Categories are of limited use, but one way in which they are useful is to see differences between groups of people. As such, we have broken our top ten lists into two groups: one made up of people who are primarily filmmakers and a second made up of people who are primarily film scholars.

People in each group participate in the other in their day-to-day lives—in fact, it is perhaps impossible to practice either film scholarship or filmmaking without being at least familiar with either practice—but these groups represent how we would each first identify. Breaking the groups apart this way will hopefully enable you to see a little of what each group values in films. Below the top ten, you’ll find the individual lists from each member of the group along with any comments they wanted to include.

Below each filmmaker’s name, you’ll find a link to their IMDb and/or Vimeo pages as well as an editors note about what they’ve been working on in the past year. I encourage you to check out their projects. You’ll find as much variety there as you will in their lists. In addition to the projects listed in each of their bios, they’ve also all helped each other on each of their individual projects. – Elijah Davidson 

The Reel Spirituality Top 10 Films of 2014 – Filmmakers

1. Boyhood (5/36)
2. Calvary (4/31)
3. Ida (4/30)
4. Selma (4/26)
5. Birdman (3/20)
6. Snowpiercer (3/16)
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2/14)
8. Tie – The Overnighters (2/9) and Ilo Ilo (1/9) and St. Vincent (1/9)
9. Tie – American Sniper (2/8) Whiplash (2/8) and Under the Skin (1/8) and The Immigrant (1/8)
10. Tie – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (1/7) and A Coleção Invisível (Invisible Collection) (1/7) and Goodbye to Language 3D (1/7)
William Matthew “Matt” Aughtry
IMDb Vimeo

In the past year, Matt and his wife Katheryn had a child. He has also been pursuing his studies at Fuller Seminary as one of Brehm Center’s current Brehm Scholars, often making short films—such as The Desert and the Garden and God With Us—as part of his classwork. He also completed and premiered his short film, Man of God, at the Little Rock Film Festival. – Elijah Davidson

My list is in no way final, as I have yet to see a few movies that could shake things up. It’s also less well-thought-out once you get past number five, but such is life.

1. Boyhood
2. Ida
3. Selma
4. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
5. Calvary
6. American Sniper
7. Noah
8. X Men: Days of Future Past
9. Snowpiercer
10. Chef
Lauralee Farrer
IMDb

In the past year, Lauralee wrapped shooting on a film she has been working on for a decade, Praying the Hours. The film has become nine films – a narrative feature and eight thirty-minute short films. She has also continued her work at Fuller Seminary helming the recently debuted Fuller Magazine as Editor in Chief. – Lauralee Farrer

1. Birdman
2. Ida
3. Calvary
4. A Coleção Invisível (Invisible Collection)
5. Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey
6. Alive Inside
7. Particle Fever
8. Boyhood
9. Chef
10. Big Eyes

Close
The LEGO Movie, Foxcatcher, St. Vincent, Interstellar, Amira and Sam

No
The Babadook, Gone Girl, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, Nymphomaniac 1 and 2

Unseen
The Imitation Game, Whiplash, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Unbroken, Fury, The Theory of Everything, Selma, Jodorowsky’s Dune, Life Itself, Citizen Four, Mr. Turner, Goodbye to Language 3D
A.C. Neel
IMDb

In the past year, A.C. premiered and made the festival circuit with the feature fllm he wrote and produced, We Grew Up Here, as well as continuing his studies at Fuller Seminary. – Elijah Davidson

1. Snowpiercer
2. St. Vincent
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Calvary
5. Selma
6. Boyhood
7. Foxcatcher
8. The Imitation Game
9. The Overnighters
10. Birdman
Avril Speaks
IMDb

In the past year, Avril completed her Masters degree at Fuller Seminary and co-wrote, directed, and debuted her web series, Sisters: A Web Series. She also continues to teach at Azusa Pacific University. – Elijah Davidson

1. Selma
2. Birdman
3. Boyhood
4. Whiplash
5. Dear White People
6. The Lego Movie
7. Stations of the Cross
8. Ida
9. Girlhood
10. Wish I Was Here
Eugene Suen
IMDb

For the past year, Eugene Suen has been working with his partners, Lee Isaac Chung and Sam Anderson, on a documentary about life in Rwanda, I Have Seen My Last Born, as well as seeking funding for his their next feature film. He has also been co-directing the work of Reel Spiritualty, procurring films and scheduling filmmakers for our quarterly screenings in Pasadena. – Elijah Davidson

1. Boyhood (Richard Linklater, US)
2. Ilo Ilo (Anthony Chen, Singapore)
3. The Immigrant (James Gray, US)
4. Goodbye to Language 3D (Jean-Luc Godard, France/Switzerland) 
5. Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, US)
6. The Salt of the Earth (Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, France/Brazil)
7. Snowpiercer (Bong Joon-ho, South Korea)
8. American Sniper (Clint Eastwood, US)
9. Selma (Ava Duvernay, US)
10. Whiplash (Damien Chazelle, US)
Steve Vredenburgh
IMDb Vimeo

Steve has spent the last 7 years trying to figure out how to integrate film into a worship context filling roles that combine the words media, communication, director, and coordinator, in various combinations. Studying in Fuller’s theology and the arts program is another attempt to learn how to do church media better. We’ll be premiering his first video essay, Framing the Faith of Ida, on Reel Spirituality in a few weeks. – Elijah Davidson

1. Calvary
2. Ida
3. Under the Skin
4. The Overnighters
5. 20,000 Days on Earth
6. Guardians of the Galaxy
7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
8. Only Lovers Left Alive
9. Coherence
10. We are the Best!