Asian filmmakers among top 100 greatest films of the 21st century, according to BBC Culture

By Diana Cheng
Asian American Press

CALGARY (Aug. 22, 2016) — The editors of BBC Culture on Monday announced their list of 100 greatest films of the 21st Century.

To commission the project, the editors surveyed 177 critics, representing “every continent except Antarctica.” It sounds like a formidable task, albeit in actuality, the critics are only looking at 16 years of cinematic works. Nevertheless, the titles are self evident of the positive effects of globalization, for the critics’ choices are markedly diverse.

The 21st century cinema has proven to be the window through which we can look out into the world, expanding our horizon from ancient tales to contemporary issues.

Among these 100 top films, fourteen are by Asian directors. More significantly, four of them are among the top ten. Here are the films that made the list:

98. Ten (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002, Iran)

66. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (Kim Ki-duk, 2003, Korea)

60. Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006, Thailand)

52. Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2004, Thailand)

50. The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2015, Taiwan)

46. Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami, 2010, Iran)

40. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005, Taiwan)

37. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong
      Weerasethakul, 2010, Thailand)

35. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000, Taiwan)

30. Oldboy (Park Chan-wook, 2003, Korea)

9. A Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011, Iran)

8. Yi Yi: A One and a Two (Edward Yang, 2000, Taiwan)

4. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001, Japan)

2. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000, Hong Kong)

Here is the link to the full list: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films.

Contact Diana Cheng on Twitter @Arti_Ripples or through her blog Ripple Effects, rippleeffects.wordpress.com.