writer and director
Ira Sachs
2 visits, reaching 22 films in the collection.
25 Aug 2025
The writer and director returns to the Criterion Closet, where he talks about the infectious energy of Night and the City, shares why Beau travail and Cold Water were transformative works for independent filmmakers in the 1990s, and praises the work of Michael Roemer.
| Chose | Director | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Women | Robert Altman | 1977 |
| 2 | Night and the City | Jules Dassin | 1950 |
| 3 | Beau travail | Claire Denis | 1999 |
| 4 | Cold Water | Olivier Assayas | 1994 |
| 5 | Nothing but a Man | Michael Roemer | 1964 |
| 6 | The Heiress | William Wyler | 1949 |
| 7 | The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | 1972 |
Least-picked choice here: Night and the City , taken by nobody else.
27 Jun 2016
The writer-director talks about the Yasujiro Ozu classic that inspired his film Little Men, the underrated work of Francesco Rosi, the golden age of repertory cinema in New York City, and a college course in which he studied Shoah for a year.
| Chose | Director | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Complete Jacques Tatibox set, 6 films | ||
| 2 | Good Morning | Yasujiro Ozu | 1959 |
| 3 | Salvatore Giuliano | Francesco Rosi | 1962 |
| 4 | Charulata | Satyajit Ray | 1964 |
| 5 | Shoah | Claude Lanzmann | 1985 |
| 6 | Shock Corridor | Samuel Fuller | 1963 |
| 7 | All That Jazz | Bob Fosse | 1979 |
| 8 | The Magic Flute | Ingmar Bergman | 1975 |
| 9 | The Moment of Truth | Francesco Rosi | 1965 |
| 10 | Magnificent Obsession | Douglas Sirk | 1954 |
Least-picked choice here: Shoah , taken by nobody else.
Closest taste
Guests who chose the most of the same things. Anyone filmed alongside Ira Sachs is left out, since they picked from one list.
| Guest | Shared | Jaccard | In common |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Qualley | 2 | 0.095 | All That Jazz, Beau travail |
| Marc Jacobs | 3 | 0.088 | All That Jazz, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, The Heiress |
| Sofia Coppola | 3 | 0.088 | All That Jazz, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, The Heiress |
| Jacqueline Novak | 2 | 0.077 | 3 Women, Magnificent Obsession |
| John Early | 2 | 0.077 | 3 Women, Magnificent Obsession |