Justine Smith (@redroomrantings) lives and writes in Montreal, Quebec. She has a bachelor’s degree in Film Studies and a passionate hunger for all kinds of cinema. Along with writing for Vague Visages, she has written for Vice Canada, Cleo: A Feminist Journal and Little White Lies Magazine.
2015 was a great year at the cinema for me. While I have since returned to working as a barista, I spent most of my year living and writing about film in full — a luxury I never imagined I’d be able to achieve. Thanks to the amazing Critics Academy program, I was able to go to Europe for the first time and attend the Locarno International Film Festival where I was able to learn from some of the greatest minds in film writing working today. There are so many amazing people I’ve met and worked with in these past 12 months, and I am eternally grateful to every last one of them. I’d especially like to thank Quinn for bringing me onto the Vague Visages team, where I’ve really had an opportunity to push myself professionally and personally. Narrowing down my favourite films of the year was no easy task, but as of late December, this is where my tastes gravitate.
9. Creed (Ryan Coogler)
8. It Follows (David Robert Mitchell)
7. Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas)
6. Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako)
5. Phoenix (Christian Petzold)
2. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)
1. The Duke of Burgundy (Peter Strickland)
Follow Justine on Twitter @redroomrantings
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