Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film has compiled its list of the top 101 foreign-language films of all time. To create this list, members were asked to come up with their Top 25 foreign language films of all time. Foreign films in English (UK, Canada, Australia) were not counted. Chlotrudis will create separate lists for those films. After receiving all of the lists, numerical values were assigned to each of the rankings, and each movie was given a point total. The number of lists a movie appears on is also a factor. A total of 369 films were represented on the individual lists. Films from 30 countries are represented in the final cut, spanning 8 decades of cinema. Several Chlotrudis members are well on their way to seeing all the films on the list. “If this isn’t a list that you should bring to your video store, I don’t know what is,” says Allison DaSilva, one of CSIF’s Board of Directors.

We hope you enjoy our list of the 100 Best Foreign Language films.

01 In the Mood for Love Wong Kar Wai Hong Kong/France/
Thailand
2000
02 Run Lola Run Tom Tykwer Germany 1998
03 Wings of Desire Wim Wenders West Germany/France 1987
04 Amélie Jean-Pierre Jeunet France/Germany 2001
05 After Life Hirokazu Koreeda Japan 1998
06 The Seven Samurai Akira Kurosawa Japan 1954
07 Spirited Away Hayao Miyazaki Japan 2001
08 All About My Mother Pedro Almodóvar Spain/France 1999
09 M Fritz Lang Germany 1931
10 Nights of Cabiria Federico Fellini Italy/France 1957
11 The Grand Illusion Jean Renoir France 1937
12 Raise the Red Lantern Zhang Yimou China/Hong Kong/Taiwan 1991
13 Rashômon Akira Kurosawa Japan 1950
14 La Dolce Vita Federico Fellini Italy/France 1960
15 The Bicycle Thief Vittorio De Sica Italy 1948
16 Cinema Paradiso Giuseppe Tornatore Italy/France 1989
17 Y tu mamá también Alfonso Cuarón Mexico/USA 2001
18 Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Pedro Almodóvar Spain 1988
19 Breathless Jean-Luc Godard France 1960
20 The City of Lost Children Marc Caro; Jean-Pierre Jeunet France/Germany
/Spain
1995
21 The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Jacques Demy France/West Germany 1964
22 The Seventh Seal Ingmar Bergman Sweden 1957
23 Hero Zhang Yimou Hong Kong/China 2002
24 Chungking Express Wong Kar Wai Hong Kong 1994
25 Blue Krzysztof Kieslowski France/Poland/
Switzerland/UK
1993
26 Beau Travail Claire Denis France 1999
27 Jules et Jim François Truffaut France 1962
28 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Ang Lee Taiwan/Hong Kong/USA/China 2000
29 The Tin Drum Volker Schlöndorff West Germany/France/ Poland/Yugoslavia 1979
30 Amores Perros Alejandro González Iñárritu Mexico 2000
31 Beauty and the Beast Jean Cocteau France/Luxembourg 1946
32 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Luis Buñuel France/Italy/Spain 1972
33 The 400 Blows François Truffaut France 1959
34 La Strada Federico Fellini Italy 1954
35 The Fast Runner Zacharias Kunuk Canada 2001
36 What Time Is It There? Tsai Ming Liang Taiwan/France 2001
37 Ikiru Akira Kurosawa Japan 1952
38 The Conformist Bernardo Bertolucci Italy/France/West Germany 1970
39 The Piano Teacher Michael Haneke France/Austria 2001
40 Black Orpheus Marcel Camus Brazil/France/Italy 1959
41 The Vanishing George Sluizer Netherlands/France 1988
42 Delicatessen Marc Caro; Jean-Pierre Jeunet France 1991
43 Italian for Beginners Lone Scherfig Denmark/Sweden 2000
44 The Marriage of Maria Braun Rainer Werner Fassbinder West Germany 1979
45 Pather Panchali Satyajit Ray India 1955
46 Audition Takashi Miike South Korea/Japan 1999
47 Yi Yi Edward Yang South Korea/Japan 2000
48 Diva Jean-Jacques Beineix France 1981
49 Life is Beautiful Roberto Benigni Italy 1997
50 My Life as a Dog Lasse Hallström Sweden 1985
51 The Princess and the Warrior Tom Tykwer Germany 2000
52 Scenes from a Marriage Ingmar Bergman Sweden 1973
53 Monsieur Hire Patrice Leconte France 1989
54 Blue Angel, The Josef von Sternberg Germany 1930
55 Red Krzysztof Kieslowski Poland/France/ Switzerland 1994
56 Double Life of Veronique, The Krzysztof Kieslowski France/Poland/Norway 1991
57 Ran Akira Kurosawa Japan/France 1985
58 Talk to Her Pedro Almodóvar Spain 2002
59 Hairdresser’s Husband, The Patrice Leconte France 1990
60 To Live Zhang Yimou China/Hong Kong 1994
61 Cries and Whispers Ingmar Bergman Sweden 1972
62 Orpheus Jean Cocteau France 1949
63 Princess Mononoke Hayao Miyazaki Japan 1997
64 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring Kim Ki-Duk South Korea/Germany 2003
65 My Neighbor Totoro Hayao Miyazaki Japan 1988
66 Cría cuervos Carlos Saura Spain 1976
67 Aguirre: The Wrath of God Werner Herzog West Germany/Peru/Mexico 1972
68 Celebration Thomas Venterberg Denmark/Sweden 1998
69 Purple Noon René Clément France/Italy 1960
70 Triplets of Belleville, The Sylvain Chomet France/Belgium/
Canada/UK
2003
71 Boot, Das Wolfgang Petersen West Germany 1981
72 Like Water for Chocolate Alfonso Arau Mexico 1992
73 Rififi Jules Dassin France 1955
74 Road Home, The Zhang Yimou China 1999
75 Lilya 4-Ever Lukas Moodysson Sweden/Denmark 2002
76 Contempt Jean-Luc Godard France/Italy 1963
77 Through a Glass Darkly Ingmar Bergman Sweden 1961
78 Whisper of the Heart Kondo Yoshifumi Japan 1995
79 Shoot the Piano Player François Truffaut France 1960
80 Band of Outsiders Jean-Luc Godard France 1964
81 Central Station Walter Salles Brazil/France 1998
82 King of Hearts Philippe de Broca France/Italy 1966
83 Vertical Ray of the Sun, The Anh Hung Tran Vietnam/France/ Germany 2000
84 Barbarian Invasions, The Denys Arcand Canada/France 2003
85 Scent of Green Papaya, The Anh Hung Tran France/Vietnam 1993
86 Color of Paradise, The Majid Majidi Iran 1999
87 L’avventura Michelangelo Antonioni Italy/France 1960
88 Cleo from 5 to 7 Agnès Varda France/Italy 1961
89 Persona Ingmar Bergman Sweden 1966
90 Antonia’s Line Marleen Gorris Netherlands/Belgium/UK 1995
91 Rome, Open City Roberto Rossellini Italy 1945
92 8 1/2 Federico Felinni Italy/France 1963
93 Faithless Liv Ullman Sweden/Italy/Germany/ Finland/Norway 2000
94 Kiki’s Delivery Service Hayao Miyazaki Japan 1989
95 Seven Beauties Lina Wertmüller Italy 1976
96 Amazing Couple, An Lucas Belvaux France/Belgium 2002
97 Claire’s Knee Eric Rohmer France 1970
98 Diabolique Henri-Georges Clouzot France 1955
99 Dreamlife of Angels, The Erick Zonca France 1998
100 3-Iron Kim Ki-duk South Korea 2004
101 Babette’s Feast Gabriel Axel Denmark 1987