dolce Vita" (Federico Fellini - 1960).
Thus, Kurosawa and Fellini, each with two films among the top ten, are the most celebrated filmmakers in this survey (with the strange note that six Japanese critics participating in this voting did not include any Kurosawa films in their selections!). Japan and Italy each have three films among the top ten, while France has two films. Twenty-five of the hundred final films were made in East Asia, with Japan showcasing eleven films, but ultimately, twenty-seven of the selected hundred films are French. Among the hundred selected films, only four were directed by women: Chantal Akerman, Claire Denis, Agnès Varda, and Katia Lund. Meanwhile, the organizers of this survey attempted to ensure that the number of male and female voters was nearly equal, and ultimately, forty-five percent of the voters were women. In this survey, the author of this text selected these ten films from among dozens of his favorite masterpieces in cinema history: "8½" (Federico Fellini), "Persona" (Ingmar Bergman), "Mrs. Oyu" (Kenji Mizoguchi), "The Rules of the Game" (Jean Renoir), "Ordet" (Carl Theodor Dreyer), "The Feast" (Marco Ferreri), "Belle de Jour" (Luis Buñuel), "Onibaba" (Kaneto Shindo), "Eclipse" (Michelangelo Antonioni), and "3-Iron" (Kim Ki-duk).
Japan and Italy each have three films among the top ten, while France has two films. Twenty-five of the hundred final films were made in East Asia, with Japan showcasing eleven films, but ultimately, twenty-seven of the selected hundred films are French. Among the hundred selected films, only four were directed by women: Chantal Akerman, Claire Denis, Agnès Varda, and Katia Lund. Meanwhile, the organizers of this survey attempted to ensure that the number of male and female voters was nearly equal, and ultimately, forty-five percent of the voters were women. In this survey, the author of this text selected these ten films from among dozens of his favorite masterpieces in cinema history: "8½" (Federico Fellini), "Persona" (Ingmar Bergman), "Mrs. Oyu" (Kenji Mizoguchi), "The Rules of the Game" (Jean Renoir), "Ordet" (Carl Theodor Dreyer), "The Feast" (Marco Ferreri), "Belle de Jour" (Luis Buñuel), "Onibaba" (Kaneto Shindo), "Eclipse" (Michelangelo Antonioni), and "3-Iron" (Kim Ki-duk).