Definitely more contenders this year than last (Esther Kahn a last-minute addition that looms larger with time). The next ten seems an impressive list on its own: Adaptation's near coup, the infectious Adrenaline Drive and Hair Under the Roses, the joyous but slight Friday Night, the formidable setpieces that makes one turn a blind eye to the slightness of Gangs of New York, the virtuoso pyrotechnics that almost hide the giantess that is Irreversible's thematic awkwardness, the always vigorous - even in its careen - of La faute à Voltaire, the bulky Platform, the faultlessly charming Raising Victor Vargas and Spider-Man.

1. Songs from the Second Floor (Roy Andersson)
2. Devils on the Doorstep (Jiang Wen)
3. Late Marriage (Dovar Kosashvili)
4. Time Out (Laurent Cantet)
5. The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke), Esther Kahn (Arnaud Desplechin)
7. Trilogy: An Amazing Couple (Lucas Belvaux)
8. City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
9. Turning Gate (Hong Sang-soo)
10. Blue Gate Crossing (Yee Chih-yen)