Last summer, The New York Times invited readers to assemble their own ballots for a “Readers’ Choice” edition of its list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. For my ballot, I picked 10 somewhat random films from this century that I had watched (several of which have directly influenced my approach to filmmaking) and submitted them for consideration. A few of my choices ultimately appeared on The New York Times’ official list, while others received honorable mentions. Below are the ten films I selected, presented in alphabetical order, along with brief notes on why I consider each one to be among the standout films of the century.

Signing off from 2021 with a look at my list of the Top 10 films I have seen this year. Happy New Year and see you in 2022!