List of 'years in film'
This page indexes the individual year in film pages. Each year is annotated with a significant event as a reference point.
2000s - 1990s - 1980s - 1970s - 1960s - 1950s - 1940s - 1930s - 1920s - 1910s - 1900s - 19th century
2000s
- 2007 in film - films scheduled to be released in 2007
- 2006 in film - films scheduled to be released in 2006
- 2005 in film - films scheduled to be released in 2005
- 2004 in film - films scheduled to be released in 2004
- 2003 in film - Disney/PIXAR's computer animated feature Finding Nemo leads the summer box office totals, as of August 1, and becomes the highest grossing animated film of all time. Controversial movie Irreversible is released in North America.
- 2002 in film - Signs, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Men in Black II are released
- 2001 in film - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring are released
- 2000 in film - Gladiator and O Brother, Where Art Thou premiere
1990s
- 1999 in film - The Sixth Sense (directed by M. Night Shyamalan), Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace and The Matrix are released
- 1998 in film - Tom Hanks stars in Saving Private Ryan
- 1997 in film - Titanic, As Good As It Gets and Men in Black are released
- 1996 in film - Fargo is released
- 1995 in film - Mel Gibson directs and stars in Braveheart
- 1994 in film - Tom Hanks stars in Forrest Gump; The Lion King become the highest grossing animated film of all-time, record hold until 2003.
- 1993 in film - Schindler's List and Jurassic Park are released
- 1992 in film - The second Home Alone is released
- 1991 in film - The Silence of the Lambs is released
- 1990 in film - The first Home Alone is released
1980s
- 1989 in film - Batman, directed by Tim Burton
- 1988 in film - Eddie Murphy's Coming to America is released
- 1987 in film - Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise
- 1986 in film - Fatal Attraction premieres
- 1985 in film - Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple premieres
- 1984 in film - Ghost Busters and Amadeus are released
- 1983 in film - The Big Chill and The Right Stuff are released
- 1982 in film - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial premieres
- 1981 in film - The George Lucas/Steven Spielberg collaboration, Raiders of the Lost Ark, premieres
- 1980 in film - The first Caddyshack is released
1970s
- 1979 in film - Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now
- 1978 in film - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- 1977 in film - George Lucas' science fiction film Star Wars is released and The Bee Gees sing in Saturday Night Fever
- 1976 in film - Rocky premieres
- 1975 in film - Steven Spielberg's Jaws is released
- 1974 in film - Jesus Christ Superstar
- 1973 in film - The Sting and The Exorcist are released
- 1972 in film - The Godfather premieres
- 1971 in film - The French Connection premieres
- 1970 in film - Patton and M*A*S*H are released
1960s
- 1969 in film - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- 1968 in film - Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey
- 1967 in film - The Graduate
- 1966 in film - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
- 1965 in film - The Sound of Music premieres
- 1964 in film - The Beatles star in A Hard Day's Night
- 1963 in film - Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds
- 1962 in film - Lawrence of Arabia and To Kill a Mockingbird premiere
- 1961 in film - West Side Story premieres
- 1960 in film - Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
1950s
- 1959 in film - Ben-Hur premieres
- 1958 in film - Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo
- 1957 in film - Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley
- 1956 in film - The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston
- 1955 in film - East of Eden, starring James Dean
- 1954 in film - On the Waterfront, A Star Is Born and Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window
- 1953 in film - Disney's Peter Pan
- 1952 in film - Cinerama-system is introduced
- 1951 in film - An American in Paris
- 1950 in film - Disney's CinderellaAlso, Laurel & Hardy's final film, "Atoll K" is made in Europe.
1940s
- 1949 in film - Sands of Iwo Jima, directed by Allan Dwan
- 1948 in film - Joan of Arc, starring Ingrid Bergman,Edgar Kennedy's final short for RKO.
- 1947 in film - Miracle on 34th Street
- 1946 in film - Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life premieres
- 1945 in film -
- 1944 in film - Last "Our Gang" shorts, produced by MGM.
- 1943 in film -
- 1942 in film - Bambi"Casablanca" starring Humprey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman released.
