Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith (plus special guests) discuss the best films so far in one of cinema’s most unusual years.

This episodes is a Seventh Row members exclusive, as are all episodes older than six months. Click here to become a member.

This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith, with special appearances by Ben Flanagan (@manlikeflan), Associate Editor Brett Pardy, Fatima Sheriff (@reaffirmsfaith), Mike Thorn (@MikeThornWrites), Valeria Villegas Lindvall, and Lena Wilson (@lenalwilson).

Podcast episodes related to the best films of 2020 (so far)

• Listen to our episode Shirley and Portraits of Female Artists
• Listen to our episode Abortion on screen and Never Rarely Sometimes Always
• Listen to our episode Comparing Emma Adaptations
• Listen to our episode on Sorry We Missed You and Peterloo

Lockdown Film School sessions related to the best films of 2020 (so far)

• Watch our Lockdown Film School session on directing with Alice Winocour
• Watch our Lockdown Film School session on nonfiction filmmaking with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen
• Sign-up for this Sunday’s Lockdown Film School session on directing with Jasmin Mozaffari and Darya Zhuk

Check out our contributing critics

• Ben Flanagan is an editor for Cinema Year Zero and
• Fatima Sheriff is a film critic for Screen Queens
• Mike Thorn’s work can be found on his website Mike Thorn Writes
• Valeria Villegas Lindvall can be found on Mai: Feminism and Visual Culture and in the upcoming book Women Make Horror
• Lena Wilson can be found on her website

Recommended reading on the best films of 2020 (so far)

• Read Orla’s interview with Anne at 13,000 ft director Kazik Radwanski
• Read Orla’s interview with The Assistant director Kitty Green
• Read Orla’s interview with Crystal Swan writer-director Darya Zhuk
• Read Alex’s interview with Ema director Pablo Larraín and lead actress Mariana di Girolamo
• Read Alex’s celebration of Josh O’Connor’s performance in Emma
• Read Orla’s review of First Cow
• Read Brett’s review of First Stripes
• Read Orla’s interview with Kuessipan director Myriam Verreault and co-writer Noami Fontaine
• Read Alex’s interview with No Crying at the Dinner Table director Carol Nguyen
• Read Orla’s interview with The Perfect Candidate director Haifaa Al-Mansour
• Read Orla’s interview with Proxima director Alice Winocur
• Read Ben’s interview with Swallow director Carlo Mirabella-Davis

Roads to nowhere: Kelly Reichardt’s broken American dreams

• Pre-order your copy of our newest ebook to discover how modern master Kelly Reichardt operates, and to read a series of essays about each of Reichardt’s films, which examine her thoughtful, quiet portraits of everyday lives.
• Read a free chapter from Roads To Nowhere, featuring an interview with Lily Gladstone
• Purchase your Kelly Reichardt mug