2019: World Premieres
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The Movies of 2019: World Premieres
By Title // By Grade // By VOR Rating
Full Listing of Films Screened
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⑤ Indispensable to film fans, even if it's flawed
American Factory Dirs. Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert. Documentary about Ohio plant A
Atlantics Dir. Mati Diop. Mame Bineta Sane, Ibrahima Traoré, Babacar Sylla A
Beanpole Dir. Kantemir Balagov. Viktoria Miroshnichenko, Vasilisa Perelygina B
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Dir. Marielle Heller. Matthew Rhys A
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open Dirs. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Kathleen Hepburn. Violet Nelson, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Jay Cardinal Villeneuve A
Burning Cane Dir. Phillip Youmans. Karen Kaia Livers, Wendell Pierce B+
By the Grace of God Dir. François Ozon. Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet A
The Cave Dir. Feras Fayyad. Documentary about underground Syrian hospital A
The Edge of Democracy Dir. Petra Costa. Documentary about Brazilian politics B+
End of the Century Dir. Lucio Castro. Juan Barberini, Roman Pujol, Mía Maestro A
Fire Will Come Dir. Oliver Laxe. Amador Arias, Benedicta Sánchez, Inazio Abrao B+
For Sama Dirs. Waad Al-Khateab, Edward Watts. Documentary about warfare in Syria A
Honeyland Dirs. Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov. Documentary about a beekeeper A
The Irishman Dir. Martin Scorsese. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci A
Just 6.5 Dir. Saeed Roustayi. Peyman Moaadi, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Houman Kiai A
Little Women Dir. Greta Gerwig. Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson B+
Midnight Traveler Dir. Hassan Fazili. Documentary about filmmaker in exile A
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Leonardo DiCaprio B
The Orphanage Dir. Shahrbanoo Sadat. Qodratollah Qadiri, Masihullah Feraji A
Pain & Glory Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. Antonio Banderas, Asier Flores, Penélope Cruz B+
Parasite Dir. Bong Joon-ho. Choi Woo-sik, Park So-dam, Song Kang-ho A
Portrait of a Lady on Fire Dir. Céline Sciamma. Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel A
Synonyms Dir. Nadav Lapid. Tom Mercier, Louise Chevillotte, Quentin Dolmaire B+
Waves Dir. Trey Edward Shults. Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell, Sterling K. Brown A
What We Left Unfinished Dir. Mariam Ghani. Documentary about Afghan films A
The Wild Goose Lake Dir. Diao Yinan. Hu Ge, Kwei Lun-Mei, Liao Fan, Qi Liang A
Zombi Child Dir. Bertrand Bonello. Louise Labeque, Wislanda Louimat B+
④ Good or bad, this is risky and original work
Ad Astra Dir. James Gray. Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler B+
The Assistant Dir. Kitty Green. Julia Garner, Jon Orsini, Noah Robbins B+
Babyteeth Dir. Shannon Murphy. Eliza Scanlan, Toby Wallace, Essie Davis A
Clemency Dir. Chinonye Chukwu. Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Wendell Pierce B+
Dark Waters Dir. Todd Haynes. Mark Ruffalo, Bill Camp, Anne Hathaway A
Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops Dir. Jenifer McShane. Documentary about retraining police B+
The Fever Dir. Maya Da-Rin. Regis Myrupu, Rosa Peixoto, Lourinelson Vladmir B+
Filmfarsi Dir. Ehsan Khoshbakht. Documentary about pre-1979 Iranain cinema B
Gaza Dirs. Garry Keane, Andrew McConnell. Documentary about life in disputed land B+
Ghost Tropic Dir. Bas Devos. Saadia Bentaïeb, Nora Dari, Stefan Gota, Guy Dermil A
A Girl Missing Dir. Kôji Fukada. Mariko Tsutsui, Mikako Ichikawa, Sôsuke Ikematsu A
A Hidden Life Dir. Terrence Malick. August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Franz Rogowski C+
High Flying Bird Dir. Steven Soderbergh. André Holland, Zazi Beetz, Melvin Gregg B
Honey Boy Dir. Alma Har'el. Noah Jupe, Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges B
Hustlers Dir. Lorene Scafaria. Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer B+
I Was at Home, But... Dir. Angela Schanelec. Maren Eggert, Jakob Lassalle, Clara Möller B
Joker Dir. Todd Phillips. Joaquin Phoenix, Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz B
The Last Black Man in San Francisco Dir. Joe Talbot. Jimmie Fails B+
Liberté Dir. Albert Serra. Baptiste Pinteaux, Helmut Berger, Marc Susini, Lluís Serat B
The Lighthouse Dir. Robert Eggers. Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman B
La Llorona Dir. Jayro Bustamante. Margarita Kenéfic, María Mercedes Coroy B+
Love Child Dir. Eva Mulvad. Documentary about Iranian family seeking asylum B+
