This 1955 debut of Satyajit Ray that follows the lives of two children in a Bengal village got him worldwide recognition.
Pather Panchali
This 1977 Italian giallo horror film directed by Dario Argento is a cult classic; it follows an American ballet student who transfers to a prestigious dance academy in Germany, only to discover that it is controlled by a coven of witches.
Suspiria
Robert Bresson's 1959 French drama that tells the story of Michel who is obsessed with a particular style of stealing.
Pickpocket
Jean Renoir's 1937 classic set in a German POW camp that explores relations between 2 French officers and a German commandant.
Grand Illusion
1973 Spanish drama directed by VÃctor Erice that shows the world through the eyes of a little girl named Ana who after watching the horror film Frankenstein begins to experience life using the elements of it.
The Spirit of the Beehive
Probably the best work of the great Japanese animator Miyazaki, this 1997 period drama is set in lush forests during the late Muromachi period of Japan with numerous fantastic elements like mythical warriors, beasts and figures of magic.
Princess Mononoke
This 1960 classic that depicts the decadence of modern society introduced the word 'paparazzi' to the world; best remembered for Anita Ekberg dancing in the Trevi fountain - life is sweet.
La Dolce Vita
This 1959 French film by François Truffaut details the life of a troubled adolescent named Antoine Doinel; it title refers to an expression 'faire les quatre cents coups' which means 'to raise hell' and not to any punishment.
The 400 Blows
This 1952 Italian story of the title character who desperately tries to keep his residence against all odds is likely to stay with you forever.
Umberto D
Dark 1991 comedy set in a post-apocalyptic France; the story is set in an apartment building that is owned by a butcher specializing in a 'different' kind of meat; one of the wackiest movies you'll ever see.
Delicatessen
This 1972 film was adapted by Andrei Tarkovsky from a classic sci-fi novel of Stanisław Lem and is a meditative psychological drama occurring mostly aboard a space station orbiting the titular planet.
Solaris
The classic 1955 French thriller - a murder is committed and the body disappears!
Les Diaboliques
This classic 1989 Polish drama from Krzysztof Kieślowski consists of ten one-hour films, each of which represents one of the Ten Commandments, hence the title.
The Decalogue
One letter title of Costa-Gavras's classic political thriller set in Greece.
Z
Whoever thinks all animation is about 'cute' characters needs to see this gut-wrenching 1988 Japanese film that narrates the harrowing tale of two orphaned Japanese children during WWII.
Grave of the Fireflies
This 1920 horror classic from Germany tells the story of a titular doctor and his sidekick Cesare in the village of Holstenwall; said to have introduced the twist ending in world cinema.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
This 1927 film by Fritz Lang is considered the first sci-fi epic; set in an 'urban' dystopia, it explores the relations between workers and owners in capitalism.
Metropolis
Ang Lee's 2000 classic that is the highest-grossing foreign-language film in American history; one clue - search for a stolen sword called the Green Dragon.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
This 1997 Austrian thriller whose plot involves two young men who hold a family hostage and torture them with sadistic games is not so laughable.
Funny Games
This Iranian film from Abbas Kiarostami has an intriguing plot about a man who drives through a city suburb looking for someone who can carry out the task to bury him after he commits suicide.
Taste of Cherry
Plot: Guido Anselmi, a famous Italian film director, is suffering from 'director's block.' This Fellini film's title is a pointer to the number of films he had made at that point of time.
8½
This 2011 Iranian film by Asghar Farhadi is a recent addition to the list of foreign classics; a simple domestic incident escalates into a situation whose ramifications impact two families in a major way.
A Separation
1993 drama that explores the effect of China's political turmoil during the mid-20th century on the lives of individuals, families, stars in a Peking opera troupe and the woman who comes between them; remains to date the only Chinese-language film to win the Cannes Palme d'Or.
Farewell My Concubine
Kenji Mizoguchi's 1953 ghost movie - if 'U' don't know this, you should definitely watch it.
Ugetsu
The baby carriage on the steps - what, you want more?
The Battleship Potemkin (1925)
This 1928 film that saw the debut of the great Spanish director Luis Buñuel is best remembered for a scene in which a razor slices an eyeball.
An Andalusian Dog
This 1991 film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li is often considered one of the greatest films to come out of China; tells the story of a young woman who becomes one of the concubines of a wealthy man during the Warlord Era.
Raise the Red Lantern
1965 Czechoslovak masterpiece about the Aryanization program in a small town during WWII and one of the greatest movies made about the holocaust; the protagonist takes over a Jewish shop of an old woman.
The Shop on Main Street
This remarkable and Oscar-winning 2006 German drama shows the workings of the dreaded Stasi through the eyes of a cold agent Wiesler and has been called by some critics as the best movie they ever saw.
The Lives of Others
This 1945 all-time great French movie depicts the art scene of the 19th century and was once voted the 'Best French Film Ever' in 1995; also known for its legendary making during the German occupation of the country during WWII.
Children of Paradise
1988 Spanish black comedy from Pedro Almodóvar; as the title indicates, its about melodrama, hysteria and ladies on the edge.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
The first Danish film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this delicious movie is based on a short story by Isak Dinesen. You will be hungry for a sumptuous meal after seeing this one.
Babette's Feast
2002 Brazilian crime film by Fernando Meirelles that traces the devolution of a housing project from the 60s to the 80s and shows unflinching gang warfare.
City of God
Kurosawa's 1985 film that is a loose adaptation of King Lear.
