BBC Culture will soon announce the most outstanding films of all time by women across the world.
Following an invitation to film critics and enthusiasts across the world between August and October to submit films they consider worthy of making the 100 greatest films directed by women, the BBC Culture is set to release the list of the outstanding works directed by women.
According to the organisation, films directed by women from any country, dating from the invention of cinema to the present, qualify for this poll. Short films and avant-garde films that may never have received traditional distribution also qualify, as does animation.
However, no music videos, advertisements or commercials, commercially-branded short films or behind-the-scenes supplemental material were accepted for the poll. Also barred are films that were co-directed by men and women.
“The spirit of the poll is motivated by a belief that the films directed by women you consider your personal favourites are those you think are the greatest; your love of a particular film should be the primary reason for its inclusion in your top 100,” BBC Culture said in a mail to TCN.
In voting, those contacted were advised to simply enter their choices with a ranked list of their 10 best films of all time directed by a woman – with the best at number one and the 10th best at 10. In addition to voting, invitees were required to enter their names as they wanted it to appear alongside the name of the publication, website,
University, cinema or festival they work for, or if they are freelance journalists. Participants in the poll were also required to enter the name of the country they would wish to be listed after their name (they were allowed to choose only one country).
In addition to collating the results, BBC Culture will publish the individual choices of everyone who has taken part once the overall 100 has been published.
This is not the first time BBC Culture will be publishing 100 film rankings. Once a year, the BBC Culture compiles a list of 100 films from submissions by critics and experts to inspire readers and film lovers everywhere to seek out new titles and engage in thoughtful discussion about old favourites. In 2016, BBC Culture compiled a list of 100 greatest films of the 21st Century. In 2017 it was the turn of the 100 greatest comedies in 2017 and in 2018 it was 100 greatest non-English language films.