The 2020s have been a turbulent decade for cinema — pandemic disruptions, streaming revolutions, and the constant threat of content culture. But through it all, filmmakers around the world have continued to produce work of extraordinary ambition and power.
This list captures the films that have defined the decade so far: works that expanded the possibilities of cinema, challenged our assumptions, and reminded us why the medium matters. From East Asia to South America, from Africa to Europe, these films represent the global conversation that cinema enables.