The results are in, and there’s no doubting the prominence of “12 Years a Slave” in Indiewire’s year-end critics poll: Steve McQueen’s slavery drama won four out of the seven categories where it was in contention, including Best Film, Best Director, and multiple performance categories.
But many more films gained plenty of recognition. Among the ballots submitted by 240 critics listed in our Criticwire Network, many appeared on dozens of critics’ top 10 lists, while others received support from significant minorities. Here’s a rundown of the top 25 films that made the cut with trailers for your browsing pleasure. Check out a list of the top 50 finalists here.
1. 12 Years a Slave (Film Page), directed by Steve McQueen (2013 Telluride Film Festival; October 2013 theatrical release)
836 points, 120 votes
2. Inside Llewyn Davis (Film Page), directed by Joel & Ethan Coen (2013 Cannes Film Festival; December 2013 theatrical release)
715 points, 103 votes
3. Before Midnight (Film Page), directed by Richard Linklater (2013 Sundance Film Festival; June 2013 theatrical release)
629 points, 95 votes
4. Her (Film Page), directed by Spike Jonze (2013 New York Film Festival; December 2013 theatrical release)
561 points, 82 votes
5. Gravity (Film Page), directed by Alfonso Cuaron (2013 Venice Film Festival; October 2013 theatrical release)
544 points, 80 votes
6. The Act of Killing (Film Page), directed by Joshua Oppenheimer (2012 Telluride Film Festival; July 2013 theatrical release)
396 points, 61 votes
7. Leviathan (Film Page), directed by Verena Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor (2012 Locarno International Film Festival; March theatrical release)
371 points, 52 votes
8. Blue Is the Warmest Color (Film Page), directed by Abdellatif Kechiche (2013 Cannes Film Festival; October 2013 theatrical release)
337 points, 55 votes
9. Upstream Color (Film Page), directed by Shane Carruth (2013 Sundance Film Festival; April 2013 theatrical release)
331 points, 59 votes
10. Frances Ha (Film Page), directed by Noah Baumbach (2012 Toronto International Film Festival; May 2013 theatrical release)
309 points, 58 votes
11. Spring Breakers (Film Page), directed by Harmony Korine (2012 Venice Film Festival; March 2013 theatrical release)
275 points, 52 votes
12. Stories We Tell (Film Page), directed by Sarah Polley (2012 Venice Film Festival; May 2013 theatrical release)
265 points, 46 votes
13. A Touch of Sin (Film Page), directed by Jia Zhang-ke (2013 Cannes Film Festival; October 2013 theatrical release)
233 points, 43 votes
223 points, 35 votes
219 points, 40 votes
16. Short Term 12 (Film Page), directed by Destin Cretton (2013 SXSW Film Festival; August 2013 theatrical release)
216 points,
17. Nebraska (Film Page), directed by Alexander Payne (2013 Cannes Film Festival; November 2013 theatrical release)
211 points, 36 votes
18. Computer Chess (Film Page), directed by Andrew Bujalski (2013 Sundance Film Festival; June 2013 theatrical release)
209 points, 37 votes
19. All is Lost (Film Page), directed by JC Chandor (2013 Cannes Film Festival; October 2013 theatrical release)
188 points, 36 votes
20. Museum Hours (Film Page), directed by Jem Cohen (2012 Locarno International Film Festival, June 2013 theatrical release)
178 points, 33 votes
21. The Wolf of Wall Street (Film Page), directed by Martin Scorsese (December 2013 theatrical release)
166 points, 28 votes
22. Like Someone in Love (Film Page), directed by Abbas Kiarostami (2012 Cannes Film Festival; February 2013 theatrical release)
157 points, 27 votes
23. To the Wonder (Film Page), directed by Terrence Malick (2012 Venice Film Festival; April 2013 theatrical release)
156 points, 24 votes
24. The World’s End (Film Page), directed by Edgar Wright (August 2013 theatrical release)
139 points, 25 votes
25. Beyond the Hills (Film Page), directed by Cristian Mungiu (2012 Cannes Film Festival; February 2013 theatrical release)
130 points, 24 votes
For 25 more top-ranked 2013 films from our critics poll, head to the results page.
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