Best Films For Film Students To Study

Film school is a fantastic way for moviegoers who like to create their own vivid narratives to gain specialized knowledge and abilities in a variety of filmmaking techniques. Best films for film students to study At film schools like NYFA, students may work with peers and mentors to develop basic skills, create unique material, and work on a variety of projects, including directing, screenplaying, cinematography, and editing. Students at NYFA, which was recently named one of Backstage's Top 30 Film Schools, may learn best practices and the newest trends in the business since their instructors are passionate filmmakers who are actively involved in their field of study.

How to Choose the Best Films For Film Students To Study

Movies to See Before Enrolling in Film School

Take a look at these amazing filmmakers films below if you're preparing to start film school! Both contemporary and vintage films on this list, which are included in no specific order, ought to be added to any film student's filmography database.

With their skilled application of cutting-edge methods in lensing, blocking, lighting, color, composition, imagery, sound or silence, working with actors, etc., these films exhibit the pinnacle of directing. If you haven't seen some of these films, start studying At least it's not dull arithmetic.

Movies to See Before Enrolling in Film School

Cléo, aged 5–7 (1962)

Agnès Varda was a daring pioneer of the French New Wave, and the art-house film industry held her in high regard due to her independent spirit and unquenchable curiosity. The life of a young singer named Cléo, who is awaiting the results of a medical test that may indicate a dangerous disease, is followed in Varda's ground-breaking film Cléo from 5 to 7.

In order to create a tangible sense of intimacy and immediacy, the film demonstrates her inventive use of filmmaking techniques such as real-time narrative, handheld cameras, point-of-view shots, non-linear storytelling, mirrors, and the use of sound and music. This gives the audience the opportunity to witness Cléo's journey of self-discovery and introspection up close.

These methods establish Cléo from 5 to 7 as a landmark in Varda's remarkable career and an enduring masterwork that still enthralls viewers today, showcasing her unmatched talent and inventiveness as a director. You might wish to look at Agnès' remarkable career, which includes The Gleaners and I (2000), if you liked Cléo from 5 to 7.

Rashomon (1950)

Akira Kurosawa's auteur style of tight collaboration with all crew members, especially the cinematographer, helped him become a rising star in his home country of Japan by 1950. Best films for film students to study Despite having had moderate success in his native country, Rashomon (1950) is recognized as the movie that first brought Japanese filmmaking to the international scene.

The film's idea is that each participant offers a unique interpretation of the same events, sometimes at odds with other interpretations, in the narrative of the samurai murder probe. Rashomon's narrative form is so well-known that the Rashomon effect is the term used to describe the following use of tales with opposing points of view.

Rashomon showcases Kurosawa's visual aesthetic in addition to his audacious storytelling. For instance, his creative use of screen wipes supports the narrative's transitions between points of view. Although Kurosawa's effect on all forms of filmmaking is evident around the world, it is arguably most evident in George Lucas's Star Wars flicks.

Men's Children (2006)

The films of Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón Orozco are known for their technical inventiveness, stunning imagery, and emotionally stirring narratives. Children of Men, his 2006 masterwork, is a dystopian thriller set in a future in which an unexplained infertility epidemic threatens to wipe out civilization.

The film's gloomy and eerie settings mirror the hopeless condition of society, while Cuaron's use of long takes, natural lighting, and handheld camera work provides an emotional and immersive experience that places the audience at the center of the action.

The film's tense and hopeless atmosphere is further enhanced by Cuaron's brilliant use of sound design and music.Children of Men is a must-see movie that powerfully demonstrates Cuaron's extraordinary creativity and capacity to push the frontiers of filmmaking. You may explore Alfonso Cuarón's many other outstanding works, like Y Tu Mamá También (2001).

Moonlight (2016)

Three stages of a young Black man's life are examined in Moonlight (2016), an innovative coming-of-age drama from A24 that addresses the nexus of race, class, sexuality, and masculinity. Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney and director Barry Jenkins worked together to adapt McCraney's semi-autobiographical drama In Moonlight, Black Boys Look Blue.

The picture, which had stunning color and cinematography, was nominated for eight Oscars and took home Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali, the first Muslim to win an acting Oscar.Vox image.

2019's Portrait of a Lady on Fire

French director Céline Sciamma examines the feminine gaze and lesbian desire in this late 18th-century period piece. It tells the tale of Marianne, a young lady who is sent to Brittany to paint a picture of Heloise, who is scheduled to marry a nobleman. Since Heloise is opposed to marriage, she does not wish to pose.

While painting covertly at night, Marianne poses as her friend. Heloise and Marianne become friends via their daily walks along the untamed coast. After completing the portrait, Marianne feels awful and tells Heloise why she did it, after which she burns the painting.

Marianne is about to be sent away by Heloise's mother, who commissioned the painting, when Heloise says she would pose. Marianne has five days to finish her new painting before Heloise's mother departs for the mainland.

Atlantics (2019)

The 2019 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winner, Mati Diop's debut film Atlantics, is a genre-bending magical love tale with a social realism foundation. It is set in Dakar and centers on 17-year-old Ada, whose sweetheart, a young construction worker named Souleiman, goes missing at sea.

It seems to be recounted from Penelope's point of view, much like The Odyssey.Atlantics is renowned for its hypnotic, immersive audiovisual elements and tackles issues like arranged marriage, class struggle, and the migrant problem.

Everything at Once, Everywhere (2022)

The story of Evelyn, a Chinese immigrant woman (played by Michelle Yeoh), whose family business is being audited by the IRS on the same day her conservative father is arriving for a Chinese New Year celebration, is told in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), which fans affectionately refer to as Everything, Everywhere.

Her daughter is attempting to persuade her to acknowledge her relationship with a non-Chinese woman. And a lot more! In the primary world from which all of her parallel universes spin, Evelyn receives a visit from her husband, Alpha-Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), as they attempt to persuade the IRS not to close them down.

The Piano (1993)

Although New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion has won several accolades during her career, her 1993 film The Piano cemented her as the first female director to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Piano, written and directed by Campion, tells the tale of a mute lady in an arranged marriage in New Zealand in the middle of the 1800s. The danger of wants is a common theme in Campion's stories, which are strikingly depicted with a contrast between cruelty and beauty.