Kino Film Collection Best of 2025: Staff Picks!

As 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to look back on another fantastic year here at Kino Film Collection. This year gave us much to celebrate, from Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’s Oscar nomination to Abou Sangaré's Breakthrough Performer win at this year's Gotham Awards for Souleymane's Story. But what we’re most excited to highlight are the films themselves—all 99 of them. That’s the number of unforgettable films our team brought to the Kino Film Collection this year. From cinematic bodice-rippers and candy-colored Euro-cult to defining titles of the L.A. Rebellion and even more Oscar-nominated docs, our curation of critically acclaimed indie and arthouse gems continues to grow. 

If you’re curious to give Kino Film Collection a try but not sure where to start, the Kino Lorber team is here to help. We asked staff members to choose their top 2025 picks and tell us why. With so many outstanding films to choose from, it was no small task. Here are their glowing recommendations.

The Divine Order (2017)

"Empowering, warm, and comedic film about women's rights in Switzerland. Did you know women gained the right to vote in Switzerland in 1971? And the last canton to grant women the vote was in 1990!"

— Jameson Oyer, Digital 

See Jameson's other film recs here.

Keep the Change (2018)

"Keep the Change is both a quintessential New York rom-com, and like nothing you've seen before. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face and warm your heart."

— Estelle Kelly, Educational 

The General  (1925)

"Keaton kills and will make any silent film doubter jump the track to become a fan..."

— Richard Lorber, Founder and Chairman (aka The General)

Learn jaw-dropping facts about Buster Keaton here, and see what other films Richard recommends.

The Falling Star (2024)

"If you're torn between Buster Keaton, Amélie, and Knives Out, watch this. Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel (Lost in Paris) are an absolute delight."

— Heidi Millay, Home Entertainment

Chained for Life (2019)

"Chained for Life is an offbeat, funny, and genuinely charming film that blurs the line between performance and reality. With tenderness and wit, it explores beauty, the depth of human experience, and the way movies shape our perceptions—establishing Schimberg as a rising filmmaker. Thoughtful, playful, and profoundly moving, it’s a film that lingers."

— Josh Mozes, Finance 

Let the Corpses Tan (2018)

“Let the Corpses Tan is a visual feast. It’s in the style of poliziotteschi (Italian cop/crime flicks from the 60s/70s)—a bit giallo-adjacent, a bit Western-adjacent. The story is about a group of robbers who hijack a truck full of gold bars and then hide out in the ruins of a coastal Mediterranean town. When a group of cops on motorcycles show up, an all-night standoff and shootout ensues. There's gunfire, there's sex, there's blood, there's gold—it's like your eyes are glued open and you're just being assaulted by the visuals. I love it. It's a pure cinema experience.”

— Nicholas Kemp, Theatrical 

Nick has even more must-see recommendations. 

Boyfriends and Girlfriends (1987)

"The sixth and final instalment in Eric Rohmer's 'Comedies and Proverbs' series, this delightful 1987 French rom-com is full of Rohmer’s usual romantic shenanigans, but the star here is the setting: the sterile yet charming ’70s-built new town of Cergy-Pontoise on the outskirts of Paris. And also its color palette, which is glorious."

— Adrian Curry, Design 

The Aviator's Wife (1981)

"One of Éric Rohmer's loveliest films is the first in his 'Comedies and Proverbs' cycle, an open-air romantic roundelay of jealousy, amateur espionage, and the rapport of the rejected."

— Robert Sweeney, Home Video

See here for more French deep cuts.

The Blues Under the Skin (1973)

"Features a stacked lineup of blues legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy. Definitely worth watching for those two alone."

— Danny Gonzalez, Digital 

Have a festival at home with these other great music films.

A Hard Day (2014)

"Imagine having one of the worst days of your life, and then trying to find a way to get away with murder (that you technically didn't even commit!). A Hard Day will keep you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning. I wish I could watch it again for the first time to experience the same adrenaline rush I felt during my initial viewing."

— Bri Rivera, Marketing 

Goodbye to Language (2014)

"Godard's next to last film shows him at his radically smart and entertaining best. I wish I could see it in 3D. I was also inspired by Richard Lorber's Substack post, which makes a compelling case for the film."

— Rick, Intern

Learn more about Jean-Luc Godard here.

