After a year of cancelled film festivals and theatrical releases, 2021 has more than made up for it with its abundance of great cinema. Despite a global pandemic and rapidly changing distribution models, these films rose above the crop to astonish audiences through their profound and imaginative artistry. From Dea Kulumbegashvili’s striking debut Beginning, to Guillaume Brac’s sunny, effervescent All Hands on Deck, and scintillating re-releases such as Mandabi, this series highlights some of our favourite films released this year.

Stream our selection here.