GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #506 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

An actress and a filmmaker travel to a rural village after receiving a troubling video from a young woman.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Actor Behnaz Jafari receives a video apparently showing aspiring performer Marziyeh's suicide after her family blocks her ambitions. She and filmmaker Jafar Panahi drive to the girl's remote Azerbaijani-speaking village to determine what happened.

Why it belongs

Jafar Panahi positions a road inquiry as a layered conversation about female performers, rural custom, reputation, and who controls an image.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Phone video, narrow mountain roads, coded horn signals, village courtyards, old actresses, and offscreen conversations make access continually negotiated—Behnaz Jafari and Panahi play public identities unsettled by Marziyeh's demand.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Cannes1 win2018 · official festival record ↗
Award for Best Screenplay (Ex-Aequo)2018 · Jafar PANAHIofficial festival record ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.3
Engagement8.4
Ease8.5

Persian / Azeri · Not Rated
Narrative Feature
Mood: Humane & Reflective