2008 in Films

And my 10 favorite films of 2008 are the following:

Three Monkeys (Uc Maymun)
by Nuri Bilge Ceylan – Turkey






Because Nuri Bilge Ceylan managed to make the unimaginable happen: topple his previous opuses "Uzak" and "Iklimler". His directing at its best.

Delta
by Kornél Mundruczó – Hungary






Because the shooting location meets the image meets the soundtrack meets the leading young actress are all made of win. Utterly beautiful.

There Will Be Blood
by Paul Thomas Anderson – USA






Because a film like this one redefines the concept of 'classic'. Daniel Day Lewis stands out.

Wall-E
by Andrew Stanton - USA







Because it pierces your heart, no matter your age. And who wouldn't want to have Wall-E around him for a day or two? A new beginning for Pixar!

Gomorra / Gomorrah
by Matteo Garone – Italy







Because this was one the gems of what many saw as Italy's cinema year par excellence. Keeps you holding your breath until the denouement of each of its five Mafia stories.

The Class (Entre les Murs)
by Laurent Cantet – France







Because Cantet brought back the light to the long forgotten French Cinema. I'll quote the New York Times: "Mr. Cantet (...) has done that rarest of things in movies about children: He has allowed them to talk."

Waltz with Bashir / Valse avec Bachir
by Ari Folman – Israel







Because Folman pushed the boundaries of animation and redefined the genre by tackling it in documentary style to relive what he saw during the Israeli invasion to Lebanon in 1982. The opening sequence is a killer.

PA RA DA
by Marco Pontecorvo – Italy/France/Romania

Because real life and fiction can perfectly coexist in a film. A very touching tale on the street children of Bucharest.

Tulpan
by Sergey Dvortsevoy – Kazakhstan







Because I still believe that every once in a while, you'll get amazing surprises like this little gem. Heartfelt performances in the Kazakh steppe!

Eye of the Sun (Ein Shams)
by Ibrahim El Batout – Egypt








Because you can feel when a director makes a film with his heart with as little means as possible. In terms of sincerity, the result cannot even compare to any multi-million Egyptian film in the recent couple of years. And you cannot but fall for the striking Shams.

Special Mention:

The One Man Village (Semaan Bel Day'a)
by Simon El Habre – Lebanon





Because you don't have to be a renowned filmmaker to make a personal story look universal through its striking image. And because such a striking image will make you a renowned filmmaker quite quickly.