Ran
This popular 1952 work of René Clément is set in wartime France and tells the heartbreaking story of two children who spend their time burying dead animals; it probably has the saddest ending in the history of movies.
Forbidden Games
Beautiful 1966 coming-of-age story about a boy working at a train station in German-occupied Czechoslovakia during WWII; all he wants to do is score some.
Closely Watched Trains
This 1950 work of Kurosawa made from a story of Ryunosuke Akutagawa depicts a crime from multiple views and makes us question if there is anything such as absolute truth.
Rashomon
This raunchy 2001 Mexican coming-of-age teen flick is about two boys who take a road trip with an older woman.
Y Tu Mamá También
This sensuous 1993 Vietnamese film that follows the life of a young girl named Mui.
The Scent of Green Papaya
Ozu's 1953 film tells the story of an aging couple who travel to the titular city to visit their grown children but find their children are too absorbed in their own lives to spend much time with them; another classic of world cinema.
Tokyo Story
This 1971 Taiwanese film directed by King Hu that is considered 'the' wuxia film features a princess on the run; the first Chinese language action film ever to win a prize at the Cannes.
A Touch of Zen
1972 West German adventure film written and directed by Werner Herzog that stars Klaus Kinski stars in the title role of a Spanish soldier who leads a group of conquistadores down the Amazon River in search of El Dorado.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
This 1976 Russian classic by Larisa Shepitko must be one of the most powerful films ever on war; follows two soldiers who are trying to get supplies for their stranded group of partisans in the Russian winter during WWII.
Ascent
Audrey Tautao was probably born to play the title role in this 2001 whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre.
Amélie
The only Russian film to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes, this 1957 film is the story of a wartime romance about two lovers who are separated by WWII.
The Cranes are Flying
The title of this 1985 nine-hour thirty-six minute film by Claude Lanzmann literally means 'holocaust' in Hebrew.
Shoah
Don't be fooled by the inviting title, this anti-war movie based on true incidents of WWII features a scene where people from an entire village, children included, are shoved into a barn that is set on fire.
Come and See
This 1993 German story follows a woman who needs to obtain 100,000 German marks in 20 minutes to save her boyfriend's life; do keep watching if you don't like the way the story is turning out because you will see two more versions.
Run Lola Run
1960 French romantic crime drama film from Jean-Luc Godard that is remembered today for its bold visual style and the use of jump cuts.
Breathless
Luis Buñuel's film that stars Catherine Deneuve as a woman who decides to spend her days as a prostitute while her husband is at work.
Belle de Jour
1954 world classic that follows the story of a village of farmers that hire a group of warriors to combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops. If you need more clues, you are definitely on the wrong quiz!
The Seven Samurai
Another Kurosawa classic - this examines the struggles of a minor Tokyo bureaucrat and his final quest for meaning via the construction of a public park.
Ikiru
This 1988 Italian work of Giuseppe Tornatore is a nostalgic evocation of his childhood as well as for the times when going to the movies was a pastime; lovingly shown through the eyes of an endearing child and his bosom adult buddy, this movie is sure to make you cry.
Cinema Paradiso
This 1928 work of Carl Dreyer is a historic epic about a much-loved French heroine.
The Passion of Joan of Arc
This 1948 Italian neorealist film directed by Vittorio De Sica is about a man and his son searching for the titular object.
Bicycle Thieves (or) The Bicycle Thief
This 1938 film by Leni Riefenstahl documenting a certain sporting event is controversial due to its political context; however it is still considered great as it pioneered advanced motion picture techniques that became industry standards.
Olympia
Fellini's 1957 work that stars his wife and muse Giulietta Masina as a prostitute.
Nights of Cabiria
This 1988 Dutch film has a man searching for his lost wife and features perhaps the most disturbing ending in the history of cinema; remade by Hollywood into a more sanitized version in 1993.
The Vanishing
This 1934 work of Leni Riefenstahl is one of the best-known examples of propaganda in film history; shows mass parades and the return of Germany as a great power, with Hitler as the True German Leader.
Triumph of the Will
This 1922 classic from F. W. Murnau is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, with details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel; introduced many vampire myths.
Nosferatu
This 2001 animated classic can be called a Japanese version of Alice in Wonderland; tells the charming story of a girl called Chihiro who is lost in a magical world of spirits that come to visit a bath-house; it really is a must-see.
Spirited Away
Lengthy 1982 film from Ingrid Bergman that follows the lives of a brother and sister in an aristocratic Swedish family.
Fanny and Alexander
1987 work of Wim Wenders that is about angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of humans. One of them falls in love with a trapeze artist and chooses to become human.
Wings of Desire
Unforgettable and claustrophobic underwater epic from Wolfgang Peterson; story is that of a U96 submarine whose mission is to hunt down allied ships.
Das Boot
Francois Truffaut's film about the theater during WWII; a Jewish director hides in the cellar for the duration of the war and his wife runs the theater.
The Last Metro
Game of chess with death - enough said.
The Seventh Seal
This 1966 war classic of Gillo Pontecorvo has been critically celebrated and is often seen as an important commentary on urban guerilla warfare; set in an Africa country where France was the occupier.
The Battle of Algiers
This 1931 classic from Fritz Lang, often considered his best work, deals with the disturbing subject of child murders and stars Peter Lorre; can't be too difficult to guess a one-letter title.
M
1957 Hindi film that was India's first entry to the Oscars; the titular character represents India as a nation in the aftermath of independence.
Mother India