Monos Dir. Alejandro Landes. Sofia Buenaventura, Julian Giraldo, Moisés Arias B
Mother Dir. Kristof Bilsen. Documentary about memory care nurses in Thailand A
One Child Nation Dirs. Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang. Documentary about China B
The Painted Bird Dir. Václav Marhoul. Petr Kotlár, Nina Shunevych, Alla Sokolova A
Queen & Slim Dir. Melina Matsoukas. Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith B
Song without a Name Dir. Melina Léon. Pamela Mendoza, Tommy Párraga, Lucio Rojas B+
The Souvenir Dir. Joanna Hogg. Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, Tilda Swinton B
Swarm Season Dir. Sarah Christman. Documentary about Hawaiian beekeepers B
The Teacher Dir. Chen Ming-Lang. Oscar Chiu, Sam Chang, Winnie Chang, He Zi-Hua B
A Thief's Daughter Dir. Belén Funes. Greta Fernández, Eduard Fernández A
Tremors Dir. Jayro Bustamante. Juan Pablo Olyslager, Mauricio Armas Zebadúa B+
The Twentieth Century Dir. Matthew Rankin. Dan Beirne, Brent Skagford B+
Unsettled Dir. Tom Shepard. Documentary about LGBTQ people seeking asylum abroad B
Us Dir. Jordan Peele. Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph B
Vitalina Varela Dir. Pedro Costa. Vitalina Varela, Ventura, Manuel Tavares Almeida B
The Wind: A Documentary Thriller Dir. Michał Bielawski. Documentary B+
③ Try to make time, but don't cry if you miss it
The Blonde One Dir. Marco Berger. Gaston Re, Alfonso Barón, Melissa Falter B+
Bombay Rose Dir. Gitanjali Rao. Voices of Cyli Khare, Amit Deondi, Gargi Shitole B
Carmilla Dir. Emily Harris. Hannah Rae, Devrim Lingnau, Jessica Raine B
Chained Dir. Yaron Shani. Eran Naim, Stav Almagor, Stav Patay, Asher Ayalon B
The Cordillera of Dreams Dir. Patricio Guzmán. Documentary about Chilean Andes B
Corpus Christi Dir. Jan Komasa. Bartosz Bielenia, Aleksandra Konieczna B
Deerskin Dir. Quentin Dupieux. Jean Dujardin, Adèle Haenel, Albert Delpy B
Digitalkarma Dirs. Mark Olexa, Francesca Scalisi. Documentary about Bangladeshi girl B
Dolemite Is My Name Dir. Craig Brewer. Eddie Murphy, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson B
The Farewell Dir. Lulu Wang. Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma, Chen Han C+
The Father Dirs. Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov. Ivan Barnev, Ivan Savov B
The First Rainbow Coalition Dir. Ray Santisteban. Documentary about radicals B
Gatwick: The Last Chance Hotel Dir. Jason Byrne. Documentary about a hotel B
Gay Chorus Deep South Dir. David Charles Rodrigues. Documentary about a choir B
Harriet Dir. Kasi Lemmons. Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, Janelle Monaé C+
The Hypnotist Dir. Arthur Franck. Documentary about hypnotist Olliver Hawk C+
I Lost My Body Dir. Jérémy Clapin. Voices of Hakim Faris, Victoire Du Bois C+
Instinct Dir. Halina Reijn. Carice van Houten, Marwan Kenzari, Marie-Mae van Zuilen B
It Must Be Heaven Dir. Elia Suleiman. Elia Suleiman, Grégoire Colin, Ali Suliman B
Ivana the Terrible Dir. Ivana Mladenović. Ivana Mladenović, Gordana Mladenović B
Judy Dir. Rupert Goold. Renée Zellweger, Darci Shaw, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock C
The Kingmaker Dir. Lauren Greenfield. Documentary about Imelda Marcos C+
Knives Out Dir. Rian Johnson. Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer B
The Last Autumn Dir. Yrsa Roca Fanberg. Documentary about rural Icelandic farmers B
The Laundromat Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas C
Let There Be Light Dir. Marko Skop. Milan Ondrík, Frantisek Beles, Zuzana Konecná B
Long Shot Dir. Jonathan Levine. Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael B
Ma Dir. Tate Taylor. Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis, McKaley Miller B
Marriage Story Dir. Noah Baumbach. Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern C
Maternal Dir. Maura Delpero. Agustina Malale, Lidiya Liberman, Denise Carrizo B
Midnight Family Dir. Luke Lorentzen. Documentary about Mexican ambulance crew B
Midsommar Dir. Ari Aster. Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren C
Les Misérables Dir. Ladj Ly. Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djibril Zonga B
Our Mothers Dir. César Diaz. Armando Espitia, Aurelia Caal, Emma Dib C+
Port Authority Dir. Danielle Lessovitz. Fionn Whitehead, Leyna Bloom, McCaul Lombardi C
Richard Jewell Dir. Clint Eastwood. Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates B
Seahorse Dir. Jeanie Finlay. Documentary about a pregnant transgender man B
Sequin in a Blue Room Dir. Samuel Van Grinsven. Conor Leach, Ed Wightman B
Spider Dir. Andrés Wood. Mercedes Morán, Felipe Armas, Marcelo Alonso B
