2. François Bégaudeau As André Bazin
André Bazin is responsible for changing the course of film criticism and it was his auteur theory that Andrew Sarris took back to New York and started spreading. While Truffaut and Godard joined ranks later, Bazin was co-founder of the illustrious Cahiers Du Cinéma in the 50s and helped elevate the art of films above and beyond the line of duty. His collection of writing, published posthumously into a volume called What Is Cinema?, is essential reading for any enthusiast. Welding philosophy and film like a cinematic alchemist, when Bazin succumbed to leukaemia at the age of 40 he left behind a legacy that served as springboard for generations of film critics. A film about his life and legacy is something that needs to happen, and it would be François Béagadeau who should have the honor. If you're not familiar with Bégadeau then you're not familiar with the 2008 Palme D'Or winner The Class. And if that's the case, you should do everything in your power to familiarize yourself. While Bégadeau's resume on film stretches shorter than most extras working in Hollywood, his performance as the level headed high school teacher François Marin was perfect balance of intensity and sensitivity. That's probably because he knew it so well since the film is an adaptation of the book that he himself wrote. While also a gifted actor, Bégadeau is a novelist and even contributed film criticism to Bazin's own Cahiers Du Cinéma. This has role of lifetime written all over it.