- 1941 in film - Citizen Kane, starring Orson Welles, premieres
- 1940 in film - Columbia releases Charley Chase's last film, "South of the Boudoir"
1930s
- 1939 in film - Gone With the Wind premiers in Atlanta
- 1938 in film - Casting begins on The Wizard of Oz
- 1937 in film - Snow White, first feature-length animated movie
- 1936 in film - Thelma Todd's final short subject "An All-American Toothache" co-starring Patsy Kelly and Mickey Daniels.
- 1935 in film - Laurel & Hardy's last short subject, "Thicker Than water".
- 1934 in film - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wizard of Oz from Frank J. Baum Also, the first Columbia Three Stooges short.
- 1933 in film - The film Ecstacy, which shows simulated sex, shocks audiences. Also, First Popeye cartoon, "Popeye the Sailor" debuts.
- 1932 in film - Shirley Temple's film career begins
- 1931 in film - Laurel & Hardy's first feature, "Pardon Us" is released by MGM.
- 1930 in film - The first Busby Berkely musical film, "Whoopee" starring Eddie Cantor, is released by Goldwyn in colour. Also, Max Fleischer's animated star "Betty Boop" debuts.
1920s
- 1929 in film - The first Academy Awards, or Oscars, are distributed. Also, Laurel & Hardy make their talkie debut in "Unaccustomed As we are" co-starring Thelma Todd at Hal Roach Studios. Rko-Radio studio is established.
- 1928 in film - First talkie cartoon,"Dinner Time" is produced by VanBuren Studios, the second talkie cartoon, "Steamboat Willie" by Walt Disney is released a month later.
- 1927 in film - Al Jolson movie The Jazz Singer popularizes sound motion pictures. First talkie newsreel,"Fox Movietone News".
- 1926 in film - First Vitaphone feature, "Don Juan" starring John Barrymore, released by Warner Brothers. Posthumously released, "The Son Of the Shiek" is Rudolph Valentino's biggest grossing film.
- 1925 in film - Lon Chaney's greatest film, "The Phantom Of The Opera" is released by Universal with colour sequences. Eric Von Stroheim's magnum opus, "Greed"
- 1924 in film - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio established.
- 1923 in film - Harold Lloyd's greatest movie "Safety Last" produced by Hal Roach, released by Pathe.
- 1922 in film - Nosferatu, first ever vampire film released. Also, "Our Gang" series begins at Hal Roach studios.
- 1921 in film - Laurel and Hardy's first film together is "A Lucky Dog".
- 1920 in filmBuster Keaton begins starring in shorts and his first feature, "The Saphead" at Metro. Erich Von Stroheim's "The Devil's Passkey" stars Mae Busch at Goldwyn.
1910s
- 1919 in film - United Artisted founded by Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and D. W. Griffith.
- 1918 in film - "My Four Years in Germany" is the first Warner Brothers production. First National releases the first Tarzan film, starring Elmo Lincoln.
- 1917 in film - Technicolor is introduced
- 1916 in film - D. W. Griffith's second monumental production, "Intolerence" released.
- 1915 in film - The Country Girl, starring Florence LaBadie. The first great epic of American film, "The Birth of a Nation" is produced by D. W. Griffith.
- 1914 in film - "Tillie's Punctured Romance" produced by Mack Sennett, stars Marie Dressler, Charlie Chaplin, and Mabel Normand.
- 1913 in film - The first Charlie Chaplin movies are made
- 1912 in film - From the Manger To the Cross, directed by Sidney Olcott
- 1911 in film -
- 1910 in film - First filmed "Frankenstein" by Edison studios.
1900s
- 1909 in film -
- 1908 in film - Thomas Edison formed the Motion Picture Patents Company
- 1907 in film -
- 1906 in film - Ben-Hur, directed by Sidney OlcottAlso, The world's first feature film, "The Story of the Kelly Gang" released in Australia.
- 1905 in film -
- 1904 in film - The Great Train Robbery, remake by Siegmund Lubin
- 1903 in film - The Great Train Robbery, by Edwin S. Porter
- 1902 in film
- 1901 in film
- 1900 in film
19th century
- 1899 in film - Cinderella
- 1898 in film
- 1897 in film
- 1896 in film
- 1895 in film
- 1894 in film
- See also: 19th century in film


