Why twenty-one? Well, it’s partially laziness, partially the impossible difficulty of paring down the literally hundreds of films I’ve seen this year, most of which were at least pretty good, into your conventional Letterman-friendly top 10. Partially because twenty-one is a fun number that reminds me of trolling around New Brunswick, NJ with a bunch of drunken idiots carrying around fallen street signs. Now, this is by no means a ‘Best of the Fests’ list. Even with all concerted efforts, I could not see every quality film this year, and DEFINITELY didn’t go to every festival. Head on over to IndieWire for more top lists to keep you busy ‘til Groundhog’s Day — they’ve done a bang up job.

This is merely a compilation of my personal favorites, the films that stuck with me long after the credits rolled and the lights came up. Films that I feel have impacted my life, my art, and my approach toward independent film distribution ever since. These films all came care of some incredible filmmakers, and some of my favorite festivals of the year. So if you’re looking to expand your indie-experience, you could do a lot worse than the prestigious New York Film Festival (NYFF), True/False (T/F), Full Frame (FF), the Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFB), Seattle International (SIFF), South by Southwest (SXSW), and the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF). Some of these films will make the jump into mainstream media. One was directed by Stephen Soderberg, thus has no jump to make. Many of these films may not play theatrically outside of these special festivals, or if they do, may not play outside the major media centers. So please seek them out, continue to visit bastions of independent cinema (like IndiePix for instance!), pick them up on DVD, and be willing to expend some energy to find films truly worth your time.

This list is not in any particular order, because that’s ridiculous. I mean, think about it – how do you qualify your seventh favorite film? How is it better than the eighth? That’s just crazy. I’ve never been a big believer in ‘best’ lists when it comes to artistic endeavors. So think of this as more of a ‘really really good’ list.

Happy 2009 everyone! As the universe once told me – play off the moments in between the moments, look to the unseen, and give thanks. See you next year!

Jason’s Top Twenty-One Festival Films of 2008

Man on Wire (T/F)
Momma’s Man (IFFB)
Elegy (SIFF)
Surfwise (FF)
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thomspon (FF)
Che (NYFF)
Mancora (NYILFF)
Boy A (SIFF)
Body of War (FF)
Trumbo (FF)
Bulletproof Salesman (T/F)
PVC-1 (NYFF)
Opium – Diary of a Madwoman (SIFF)
Song Sung Blue (T/F)
Neither Memory Nor Magic (FF)
Nerdcore Rising (IFFB)
My Effortless Brilliance (SXSW)
Flying on One Engine (FF)
Eat, For This is My Body (SIFF)
The Order of Myths (SXSW)
Bomb It (FF)