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1990s – today

Contemporary European Art Cinema

Provocative, rigorous and personal films from European directors in the era of festivals and global distribution.

From the 1990s, European festivals at Cannes, Venice and Berlin became the main stage for demanding, personal cinema that largely stays outside the commercial mainstream. The Dogme 95 movement started by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg stripped filmmaking to bare essentials, Michael Haneke made cold, exact films about violence and guilt, and the Dardenne brothers followed working-class people with a handheld camera. Directors such as Yorgos Lanthimos, Ruben Östlund, Paolo Sorrentino, Andrey Zvyagintsev and Cristian Mungiu combine provocation with exact formal control. The cinema is shaped by public film funding and an international festival circuit.

Where
Europe, with directors from Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Italy, Russia and Romania
When
1990s to the present
Key figures
Michael Haneke, Lars von Trier, The Dardenne Brothers, Yorgos Lanthimos, Ruben Östlund, Paolo Sorrentino, Cristian Mungiu
Landmark films
Breaking the Waves (1996), Funny Games (1997), Rosetta (1999), The Square (2017), The Lobster (2015)
Legacy
Keeps a space for the demanding, author-driven film in an age of blockbusters

What to look for

  • Provocative themes and an unsettling, exact style
  • Moral and social questions without easy answers
  • Festival premieres and public film funding

Famous Directors

Michael HanekeAustriaLars von TrierDenmarkKrzysztof KieślowskiPolandPedro AlmodóvarSpainPeter GreenawayUKClaire DenisFranceJacques AudiardFranceThe Dardenne BrothersBelgiumYorgos LanthimosGreeceRuben ÖstlundSwedenPaolo SorrentinoItalyAndrey ZvyagintsevRussiaCristian MungiuRomaniaFatih AkinGermanyJasmila ŽbanićBosnia and Herzegovinaİlker ÇatakGermanyEmir KusturicaSerbia (born in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia)Justine TrietFranceJulia DucournauFranceLaurent CantetFranceNanni MorettiItalyMaurice PialatFranceClaude LelouchFranceNikita MikhalkovRussia
See all 86 directors
Alexander SokurovRussiaBille AugustDenmarkBertrand TavernierFranceIldikó EnyediHungaryMárta MészárosHungaryMati DiopFrance / SenegalLukas DhontBelgiumCarla SimónSpainRadu JudeRomaniaPatrice ChéreauFranceMichel HazanaviciusFranceEdward BergerGermanyGianni AmelioItalyTrần Anh HùngFrance / VietnamAudrey DiwanFranceMaren AdeGermanyAlexander NanauRomaniaNadav LapidIsraelNicolas PhilibertFranceMarco FerreriItalyMikhail KalatozovUSSRAbdellatif KechicheFrance (born in Tunisia)Alf SjöbergSwedenValerio ZurliniItalyMilčo MančevskiNorth MacedoniaCălin Peter NetzerRomaniaDag Johan HaugerudNorwayMarcel CamusFranceSamuel MaozIsraelHenri ColpiFrancePhilippe LioretFranceAdina PintilieRomaniaAmanda KernellSwedenPeter LilienthalGermanyGleb PanfilovUSSR / RussiaTom StoppardUK (born in Czechoslovakia)Rainer SimonGermany (GDR)Feo AladagGermany (born in Austria)Želimir ŽilnikSerbia (Yugoslavia)Emilio Martínez-LázaroSpainMay el-ToukhyDenmark (Egyptian-Danish)Eva LibertadSpainAlain GomisFrance / SenegalIstván SzabóHungaryOlivier AssayasFranceArnaud DesplechinFranceLeos CaraxFrancePhilippe GarrelFranceBruno DumontFranceCatherine BreillatFranceChristian PetzoldGermanyUlrich SeidlAustriaPaweł PawlikowskiPolandMatteo GarroneItalyGiuseppe TornatoreItalyAlice RohrwacherItalyAlain TannerSwitzerlandAli AbbasiIran / Denmark / SwedenJoseph CedarIsraelRadu MihăileanuRomania / FranceMarc CaroFranceJean-Pierre JeunetFrance

