To be as accomplished and prolific a filmmaker as Martin Scorsese, you’d have to be as accomplished and prolific a filmgoer as Martin Scorsese. The Oscar-winning director would be the first to tell you that he is as much a student of movies as he is a creator, and he regularly shares his ever-growing list of essential films that he believes any true movie fan should see.

In 2012, Fast Company published an extensive interview with Scorsese in which he talked about his 85 movies “you need to see to know anything about film.” Meanwhile, in 2006, a young filmmaker named Colin Levy wrote to the filmmaker, asking for recommendations on where to start an education on foreign films. Scorsese responded with a list of almost 40 suggestions. And, of course, Scorsese shared even more of his favorite films with Sight & Sound magazine.