Barack Obama's 10 Favorite Movies Of 2024 Include Dune: Part Two

Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros

As 2024 draws to a close, everyone who's prone to opining on the art they've consumed throughout the year is making their lists of bests, worsts and so on. Your friendly neighborhood entertainment junkies at /Film have been busy little beavers over the last couple of weeks, compiling what we collectively believe to be the year's 20 best movies and 15 best TV shows. You may or may not agree with our selections, but we do hope you'll give each and every title a shot if you've got the time.

This list-making bug doesn't just bite critics; regular ol' moviegoers love to get in on the act as well. All you have to do is spend a little time on TikTok or YouTube, and you'll find folks of all ages weighing in on their favorites of the year. One person we've become accustomed to hearing from every December is former president Barack Obama. Even when he was in office, he managed to set aside time to watch movies and television, and read a load of books. He even formed his own production company when he left office (Higher Ground Productions), so entertainment is clearly much more than a hobby for him.

If you've been waiting for Obama to release his 2024 lists, that time has arrived. What were the former chief executive's favorite movies of 2024?

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Here are Barack Obama's (apparently unranked) top ten films of 2024:

• "All We Imagine as Light"
• "Conclave"
• "The Piano Lesson" (pictured above)
• "The Promised Land"
• "The Seed of the Sacred Fig"
• "Dune: Part Two"
• "Anora"
• "Dìdi"
• "Sugarcane"
• "A Complete Unknown"

Obama typically offers up a varied list, and this year is no exception. All of these films received widespread critical acclaim, so it's hard to say that any of them feel like left-field choices. Due to its omission, we'll have to assume that Obama somehow couldn't slot "Hot Frosty" into his viewing schedule prior to releasing his top ten.

The best part of Obama's list is that it might compel American moviegoers to give foreign films like "All We Imagine as Light" (an Indian film that was controversially denied Oscar consideration by the country's Academy Award-nominating committee), "The Promised Land" and "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" a shot. They might also watch Malcolm Washington's barely-promoted-by-Netflix adaptation of August Wilson's classic play "The Piano Lesson" (which stars greats like Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Erykah Badu, and Danielle Deadwyler). And they'll hopefully read up on "Anora" before they gather the family around the television to check out Sean Baker's extremely randy comedy.

It's especially heartening that Obama not only listed one blockbuster, but that he chose the very best of the year in Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." All in all, this is a very respectable top ten, Mr. President. We salute your taste in cinema.