The Best Cinematography of the 21st Century
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The technology of cinematography has undergone some of the most seismic shifts in film history this century, with what began in the 2000s as an almost entirely photochemical process transforming into the digitally captured, manipulated, and projected images of today. The art of cinematography, however — using light, color, and texture to express ideas and elicit emotional reactions from the audience — remains intact.
In 2017, IndieWire made a list of the best shot feature films of the century thus far; the list was updated in 2020, and what follows is the third and most extensive version of the list. It’s also the first to be spearheaded by the IndieWire Craft team, which has grown considerably since this list was first published. Ranking cinematography is, in some ways, a fool’s errand given the broad variety of genres, resources, and intentions encompassed by the films below, but these are 60 titles that IndieWire believes will stand the test of time.
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1 new
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward...
2007, in 7 top lists Check -
2 new
The Tree of Life
2011, in 13 top lists Check -
3 new
Fa yeung nin wah
2000 — a.k.a. In the Mood for Love, in 30 top lists Check -
4 new
Far from Heaven
2002, in 10 top lists Check -
5 new
Zimna wojna
2018 — a.k.a. Cold War, in 6 top lists -
6 new
There Will Be Blood
2007, in 20 top lists Check -
7 new
Shi mian mai fu
2004 — a.k.a. House of Flying Daggers, in 5 top lists Check -
8 new
The Immigrant
2013, in 3 top lists Check -
9 new
Mother of George
2013, in 0 top lists Check -
10 new
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
2003, in 18 top lists Check -
11 new
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
2004, in 9 top lists Check -
12 new
Blade Runner 2049
2017, in 9 top lists Check -
13 new
Miami Vice
2006, in 4 top lists Check -
14 new
A Star Is Born
2018, in 6 top lists -
15 new
Ah-ga-ssi
2016 — a.k.a. The Handmaiden, in 13 top lists Check -
16 new
Carol
2015, in 8 top lists Check -
17 new
Gravity
2013, in 12 top lists Check -
18 new
Mr. Turner
2014, in 1 top list Check -
19 new
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood
2019 — a.k.a. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in 10 top lists -
20 new
Ida
2013, in 8 top lists Check -
21 new
West Side Story
2021, in 2 top lists -
22 new
Nope
2022, in 3 top lists -
23 new
The Beguiled
2017, in 0 top lists Check -
24 new
Ying xiong
2002 — a.k.a. Hero, in 6 top lists Check -
25 new
Portrait de la jeune fille en feu
2019 — a.k.a. Portrait of a Lady on Fire, in 12 top lists -
26 new
Mad Max: Fury Road
2015, in 23 top lists Check -
27 new
Moonlight
2016, in 13 top lists Check -
28 new
Interstellar
2014, in 13 top lists Check -
29 new
A Vida Invisível
2019 — a.k.a. Invisible Life, in 3 top lists -
30 new
Mulholland Dr.
2001 — a.k.a. Mulholland Drive, in 26 top lists Check -
31 new
Suspiria
2018, in 1 top list Check -
32 new
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2004, in 28 top lists Check -
33 new
The Neon Demon
2016, in 3 top lists Check -
34 new
Roma
2018, in 18 top lists -
35 new
Silence
2016, in 2 top lists Check -
36 new
Dune: Part One
2021 — a.k.a. Dune, in 7 top lists Check -
37 new
The Green Knight
2021, in 1 top list -
38 new
The French Dispatch
2021, in 1 top list -
39 new
Children of Men
2006, in 13 top lists Check -
40 new
John Wick: Chapter 2
2017, in 0 top lists Check -
41 new
Babylon
2022, in 1 top list -
42 new
Skyfall
2012, in 4 top lists Check -
43 new
Das weiße Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte
2009 — a.k.a. The White Ribbon, in 10 top lists Check -
44 new
The Aviator
2004, in 8 top lists Check -
45 new
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2011, in 2 top lists Check -
46 new
All That Breathes
2022, in 0 top lists -
47 new
Road to Perdition
2002, in 6 top lists Check -
48 new
In the Cut
2003, in 4 top lists Check -
49 new
Cidade de Deus
2002 — a.k.a. City of God, in 22 top lists Check -
50 new
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain
2001 — a.k.a. Amélie, in 27 top lists Check
Last updated on Aug 20, 2023; source