ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

56 Spanish Film Directors Select Top 21st Century Movies for elDiario.es Survey

opinion-review · 2026-04-20

So, elDiario.es recently ran a survey with 56 filmmakers from Spain to find out which movies from the 21st century have had the biggest impact on them. Some well-known names like Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro Amenábar, and Isabel Coixet took part, sharing their personal picks of influential films since 2000. Interestingly, while there were a few American films on the list, it diverges significantly from a similar one published by the New York Times six months ago, which focused mostly on Anglo-American films. This survey highlights how Spanish directors have a distinct viewpoint, prioritizing their personal connections to the films over just their critical success.

Key facts

  • 56 Spanish film directors participated in the survey
  • The survey was conducted by elDiario.es
  • Directors selected the best films of the 21st century
  • Lists include films from the past 25 years
  • The year 2000 serves as the starting boundary
  • The results contrast with a New York Times list from six months ago
  • The New York Times list was dominated by Anglo-Saxon cinema
  • Directors had complete freedom in their selections

Entities

Artists

  • Pedro Almodóvar
  • Alejandro Amenábar
  • Oliver Laxe
  • Carla Simón
  • Alauda Ruiz de Azúa
  • Javier Calvo
  • Javier Ambrossi
  • Isabel Coixet

Institutions

  • elDiario.es
  • New York Times

Locations

  • Spain
  • United States

Sources