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Dir. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. Documentary B
Toy Story 4 Dir. Josh Cooley. Voices of Tom Hanks, Annie Potts, Christina Hendricks B
Uncut Gems Dirs. Josh and Benny Safdie. Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, LaKeith Stanfield C+
Waiting for the Carnival Dir. Marcelo Gomes. Documentary about northern Brazil B+
Where'd You Go, Bernadette Dir. Richard Linklater. Cate Blanchett, Emma Nelson C
The Whistlers Dir. Corneliu Porumboiu. Vlad Ivanov, Catrinel Marlon, Rodica Lazăr B
② Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking
1917 Dir. Sam Mendes. George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Colin Firth C+
Abou Leila Dir. Amin Sidi-Boumédiène. Slimane Benouari, Lyès Salem, Azouz Abdelkader C
Adam Dir. Maryam Touzani. Nisrin Erradi, Lubna Azabal, Douae Belkhaouda B
And Then We Danced Dir. Levan Akin. Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili B
The Beach Bum Dir. Harmony Korine. Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher C
Bombshell Dir. Jay Roach. Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman C
Booksmart Dir. Olivia Wilde. Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Skyler Gisondo C+
The County Dir. Grímur Hákonarson. Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir, Hinrik Ólafsson B
The Dead Don't Die Dir. Jim Jarmusch. Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny C
Don't Look Down Dirs. Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau. Manika Auxire C
Ford v Ferrari Dir. James Mangold. Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Josh Lucas, Tracy Letts C+
Frankie Dir. Ira Sachs. Isabelle Huppert, Brendan Gleeson, Marisa Tomei, Jérémie Renier C
The Hottest August Dir. Brett Story. Documentary about modern New Yorkers C+
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Dir. Dean DeBlois B
Irving Park Dir. Panagiotis Evangelidis. Documentary about BDSM household B
Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway Dir. Miguel Llansó. Daniel Tadesse B
Jojo Rabbit Dir. Taika Waititi. Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie D+
Just Mercy Dir. Destin Daniel Cretton. Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Rafe Spall C
Late Night Dir. Nisha Ganatra. Mindy Kaling, Emma Thompson, Reid Scott C
Little Dir. Tina Gordon. Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Regina Hall, Tone Bell, Justin Hartley C+
Little Joe Dir. Jessica Hausner. Emily Beecham, Kit Connor, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox D
Luce Dir. Julius Onah. Kelvin Harrison Jr., Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth D+
Matthias & Maxime Dir. Xavier Dolan. Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas, Xavier Dolan C
Missing Link Dir. Chris Butler. Voices of Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis B
Mo Dir. Radu Dragomir. Dana Rogoz, Mădălina Craiu, Răzvan Vasilescu, Ştefan Mihai C
Motherless Brooklyn Dir. Edward Norton. Edward Norton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw D
The Mustang Dir. Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre. Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruce Dern C+
Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin Dir. Werner Herzog. Documentary B
The Prince Dir. Sebastián Muñoz. Juan Carlos Maldonado, Alberto Castro B
Redoubt Dir. Matthew Barney. Anette Wachter, Matthew Barney, K.J. Holmes C+
The Report Dir. Scott Z. Burns. Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm D+
Rocketman Dir. Dexter Fletcher. Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden C+
Serenity Dir. Steven Knight. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong F
Star Wars, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Dir. J.J. Abrams. Daisy Ridley C+
The Two Popes Dir. Fernando Meirelles. Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins C
The Vast of Night Dir. Andrew Patterson. Jake Horowitz, Sierra McCormick C+
The Warden Dir. Nima Javidi. Navid Mohammedzadeh, Parinaz Izadyar, Mani Haghighi C+
① Low ambition, little originality, easy to forget
Adoration Dir. Fabrice du Welz. Thomas Gioria, Fantine Harduin, Anaël Snoek C
Cats Dir. Tom Hooper. Francesca Hayward, Robbie Fairchild, Judi Dench, Idris Elba F
Cousins Dirs. Thiago Cazado, Mauro Carvalho. Paulo Sousa, Thiago Cavado C+
Klaus Dir. Sergio Pablos. Voices of Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones C
Nevrland Dir. Gregor Schmidinger. Simon Frühwirth, Paul Forman, Josef Hader D+
Orpheus' Song Dir. Tor Iben. Sascha Weingarten, Julien Lickert, Henry Morales D
Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral Dir. Tyler Perry. Tyler Perry D
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