Top 100 rated films

  1. Cinema Paradiso 1988 · Giuseppe Tornatore · IMDb 8.5
  2. Mother (1990) 1990 · Gleb Panfilov · IMDb 8.4
  3. The Cranes Are Flying 1957 · Mikhail Kalatozov · IMDb 8.3
  4. I Am Cuba 1964 · Mikhail Kalatozov · IMDb 8.2
  5. Ennio 2021 · Giuseppe Tornatore · IMDb 8.2
  6. Amélie 2001 · Jean-Pierre Jeunet · IMDb 8.2
  7. Time of the Gypsies 1988 · Emir Kusturica · IMDb 8.1
  8. A Short Film About Love 1988 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 8.1
  9. Collective 2019 · Alexander Nanau · IMDb 8.1
  10. Underground 1995 · Emir Kusturica · IMDb 8.0
  11. Black Cat, White Cat 1998 · Emir Kusturica · IMDb 8.0
  12. The Legend of 1900 1998 · Giuseppe Tornatore · IMDb 8.0
  13. Three Colours: Red 1994 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 8.0
  14. Dogville 2003 · Lars von Trier · IMDb 8.0
  15. Quo Vadis, Aida? 2020 · Jasmila Žbanić · IMDb 8.0
  16. Toto and His Sisters 2014 · Alexander Nanau · IMDb 8.0
  17. Amour 2012 · Michael Haneke · IMDb 7.9
  18. A Short Film About Killing 1988 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.9
  19. Dancer in the Dark 2000 · Lars von Trier · IMDb 7.9
  20. Talk to Her 2002 · Pedro Almodóvar · IMDb 7.9
  21. The Return 2003 · Andrey Zvyagintsev · IMDb 7.9
  22. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days 2007 · Cristian Mungiu · IMDb 7.9
  23. Burnt by the Sun 1994 · Nikita Mikhalkov · IMDb 7.8
  24. The White Ribbon 2009 · Michael Haneke · IMDb 7.8
  25. Three Colours: Blue 1993 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.8
  26. Camera Buff 1979 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.8
  27. Breaking the Waves 1996 · Lars von Trier · IMDb 7.8
  28. All About My Mother 1999 · Pedro Almodóvar · IMDb 7.8
  29. A Prophet 2009 · Jacques Audiard · IMDb 7.8
  30. Head-On 2004 · Fatih Akin · IMDb 7.8
  31. Close 2022 · Lukas Dhont · IMDb 7.8
  32. The Artist 2011 · Michel Hazanavicius · IMDb 7.8
  33. All Quiet on the Western Front 2022 · Edward Berger · IMDb 7.8
  34. To Be and to Have 2002 · Nicolas Philibert · IMDb 7.8
  35. Before the Rain 1994 · Milčo Mančevski · IMDb 7.8
  36. Live and Become 2005 · Radu Mihăileanu · IMDb 7.8
  37. When Father Was Away on Business 1985 · Emir Kusturica · IMDb 7.7
  38. Pelle the Conqueror 1987 · Bille August · IMDb 7.7
  39. The Best Intentions 1992 · Bille August · IMDb 7.7
  40. Mephisto 1981 · István Szabó · IMDb 7.7
  41. The Best Offer 2013 · Giuseppe Tornatore · IMDb 7.7
  42. Blind Chance 1987 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.7
  43. La Promesse 1996 · The Dardenne Brothers · IMDb 7.7
  44. Poor Things 2023 · Yorgos Lanthimos · IMDb 7.7
  45. The Great Beauty 2013 · Paolo Sorrentino · IMDb 7.7
  46. The Edge of Heaven 2007 · Fatih Akin · IMDb 7.7
  47. Medal of Honor 2009 · Călin Peter Netzer · IMDb 7.7
  48. The Barber of Siberia 1998 · Nikita Mikhalkov · IMDb 7.6
  49. Stolen Children 1992 · Gianni Amelio · IMDb 7.6
