Luke McKernan
Lead Curator, News and Moving Image, British Library
UK
Voted for
| Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| The Lady of the Dugout | 1918 | W.S. Van Dyke |
| Open all Night | 1935 | George Pearson |
| ROBINSON CRUSOE | 1953 | Luis Buñuel |
| Black Girl | 1965 | Ousmane Sembène |
| SKRIVÁNCI NA NITÍCH | 1990 | Jirí Menzel |
| KO TO TAMO PEVA | 1980 | Slobodan Sijan |
| Every Picture Tells a Story | 1984 | James Scott |
| Atlantic Rhapsody 52 myndir úr Tórshavn | 1989 | Katrin Ottarsdóttir |
| La camarista | 2018 | Lila Avilés |
| The Last Black Man in San Francisco | 2019 | Joe Talbot |
Comments
The Lady of the Dugout
A reformed outlaw brings about forgiveness.
Open all Night
In a London hotel, the old must give way to the young.
ROBINSON CRUSOE
A shipwrecked man rebuilds the world as he understands it.
Black Girl
Trapped in France, a Senegalese maid fights for her identity.
SKRIVÁNCI NA NITÍCH
In a scrapyard, dissidents philosophise and find hope in the darkness.
KO TO TAMO PEVA
A motley group on a bus to Belgrade face up to random disasters.
Every Picture Tells a Story
A child looks around him and becomes an artist.
Atlantic Rhapsody 52 myndir úr Tórshavn
Over 24 hours a society tells its interconnected stories.
La camarista
A chambermaid has her small dreams but finds only disappointment.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
A young man reclaims a romantic building as his true home.
Further remarks
The films I have chosen are not obviously ‘great’, but they exemplify for me what is great about film itself. Each one shows supremely well that our realities are dreamworlds. On any other day I could have picked a different ten that might have served just as well, but these ten each please me for their originality, their modesty, and their visual understanding.