Welcome to the fifth annual Anti-Criterion Challenge- a companion, confutation, rebuttal, and rebuffing of the Criterion Challenge!

The goal is simple: 1 Year. 52 prompts. 52 feature length films that are NOT in The Criterion Collection. (And no rewatches!)

I’m very excited for this year’s challenge! A lot of playtesting and design goes into creating the ACC, and I had a lot of fun finding exciting prompts. You can check the notes for recommended films in each category and for the all of the bonus challenges. And this year, all of the prompts can be completed with films by BIPOC and Latinx directors. (More on that in the Certificate of Completion section below.)

As in previous years, share your list in the comments and I’ll add it to the description. Then let me know when you've completed the challenge and you'll get a green check and a certificate.

And feel free to use “anti-criterion challenge 2025” or “acc2025” so others can see what you’re watching.

But you don’t care about any of that. You just want the challenges. Let’s do this.

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Categories

1. 5 Years of Anti-Criterioning! Pick any challenge from the past 4 years of challenges!
2. 1920's
3. 1930's
4. 1940's
5. 1950's
6. 1960's
7. 1970's
8. 1980's
9. 1990's
10. 2000's
11. 2010's
12. 2020's
13. Starring Hiam Abbass
14. Starring Sandra Oh
15. Starring Isaac de Bankolé
16. Olivier Lemay's I'M ALWAYS A SLUT FOR UNUSUAL ASPECT RATIOS
17. Adam T's Hotels as Liminal Spaces
18. michelle grondine's blue eyeshadow cinematic universe
19. comrade_yui's neo-expressionism: the forgotten studio style
20. Horror made in Indonesia by an Indonesian director
21. Romance or Drama made in South Korea by a South Korean director
22. A film with practical monsters or creatures
23. Golden Raspberry Winner in any category
24. Film that did have a theatrical release, but did not have a theatrical release in the US
25. Film from any director in any style or genre
26. Another film from the same director in a different style or genre
27. A narrative film or documentary about sex work *
28. A narrative film or documentary about a revolution, demonstration, protest, activist, or human rights movement *
29. Starring one of the Real Housewives
30. Payal Kapadia's List of 50 Favorite Films
31. Condemned by the Catholic Church
32. Directed by an indigenous director whose work you haven't seen before
33. Directed by a trans, nonbinary, two-spirit, or other gender non-conforming director whose work you haven't seen before
34. Broken up into chapters
35. Five or more words in the title *
36. Made with a micro-budget (less than $400,000) *
37. Armando Vanegas' Afro-Latino Representation
38. Mentioned in Shazia Iqbal’s article Muslim Life in India for Film Independent
39. Edited by Maysie Hoy
40. Edited by Marie-Hélène Dozo
41. Edited by Tina Baz
42. A film whose primary spoken language is the primary language for less than 1,000 other films *
43. Musical that is not in English
44. Based on mythology, folklore, or fairy tales *
45. Adapted from a children’s book
46. Silent film made in Japan by a Japanese director
47. Comedy made in Egypt by an Egyptian director
48. Starring a professional athlete
49. From a fandom you've never participated in
50. Hallmark holiday (or equivalent vibes)
51. Someone holds a cat
52. Ends in a freeze frame

(* indicates a bonus challenge! See the notes!)

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Participants

Wade McCormick ~ unmorality ~ mica ~ devi123 ~ Nick Atkins ~ edviolet805 ~ SuzanneonFilm ~ Lauren Stoolfire ~ Julia ~ Mara 🦋 ~ Lastyearat.quarantine ~ Jason Cimon ~ Benjamin Baron ~ TacoChelle ~ Teagan ~ KevSaund ~ imr0nburgundy ~ VinJose ~ Kamil ~ bella ! ၄၃ ~ eightandahalf ~ jazzercise ~ jul42 ~ sulienyx ~ Mason Kuzmich ~ Charcastrology ✨ ~ Vaibhav Sinha ~ sav ~ JJ ~ Rev/Matt ~ JLoRabbit ~ kylee ~ Halfoun ~ Nash ~ SoRefined ~ Damian ~ Alessandro Canonici ~ Adam0 Romeror ~ David ~ erinnthered ~ EnnuiOnMe ~ sailordanae ~ silviubalea ~ brina

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: There are over 1600 films in the Criterion Collection! I can’t memorise 1600 films! What’s the best way to determine if a film is or is not in the Criterion Collection?

A: The best way to check is to follow this list, which is updated every month when new films are added to the collection. When you are considering a film for a prompt, you can click on the lists that film is on, and then filter to “Your Liked Lists” to see if it's on the complete list.

Additionally, the Criterion Channel is NOT the Criterion Collection. There are films in the collection that are not streaming on the channel, so you cannot go by what is or is not available. This also means that you can select films that are streaming on the channel but are not in the collection to fulfill the prompts.

Q: What about the Eclipse Collection? The Janus Contemporaries? The laserdisc releases? The Merchant Ivory Collection?

