We came together in different ways during 2020. You’ve seen the cheesy commercials. And while we’re not breaking out into song with strangers, it’s true.
We did come together in different ways this year.
Things like Zoom and watch party apps gave us tools to laugh and lollygag all the same. And thanks to the asserted effort by filmmakers across the world to continue entertaining the struggling masses — movies still gave us something to laugh and lollygag about. So, without further ado, here’s a little recap of our year at A.frame: Where filmmakers tell the stories.
Our year of movies, in review
This year, over 115 filmmakers authored articles on A.frame. On top of that, Academy members made over 175 hand-crafted movie watch lists for readers — covering 1,150+ movie titles from all decades of cinema. Enjoy our 2020 movies-packed recap below.
WINTER 2020
The year began with a historical win for Best Picture. The world fell in love with South Korean film Parasite — which was nominated for six Oscars and won four of them. It was the first non-English film to win the honor. Like Bong Joon Ho, we all drank until next morning. Some of us have kept going this entire year. After the show, we asked the now-awarded director about his all-time top films. Read that here.
Then we started with the art of moviegoing. Screenwriter and super-watcher Dan Waters revealed how to take in 300+ movies a year: read here.
SPRING 2020
When COVID hit, The Way Back producer Jennifer Todd Director talked about the struggles of releasing a movie during a pandemic outbreak. Justin Simien shared the movies we should we watching: movies that matter right now. And Channing Godfrey Peoples of Miss Juneteenth told us about the world she hopes her daughter will live in: "As a Black woman in America, I want her (my daughter) to be able to do everything that she wants to do.” Read it here.
Filmmakers continued doing what they could to keep entertaining movies fans across-the-world. Just to name a few:
Wesley Snipes wrote about the the pandemic and getting through a time of isolation. What do the people do in the projects—how do they quarantine?
Peter Ramsey provided 11 films born from empathy.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema founder Tim League described his movie theater's battle through the pandemic. Read it here.
Joker cinematographer Lawrence Sher unveiled his "Shots in Quarantine" on Instagram. It was rather impressive.
Misan Sagay, the writer behind Belle (2013), shared the movies made by female directors that most impacted her most.
Some filmmakers make movies to entertain. Others to challenge perceptions. In the first episode of Movies That Changed Us, we highlighted Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and how her short film helped to alter the judicial system of Pakistan forever. Watch this original Aframe video short.
Trolls World Tour brainchild Walt Dohrn told readers how he went from voice actor to heading up one of the year’s biggest animated films. Learn about his journey.
And finally in April, Hollywood also lost legendary actor Irrfan Khan. Freida Pinto shared a list of her favorite performances by the icon. Rest in peace, Irrfan.
SUMMER 2020
Summer loving might have been a little unconventional this year, but it was summer nonetheless.
Gina Prince-Bythewood revealed her favorite unconventional love stories. And Janet Yang shared her watchlist of sizzly Asian movies. “Some are erotic, some are romantic, but all are steamy.”
In June, independent distributor Marcus Hu discussed the legacy of new queer cinema — “We're not always making movies where we're superheroes. We're telling our stories as everyday people so that people know that we are just like everybody else.” Read the full piece.
In July, summertime sadness also unfolded, and composer Wendy Blackstone paid tribute to legendary film composer Ennio Morricone. Take a look.
All in all, summer ushered in one of 2020's brighter sides: drive-in movie theaters. A new generation of moviegoers discovered the magic of this retro moviegoing experience, and we created a photo essay around it: "A Night at the Drive-In"
FALL 2020
Autumn couldn’t have come sooner. Director Patricia Cardoso kicked off the season with her list of five films that get it right.
We connected with Bulgarian movie lover and architect Boryana Ilieva, who has been exploring great design in great films, with great dedication to boot. Her exquisite Floor Plan Croissant project is an ever-expanding series of meticulous watercolors depicting the intimate residential spaces of beloved films like Parasite, Roma, and Call Me by Your Name. Full interview with A.frame
Halloween was a gas...if losing sleep is your definition of a gas (and if people are still using the term gas to refer to something being cool, trendy).
Stephen King (yes, that Stephen King) shared his essential horror films. Ari Aster also made his own horror movie watchlist. And what’s more? We even broke down the 10 Hitchcock movies that every movie fan must see. We also celebrated Halloween with a new podcast, PLAYBACK, pieced together from an insane number of hours of interviews with the cast and crew of The Blair Witch Project.
After the scares, sound editor Nicolas Becker took us inside the mind of an audio master mind. “The way I try to work is to put the people in the condition where they can actually create links between what they hear and their own memory of sound. It’s also a way to talk directly to the body.” See the full article here.
Kevin Smith went back through his life and reflected on how he became the guy that’s “not supposed to be” in the movie industry: Kevin Smith on why he chose film (and don't forget about Part II and Part III).😉
And Trial of Chicago 7 writer/director Aaron Sorkin offered some advice on how to write a screenplay. And after No Time to Die was postponed again, we shared our binge list of how to James Bond your way through the holidays: Bond 101
It’s been a helluva year, here’s to movies, and all of the filmmakers and fans who contributed. Stay happy and healthy, everybody.
Can't wait to see you in 2021.
