FIPRESCI Crowns ‘The White Ribbon’ as Best Film of the Year

Less than 24 hours after Germany nominated Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon, it is the world critics association of FIPRESCI and its 223 members (I’m not one of them) that have bestowed the “Grand Prix 2009 for the Best Film of the Year” to the Haneke’s B&W delight. If it sounds a bit early in the year to hand out “best of” prize, it’s because their full year goes from August to July. The pic will be honored at an opening ceremony for the upcoming San Sebastián International Film Festival. The press release includes winners from the past decade, and I’ve got to say, almost the entire list figures in my personal top 50 list of the past decade. Solid stuff!

1999 Pedro Almodóvar’s All About My Mother
2000 Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia
2001 Jafar Panahi’s The Circle
2002 Aki Kaurismäki’s The Man Without a Past
2003 Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Uzak
2004 Jean-Luc Godard’s Notre musique
2005 Kim Ki-Duk’s Iron 3
2006 Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver
2007 Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
2008 Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood

If you had to choose just one, what is your favorite film from the ones mentioned above?