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How these 2020 picks were selected
The BFI poll and No Film School list have different provenance. The BFI presents practitioners’ recommendations and commentary; No Film School asks its staff to choose favorites. Hyperallergic offers a brief guide to selected highlights from the BFI poll. The examples below retain those distinctions rather than turning unlike selections into a ranked top ten.
The poll also reflects a particular slice of the field. The BFI reported that 91 per cent of the videos in its 2020 poll were presented predominantly in English, 41 per cent were predominantly from the US, 28 per cent from the UK, and 71 per cent used film as their dominant medium. Female essayists’ work represented 33 per cent of the poll. These are figures about that poll, not the video-essay landscape as a whole; the BFI also notes that contributors and picks were not parsed by race. See the BFI poll and its context.
Hyperallergic described the poll as involving 42 creators who named more than a hundred videos. Its guide highlights several selections, while No Film School’s list offers a different set of staff favorites. Read Hyperallergic’s selection of poll highlights.
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Notable picks from the BFI poll
Forensickness — Chloé Galibert-Laîné
This desktop essay reflects on Chris Kennedy’s Watching the Detectives and online amateur investigation surrounding the Boston Marathon bombing. Its detective-story structure makes the act of searching part of the subject: interfaces shape what investigators see, how they follow clues, and what they believe they know. Hyperallergic also calls attention to its layered form, in which viewers watch someone watching. The BFI poll and Hyperallergic both discuss the work. BFI poll · Hyperallergic guide
In Search of a Flat Earth — Dan Olson (Folding Ideas)
Olson begins with flat-Earth conspiracy theories, then broadens the inquiry into conspiracy and power. The shift makes the essay a useful choice for viewers interested in how a specific belief system can open onto larger questions about the structures that sustain conspiratorial thinking. The BFI poll’s contributor commentary describes that wider scope.
Explosive Paradox — Kevin B. Lee
Lee returns to the site of a childhood screening of Platoon to consider cinematic violence and racism. The BFI poll includes it in the Once Upon a Screen project, which explores films that affected contributors as children; Hyperallergic also highlights the work. BFI poll · Hyperallergic guide
Feeling and Thought as They Take Form: Early Steadicam Labor, Technology, and Style, 1974–1985 — Katie Bird
Bird examines the relationship between camera technology, physical labor, and cinematic embodiment. Hyperallergic summarizes the essay’s comparison of Steadicam and Panaglide, making it a strong fit for viewers curious about how filmmaking tools affect both style and the work of operating a camera. BFI poll · Hyperallergic guide
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Staff favorites from No Film School
No Film School’s recommendations are its own staff selections, not entries in the BFI poll. The publication framed its list with the question, “What were your favorite video essays of 2020?” and invited readers to share their own choices.
- Parasite, Ending Explained: Stairway to Nowhere — The Take: selected as a synthesis of theories about the film’s ending.
- The Controversy Behind David Fincher’s Mank — The Royal Ocean Film Society: recommended for its discussion of old Hollywood and film criticism.
- 36 Westerns Timed to First Gunshot — Entertain the Elk: an experimental essay synchronized around gunshots from 36 westerns, using juxtaposition to bring out a visual grammar.
- Oops! Disney’s Cars Did Eugenics — Jack Saint: a recommended interpretation of deeper storytelling issues in a children’s film.
See No Film School’s full staff list.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choosing where to start
These selections reward different interests and approaches. Use the table to find a starting point by subject and method; the descriptions reflect how the cited publications characterize each work, not a universal score.
Rank #4
| Essay | Source of recommendation | Subject or approach |
|---|---|---|
| Forensickness | BFI poll; also highlighted by Hyperallergic | Desktop investigation, online searching, and how interfaces shape knowledge |
| In Search of a Flat Earth | BFI poll | Flat-Earth conspiracy theories widened into questions of conspiracy and power |
| Explosive Paradox | BFI poll; also highlighted by Hyperallergic | Personal memory, Platoon, cinematic violence, and racism |
| Feeling and Thought as They Take Form | BFI poll; also highlighted by Hyperallergic | Steadicam, Panaglide, camera labor, and cinematic embodiment |
| Parasite, Ending Explained: Stairway to Nowhere | No Film School staff list | Synthesis of theories about Parasite’s ending |
| The Controversy Behind David Fincher’s Mank | No Film School staff list | Old Hollywood and film criticism |
| 36 Westerns Timed to First Gunshot | No Film School staff list | Experimental montage organized around gunshots |
| Oops! Disney’s Cars Did Eugenics | No Film School staff list | Interpretation of storytelling in a children’s film |
The lists point to online works, but the cited roundups do not establish that every video or hosting link remains available now. Check the relevant source page for current viewing information. They also do not establish one streaming service as essential to watching these essays.
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