IONCINEPHILE of the Month: Nia DaCosta – Ten Influential Films List

Have you ever wondered what are the films that inspire the next generation of visionary filmmakers? As part of our monthly IONCINEPHILE profile, Nia DaCosta premiered Little Woods at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and NEON releases the film in theaters on April 19th. Working on her next feature film and currently in busy mode, the filmmaker provided us with a ten list of influential films that she seeks out time and time again.

Alien – Ridley Scott (1979)
“A perfect movie. A beautiful horror film masquerading as a sci-fi movie. Brilliant actors who breathe life into characters that could have been flat. A true testament to the collaborative nature of movie making led by a visionary director.”

Apocalypse, Now – Francis Ford Coppola (1979)
“I found this in high school by way of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The sheer fucking audacity of this movie and the people who made it make it one of my all time favorites and biggest inspiration for becoming a director.”

Casablanca – Michael Curtiz (1942)
“This script is insane and it holds up so well. Captain Louis Renault is an all-time film character MVP.”

Daisies – Vera Chytilová (1966)
“One of a kind.”

Dog Day Afternoon – Sidney Lumet (1975)
“I mean, could this movie get made today? Maybe just? Performance, script, amazing direction all surrounding an unlikely folk hero.”

The Godfather – Francis Ford Coppola (1972)
“I mean, I dunno, man. It’s the fucking Godfather. I saw this movie and it gave me everything I needed by way of a film education. Not just what ended up on the screen but HOW it ended up there.”

In The Mood For Love – Wong Kar Wai (2000)
“Wong Kar Wai taught me about color, atmosphere, love. This movie is a testament to mood and character and subtext. And it’s just so damned beautiful to look at.”

Jaws – Steven Spielberg (1975)
“Whenever I’m stuck on blocking or shot listing I turn this movie on. Not to steal shots but just to revisit the wonderful logic of Spielberg’s camera placement and movement. There’s a reason he’s defined nearly every decade of film he’s participated in.”

Under the Skin – Jonathan Glazer (2013)
“It’s unlike anything I’d seen before and could remain opaque without being rudderless. Incredibly moving and disturbing. Inspiring because it makes me feel as though, in film, one could do anything.

Wendy and Lucy – Kelly Reichardt (2008)
“This film caught me by surprise. I just wanted to watch a Kelly Reichardt movie and this was my first. An immense character study, simple story, amazingly well-told. Stayed with me for a long time.