  50. The Seventh Continent 1989 · Michael Haneke · IMDb 7.6
  51. The Double Life of Véronique 1991 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.6
  52. Three Colours: White 1994 · Krzysztof Kieślowski · IMDb 7.6
  53. Volver 2006 · Pedro Almodóvar · IMDb 7.6
  54. The Skin I Live In 2011 · Pedro Almodóvar · IMDb 7.6
  55. Leviathan 2014 · Andrey Zvyagintsev · IMDb 7.6
  56. Loveless 2017 · Andrey Zvyagintsev · IMDb 7.6
  57. Anatomy of a Fall 2023 · Justine Triet · IMDb 7.6
  58. Aferim! 2015 · Radu Jude · IMDb 7.6
  59. Every Little Thing 1997 · Nicolas Philibert · IMDb 7.6
  60. Blue Is the Warmest Colour 2013 · Abdellatif Kechiche · IMDb 7.6
  61. Les Amants du Pont-Neuf 1991 · Leos Carax · IMDb 7.6
  62. Io capitano 2023 · Matteo Garrone · IMDb 7.6
  63. Train of Life 1998 · Radu Mihăileanu · IMDb 7.6
  64. A Very Long Engagement 2004 · Jean-Pierre Jeunet · IMDb 7.6
  65. Salt for Svanetia 1930 · Mikhail Kalatozov · IMDb 7.5
  66. The Desert of the Tartars 1976 · Valerio Zurlini · IMDb 7.5
  67. Do You Remember Dolly Bell? 1981 · Emir Kusturica · IMDb 7.5
  68. Life Is a Miracle 2004 · Emir Kusturica · IMDb 7.5
  69. Close to Eden 1991 · Nikita Mikhalkov · IMDb 7.5
  70. 12 2007 · Nikita Mikhalkov · IMDb 7.5
  71. A Man and a Woman 1966 · Claude Lelouch · IMDb 7.5
  72. Life and Nothing But 1989 · Bertrand Tavernier · IMDb 7.5
  73. On Body and Soul 2017 · Ildikó Enyedi · IMDb 7.5
  74. Vassa 1983 · Gleb Panfilov · IMDb 7.5
  75. Welcome 2009 · Philippe Lioret · IMDb 7.5
  76. Kenedi Goes Back Home 2003 · Želimir Žilnik · IMDb 7.5
  77. Father 1966 · István Szabó · IMDb 7.5
  78. A Pure Formality 1994 · Giuseppe Tornatore · IMDb 7.5
  79. Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 1976 · Alain Tanner · IMDb 7.5
  80. Funny Games 1997 · Michael Haneke · IMDb 7.5
  81. The Piano Teacher 2001 · Michael Haneke · IMDb 7.5
  82. Europa 1991 · Lars von Trier · IMDb 7.5
  83. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover 1989 · Peter Greenaway · IMDb 7.5
  84. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 1988 · Pedro Almodóvar · IMDb 7.5
  85. Pain and Glory 2019 · Pedro Almodóvar · IMDb 7.5
  86. The Son 2002 · The Dardenne Brothers · IMDb 7.5
  87. The Favourite 2018 · Yorgos Lanthimos · IMDb 7.5
  88. The Banishment 2007 · Andrey Zvyagintsev · IMDb 7.5
  89. Beyond the Hills 2012 · Cristian Mungiu · IMDb 7.5
  90. The Class 2008 · Laurent Cantet · IMDb 7.5
  91. Everybody in Our Family 2012 · Radu Jude · IMDb 7.5
  92. When We Leave 2010 · Feo Aladag · IMDb 7.5
  93. Cold War 2018 · Paweł Pawlikowski · IMDb 7.5
  94. Happy as Lazzaro 2018 · Alice Rohrwacher · IMDb 7.5
  95. The Concert 2009 · Radu Mihăileanu · IMDb 7.5
  96. Delicatessen 1991 · Jean-Pierre Jeunet · IMDb 7.5
  97. Black Orpheus 1959 · Marcel Camus · IMDb 7.4
  98. Girl with a Suitcase 1961 · Valerio Zurlini · IMDb 7.4
  99. Les Misérables (1995) 1995 · Claude Lelouch · IMDb 7.4
  100. Les Misérables (1998) 1998 · Bille August · IMDb 7.4