A: For the official rules of the challenge, the only films that are off limits are the films in the Criterion Collection proper. A number of films have graduated from Eclipse or laserdisc to the Collection, so those are included. But everything else is fair game. (That being said, I personally like to add the challenge of excluding Eclipse films as well, seeing as they are more or less inclusions to the Criterion canon, just with DVD-only releases and no bonus features.)

Q: What if I pick a movie for a challenge and then it gets added? Do I have to replace it?

A: For the official rules of the challenge, you only need to watch films that have been announced for the collection as of December 31, 2024. (The films announced in December won’t be released until February of 2025, but are considered part of the collection for the purpose of this challenge.) Again, I personally like to go for the extra challenge of having none of the films announced in 2025, but that’s an extra challenge.

(When the final announcement comes, usually around December 15th, I will note the final spine number for the cut off.)

Q: Is it ok if the film I want to watch is on the Criterion Channel?

A: Yes! The Criterion Channel is NOT the Criterion Collection. Many films that are on the channel are not in the collection! Conversely, many films that are in the collection are not on the channel. This is why looking to see if a film is available on the channel is not a way to pick films for the challenge.

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Certificate of Completion

Once you complete the challenge, leave a comment saying you’ve done so and I will stick a green check next to your name in the description. (There will also be a certificate that you can download as well! I will post a link to that closer to the end of the year.)

But you can also earn additional honors—

If you also complete all the bonus challenges, you will get your certificate cum laude.

If all of the films you watch for the challenge are directed by BIPOC and Latinx directors, you will get your certificate magna cum laude.

And if you complete all of the challenges with bonus challenges and all films are BIPOC and Latinx directors, you will receive your certificate summa cum laude.

(I have confirmed that there are multiple ways to accomplish summa cum laude, with relatively accessible, streamable options. But if you are struggling to find a film that matches all the criteria, please let me know and I will help!)

If you think you complete the challenge with honors, you will receive a place of pride in the description and a custom certificate with your name on it!

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A Quick Note on the terms BIPOC and Latinx

In issuing this part of the challenge, I think it's important to note that race is a social construct, whose impacts manifest differently in every culture. Specifically, the term BIPOC is overly broad and particularly rooted in a North American perspective on race. I would even go as far as to say that the term BIPOC is language we were using to talk about race five years ago, and may not even fully reflect the conversations being had today. However, I’ve arrived at this language as the best way to succinctly communicate the spirit of this challenge— to watch movies that are not derived from white North American, European, and colonial experiences and perspectives.

With this in mind, there are a few specific notes I would like to offer.

1. In determining the completion of the magna and summa cum laude honors, we will not be engaging in the adjudication of whether or not anyone is “ethnic” enough to be included in the BIPOC umbrella. Colorism has always been used as a tool for oppression and division by colonialist societies. In the case of individuals who are mixed-race, their ethnicity is determined by how they choose to identify.

2. The reason for the "and Latinx" distinction is that white Latinx individuals do not necessarily fall under the BIPOC umbrella, but do have perspectives that are often different from the white North American, European, and colonial perspectives I mentioned above. But like I stated above, the experience of white Latinx people is not a monolith, and is different from country to country and culture to culture. Like I noted above, the language is imperfect, but I think it is important to include all Latinx perspectives in this challenge. That being said, I do encourage you to seek out indigenous and Black Latinx voices when you're picking the films for your challenge!

3. I've also intentionally not used the word "Hispanic" so as to not include directors from Spain or of exclusively Spanish descent. (For example, Guillermo Del Toro, whose parents were both from Spain, is a white Hispanic director.)

4. In the past I have been asked for a definition and explanation of what I mean in this challenge when I use the word indigenous. To keep a long description section short, (Too late!) I’ve included an explanation of the usage, as well as helpful links and personal recommendations in the notes for prompt 32.

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Thanks

Thanks to all the users whose lists have been featured in this year's challenge for their amazing curatorial work.

Thanks to Michelle Grondine for helping me find good user lists for the prompts. And of course, for being an amazing film and media literacy friend. A special thank you to my partner Jasper, who has had to hear about every prompt on the list, and many, many prompts that did not make it, more than once, and who has offered invaluable feedback and support throughout the process of creating this year’s challenge.

And finally, thanks to all you wonderful Letterboxdians, who make this community such a fun and exciting place to be. I’ve loved making this challenge for the last five years and seeing a little community form around it. Here’s to many more years of anti-criterioning to come!

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One last thing...

I put a lot of work, playtesting, and, as a result, time into this year's challenge. I like to think that it’s all the little details that can make something a pleasant and fun experience, and it makes me happy to see how much joy this brings people. But if you’re feeling extra generous and want to help offset the dent in my movie theater ticket budget caused by the extra coffee required to make this thing, you can buy me half of a ticket to my local movie theater over on ko-fi.

Also, Michelle Grondine and I are (still) working on a top secret, film adjacent project. (I promise we’re really close to bringing this to the real world! If you wanna know when it becomes a thing, add your email on our one email only mailing list! (Seriously, we'll only send you one email and then we'll delete your email forever.)