Electra, My Love (1974)

"A spectacular and grandiose restaging of the Greek tragedy. The colors, the production design, the choreography of the camera and characters—everything is incredible. Miklós Jancsó is widely regarded as one of the masters of long takes, and Electra, My Love is one of the most impressive displays of his talent."

— Juan Medina, Press & Publicity

Want to learn more about Miklós Jancsó? Keep reading.

The Mill and the Cross (2011)

"Ever wonder what it's like to exist inside a 14th Century painting?"

— Reid Rossman, Digital

Vice and Virtue (1963)

"Come for the vice, stay for the virtue."

— Jameson Oyer, Digital

As I Open My Eyes (2015)

"Leyla Bouzid’s debut feature and my favorite title in the Kino Lorber library, As I Open My Eyes immerses viewers into the world of youth on the edge of revolution in Tunisia. Following a young singer whose voice becomes both a refuge and a quiet rebellion, the film captures the fragile space where creativity collides with consequence, and where a young woman must decide how much of herself she can risk for the truth she wants to live."

— Haya Alghanim, Marketing

For more contemporary Arab cinema, click here. 

Northern Lights (1978)

"Beautifully photographed snapshot of a family, community, and nation in flux, trying to weather the brutal realities of early 20th century. Building off of the Prairie Trilogy, Northern Lights offers a naturalistic glimpse at a period swept under America's rug, maybe for fear that we will learn more and take it to heart. The film's harsh landscape and evocative Scandanavian folk soundtrack provide a lush, if bleak, backdrop over which the personal and political struggles unfold."

— Greg Hanson, Production

Mädchen in Uniform (1931)

"If you watch enough older films with lesbian storylines you get used to meager scraps of queerness and tragic endings. I went in with low expectations, but Mädchen in Uniform (1931) was a genuine surprise. Set in a rigid all-girls boarding school before WWI, the film captures the giddy, rebellious intensity of teenage crushes in a way that still feels deeply relatable. At its center is Manuela, a new student, who naturally falls for her kind and beautiful teacher, Miss von Bernburg."

— Jess Latterman, Marketing

Learn more about queer cinema during Weimar Germany.

The Annhilation of Fish (1999)

"I love this Charles Burnett film and have been recommending it for months. I stood in front of my entire acting class and pitched it: ‘It stars James Earl Jones and Lynn Redgrave as two lost souls who find each other. He thinks he’s being regularly attacked by an invisible demon named Hank. She thinks she’s in a relationship with the late opera composer Giacomo Puccini.’ ‘So they’re crazy?’ Someone asked. ‘Maybe,’ I responded. ‘But we can all see a little bit of ourselves in them.’ I think I sold them."

— Alicia Lu, Marketing

Get a deep dive on The Annihilation of Fish.

Eva Hesse (2016)

"A revealing look at a true original who died at 34 just as her star was rising and the '60s New York art scene she moved through. Pair it with Riefenstahl for a double feature of distinct legacies—one ardent to form at all costs, the other radically breaking it open."

— Monica Kapoor, Production

Or pair it with !Women Art Revolution.

Killer of Sheep (1977)

"This year we were fortunate to release two Charles Burnett restorations. In his feature debut, Killer of Sheep, Burnett gracefully sketches both the harsh realities and everyday beauty of post-Civil Rights Black Los Angeles life. Definitely one of my all-time favorites."

— Juan Medina, Press & Publicity

Learn more about Charles Burnett and the L.A. Rebellion here.

Riefenstahl (2024)

"A fascinating, unvarnished look at one of the century’s most controversial women."

— Lisa Schwartz, Theatrical/Digital

Watch our interview with Riefenstahl director Andres Veiel and producer Sandra Maischberger here.

The Day of the Dolphin (1973)

"Made my 11-year-old self believe dolphins could talk."

— Reid Rossman, Digital

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025)

"An eye opening, intimate, and beautiful view into Marlee's accomplishments, her challenges and how the sudden spotlight changed her life in unexpected ways. I especially love the attention and care the director took to tell her story from the perspective of someone who is deaf. We enter Marlee's world vs. her fitting ours."

— Monica Bloom, Marketing

Take a closer look at the doc. 

I Am Cuba (1964)

"Once lost and recovered three decades later, and now restored in magnificent 4K, Kalatozov’s rapturous portrait of pre-revolutionary Cuba endures as a stylistically radical and startlingly contemporary piece of global cinema."

— Libby Tofig, Legal

COMING DECEMBER 22