2021

Petite Maman

Chloé Zhao triumphed at the Oscars with Nomadland, Joanna Scanlan delivered a Bafta-winning turn in Aleem Khan’s indie-Brit hit After Love, and Céline Sciamma gifted us her most perfect film to date in the form of the sublime Petite Maman – a U certificate masterpiece that stands as a testament to the universal power of cinema to transform, engage and ultimately redeem audiences. This really is as near to flawless film-making as I have ever seen. This was also the year that Censor introduced audiences to the work of Welsh writer/director Prano Bailey-Bond, with composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch (who worked intimate wonders on Only You) brilliantly evoking the squishy retro ambience of the film’s 80s milieu. Meanwhile, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s Summer of Soul gave us what is arguably the greatest concert film ever made – a joyous celebration of the 1969 Harlem cultural festival.