Once a decade, Sight and Sound conducts a survey of international film critics to compile a list of the greatest films of all time. For the first time in the poll’s 70-year history, a woman-directed film tops the list. Chantal Akerman’s “Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” reigns supreme. Released in 1975, the drama tells the story of a middle-aged sex worker.

“This year’s poll reached a wider and more diverse group than ever before and incorporates the top 10 lists of over 1,600 participants from all corners of the globe who voted for more than 4,000 films overall,” a press release details. “This compares to the 846 who were asked 10 years ago and reflects a variety of factors, including the more diverse group of contributors voting in the poll and the impact and increased influence of film commentators internationally via the internet. It may also be explained in part by the explosion of access to a wider selection of films, thanks to the proliferation of movies available to view on numerous streamers, boutique Blu-ray and DVD collections, the increase of TV channels dedicated to movies and curated film seasons, all of which have helped to create a more cine-literate contributor.”

Overall, women directed or co-directed four of the top 20 films. The second-highest ranking title helmed by a woman is Claire Denis’ “Beau travail,” a 1998 portrait of an ex-Foreign Legion officer that came in seventh. Agnès Varda’s “Cléo from 5 to 7” and Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid’s “Meshes of the Afternoon” came in 14th and 16th, respectively. The former, released in 1998, follows an hour-and-a-half in the life of a singer awaiting a medical diagnosis, and the latter, released in 1943, is a short experimental film that blurs the line between dreams and reality.

BFI Southbank will screen the full 100 Greatest Films of All Times across January, February, and March. Head over to the BFI’s website to check out all of the films. Entries include Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and Julie Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust.”