A film “canon” exists that is revered as being composed of the greatest films of all time. Various scholars have put forth definitions of the canon. Rich Juzwiak defines it as “the supposedly unimpeachable classics that most people in the United States with a working knowledge of film have seen or are at least aware of” (“Rethinking the Film Canon”). In "The Politics of the Film Canon," Janet Staiger comparably defines canonized films as those “chosen for extensive discussion and analysis… [and] chosen to be reworked, alluded to, satirized…[as] privileged points of reference” (4). Built by institutions such as the Academy of Arts and Sciences (Juzwiak), this canon is referenced in cinema studies course syllabi; it forms the standard by which newer works will always be compared; its films are “indisputably” important. Canonized films are the "need-to-know" for every member of the film community. The films in this canon are largely directed and written by white men. This includes the usual suspects of Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and Francis Ford Coppola. The problem with the canon is not necessarily that these filmmakers are undeserving of their acclaim. The issue lies in the fact that the contemporary film canon is not wholly inclusive of all the talents that have advanced the medium of film to its current state. From my own approximation of the contents of the film canon, I found that, as of September 2023, approximately 98%* of the directors in the canon are male (the one female director being Chantal Akerman) and approximately 85%* of directors in the canon are White. Such exclusion from canonization and its benefits—preservation efforts, monetary industrial backing, career sustenance, presence in film course syllabi—negatively and disproportionately impacts gender and racial minorities whose efforts have historically gone unrecognized. Additionally, the uplifting of canonized films that abide by particular rules of style and storytelling techniques (eg. cinematography) ostracizes works from other arenas, like popular films.
This project, the anti-canon, was created as a reminder of the fact that great, meaningful films exist outside of the bubble of the established canon and to uplift the works of non-male, queer, and BIPOC filmmakers who have been historically overlooked. The selections on this website and the directors highlighted should force us—educators, students, critics, audiences—to reckon with the ways in which we define “quality” and whom we believe to be capable of being a filmmaker. The contents of the contemporary film canon reflect biases that existed long before the invention of moving imagery. Intervention now and in this place is both long overdue and perfectly timed. I am not simply asking for us to expand the contents of the film canon. I want us to reimagine the concept of the canon entirely. Rather than invest in a single standard of quality, let us imagine various canons that are all impactful and worthy in their own right. I urge us to unsubscribe from the urge to build hierarchies, the urge to build exclusive communities, and the urge to cling to inherited notions of quality. The goals of this project are to encourage audiences and students to decide for themselves what films they do and do not like, to encourage educators to recognize and take ownership of the impact of their syllabi, and to eliminate the high culture/low culture divides erected in the film community. In breaking down these divides and supporting personal journeys through film, I hope to remold the film community into one that is more inclusive of all the forms in which a filmmaker can and does exist and more inclusive of all the stories that they can tell. From this, we can create unimaginable new works untethered to the barriers of the past. The films included in this project were sourced from students (of a film background and otherwise), scholars, and educators. I prompted submissions by asking for films that people had seen and loved that were absent from current introductory cinema studies course syllabi. In communally curating this work, I seek to not impose another singular conception of quality (my own) on others. However, this work is not free from bias and is never complete. Not every recommended film was ultimately included in this project. The current selection is also presently dominated by films by Black directors and/or starring Black leads, reflecting the independent research project from which this website was born and my own personal filmic interests. As much as I fear reimplementing the structures of inequality that this work aims to resist, these are structures within which I exist and am affected by. However, this is not a condition to lament, but to own and manage through a system of checks and balances. Communal efforts of curation are a part of this, in addition to critical reflection on the motivations and impacts of my own work. This project is alive and malleable. I will never assert that this project is “complete,” as that closes it off to critique and future revision. New films will always be added and can be suggested on the homepage of this website. Similarly, I do not consider the current film canon to be complete, as that would make revisionist works like this one impossible. Another issue that this project seeks to address is lack of contextualization when teaching certain films. It is a disservice to teach a film without properly contextualizing the conditions under which it was made or its impact on audiences, whether these be positive or negative. As such, select films in this project include links to accompanying materials, such as readings and podcast episodes. For example, The Color Purple (1985, Steven Spielberg) is a complicated film that divided the Black community upon its release. It is accompanied by an article by Jaqueline Bobo and an NPR podcast episode delving into these conflicts. Users of this website can also suggest accompanying readings for existing films in this project on the homepage of the website. To reimagine the form and content of the film canon is to fundamentally change the way we think about the medium of film. With this change, we create more room and support for new people, new stories, and a new community to emerge. I look forward to what we will create as our point of reference (the canon) transforms. |