To be fair, the votes for the Sight and Sound poll are done pretty much in a similar way to how the Academy votes for Best Picture. So maybe nobody actually picked it for number 1, but it had enough votes somewhere else on the list, that it got to number one. Weird process lol

I also think that if another movie directed by a woman had got to number 1, people would probably be saying the same thing they’re saying about Jeanne Dielman (‘there were better choices’). I think there’s something to be said about the fact that some people are questioning S&S’s motivation, and one has to wonder at what point does this not come into the conversation at all? It would be interesting to have a level-playing field across the board, but that has clearly not been the case, mostly due to lack of distribution, funding, trust etc given to female, LGBTQ+, POC filmmakers, and since the BFI/Sight&Sound has always been about showcasing and championing all movies made by everyone from everywhere, this list doesn’t surprise me at all and at the risk of being cheesy (who, me? Lol), a list like this is what a movie buff like myself wishes cinema and cinema lists would always be like.