Narrowing down the 100 greatest movies of all time may seem like a near-impossible task, but that’s exactly what 11,000 Rolling Stone Australia readers have done. 

Last month, the Rolling Stone Australia Readers Poll gave cinephiles the chance to have their say on which of their favourite films reign supreme.

With such a high rate of participation, it’s no surprise that the results are as varied as the films themselves.

Coming in at number one is 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption, which while a box office failure, has since gained immense critical acclaim.

Given how frequently the film tops ‘favourite movies’ lists, it’s no wonder that almost 2,000 Rolling Stone Australia readers voted for it within the space of just over a week.

It seems 1994 was a booming time for classic flicks, as Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction also cracked the top ten.

In fact, movies from 1994 received the most total votes, followed by 1997.

1997 saw the release of Titanic, which came second on the countdown, as well as other classic flicks including Good Will Hunting (#66).

Overall, it was the nineties that proved the most popular decade, with eighties movies receiving the second-highest number of votes.

However, it is not only films from the 20th century that have made a lasting impact, with 2019 proving the most popular year in the top 100.

Six movies released last year managed to make it in, including Parasite, Joker and Avengers Endgame.

As for directors, it was The Shawshank Redemption‘s Frank Darabont whose films received the most total votes.

On top of The Shawshank Redemption, his film The Green Mile reached #27 on the countdown.

The second most voted for director was the legendary Steven Speilberg, who also had the most placements in the top 100 of any director.

A whopping seven Spielberg films made the list, including Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Unsurprisingly, it was Jaws that ranked the highest of Spielberg’s films, coming in at seventh place.

View the full results of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time Poll here.