Alex and Orla count down the 30 best films of 2021 and discuss the process behind creating the list. On this episode: Why this bonus episode is free to everyone (0:00) Selecting the list and where we look for films (0:56) Another strong year for Indigenous films (7:37) Why we only have three American films (16:02) Films directed by women (19:00) The importance of psychological complexity and new approaches to social change (22:24) Documentaries (24:55) The list (26:41) Conclusion (1:10:01) Show Notes: Read Alex's 2020 interview with Monkey Beach director Loretta Todd Read Orla's interview with Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Read Alex's interview with Slalom director Charlène Favier Read Orla's interview with Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy director Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers Purchase your copy of our ebook Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film, which includes interviews with Robert Greene (Procession), Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Flee), Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt (No Ordinary Man), Cheryl Foggo (John Ware Reclaimed), and more. Related Episodes   Ep. 118: The Souvenir Part I and II Ep. 114: Mia Hansen-Løve’s Things to Come and Bergman Island Ep. 113: The sci-fi love stories of About Time and I’m Your Man Ep. 101: Magnus von Horn’s Films: The Here After and Sweat Ep. 95: Reclaiming history in documentary: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed (Member's Only) Ep. 93: The films of Agnieszka Holland (Member's Only) Ep. 87: Couples dealing with cancer: Ordinary Love and Hope (Member's Only) Ep. 86: Depictions of childhood sexual assault: Una & Slalom (Member's Only) Ep. 85: The films of Naomi Kawase, featuring True Mothers (Member's Only) Ep. 84: Berlinale 2021, Part 2: The Competition (Member's Only) Ep. 82: Genocide on film: Quo Vadis, Aida Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.