Can You Score 20/20? The Ultimate Film Buff Trivia Quiz: Are You a True Cinephile?

Answers Below – No Peeking!

Are you a true cinephile with encyclopedic knowledge of cinema history? This 20-question trivia quiz challenges film buffs on iconic directors, legendary films, awards, and unforgettable moments across decades. From easy classics to tougher deep cuts, see if you can ace it all!

20 Trivia Questions on Film Buff Trivia

Question 1: Who directed the 1941 film Citizen Kane?

A. Alfred Hitchcock
B. John Ford
C. Orson Welles
D. Frank Capra

Question 2: Which film won the first Academy Award for Best Picture?

A. The Jazz Singer
B. Sunset Boulevard
C. Wings
D. It Happened One Night

Question 3: In Casablanca (1942), who plays Rick Blaine?

A. Clark Gable
B. Humphrey Bogart
C. Cary Grant
D. James Stewart

Question 4: What is the real name of the actress known as Marilyn Monroe?

A. Norma Jeane Mortenson
B. Jean Harlow
C. Rita Jeane Baker
D. Gloria Stuart

Question 5: Which director is known as the “Master of Suspense”?

A. Stanley Kubrick
B. Steven Spielberg
C. Martin Scorsese
D. Alfred Hitchcock

Question 6: In which year was Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope released?

A. 1977
B. 1975
C. 1979
D. 1981

Question 7: Who composed the iconic score for Jaws (1975)?

A. Bernard Herrmann
B. Ennio Morricone
C. Hans Zimmer
D. John Williams

Question 8: Which film features the famous line “Here’s looking at you, kid”?

A. The Maltese Falcon
B. Gone with the Wind
C. To Have and Have Not
D. Casablanca

Question 9: How many Academy Awards did The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King win?

A. 9
B. 12
C. 11
D. 17

Question 10: Who directed Pulp Fiction (1994)?

A. Quentin Tarantino
B. Robert Rodriguez
C. Martin Scorsese
D. Kevin Smith

Question 11: Which is the highest-grossing film of all time (unadjusted for inflation, worldwide, as of 2024)?

A. Avengers: Endgame
B. Titanic
C. Avatar
D. Barbie

Question 12: Which actor has won the most Academy Awards for acting?

A. Meryl Streep
B. Daniel Day-Lewis
C. Katharine Hepburn
D. Jack Nicholson

Question 13: In which film does the character Vito Corleone appear?

A. Scarface
B. The Godfather
C. Casino
D. Goodfellas

Question 14: Who won the Palme d’Or for Pulp Fiction at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival?

A. Quentin Tarantino
B. Neil Jordan
C. Gus Van Sant
D. Tim Burton

Question 15: What was the first feature film to use synchronized dialogue?

A. Metropolis
B. The Kid
C. The Jazz Singer
D. Safety Last

Question 16: Who directed 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)?

A. Stanley Kubrick
B. Ridley Scott
C. George Lucas
D. Steven Spielberg

Question 17: How many competitive Academy Awards for Best Director has Martin Scorsese won?

A. 2
B. 3
C. 1
D. 0

Question 18: Who played the Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989)?

A. Jack Nicholson
B. Heath Ledger
C. Jared Leto
D. Joaquin Phoenix

Question 19: Which film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1995 (for 1994 films)?

A. Forrest Gump
B. Pulp Fiction
C. The Shawshank Redemption
D. The Lion King

Question 20: Which film won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature?

A. Toy Story
B. Finding Nemo
C. Shrek
D. Spirited Away

Answers

  1. C. Orson Welles – Citizen Kane was Welles’s directorial debut at age 25; Hitchcock specialised in thrillers, Ford in Westerns, and Capra in comedies/dramas like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
  2. C. Wings – It won at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929 for 1927/28 films; The Jazz Singer was a nominee but silent-era partial talkie, others are later winners.
  3. B. Humphrey Bogart – Bogart’s iconic role opposite Ingrid Bergman made him a legend; the others starred in classics but not as Rick.
  4. A. Norma Jeane Mortenson – She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson (later Baker) in 1926 and became Marilyn Monroe in 1956; others are different actresses.
  5. D. Alfred Hitchcock – Hitchcock earned the nickname for suspense films like Psycho; others are acclaimed but not dubbed that.
  6. A. 1977 – Released on 25 May 1977, it revolutionised sci-fi; other years flank it but incorrect.
  7. D. John Williams – Williams’s two-note motif defined shark terror; Herrmann scored Psycho, others later composers.
  8. D. Casablanca – Bogart’s line to Bergman is one of cinema’s most quoted; To Have and Have Not has a variant, others unrelated.
  9. C. 11 – It swept 11 Oscars in 2004, a record for fantasy; Titanic also has 11, but others differ.
  10. A. Quentin Tarantino – Tarantino wrote and directed the nonlinear crime film; others directed contemporaries but not this.
  11. C. Avatar – James Cameron’s 2009 film (with 2021 re-release) tops $2.9 billion; Endgame is second, others lower.
  12. C. Katharine Hepburn – Hepburn won 4 Best Actress Oscars (1933-1982); Day-Lewis has 3 Best Actor, others 3 or fewer.
  13. B. The Godfather – Marlon Brando’s role in Coppola’s 1972 epic; others feature mobsters but not Vito.
  14. A. Quentin Tarantino – Pulp Fiction shared the 1994 Palme d’Or; others had Cannes films that year but didn’t win.
  15. C. The Jazz Singer – Al Jolson’s 1927 part-talkie introduced Vitaphone sync; Metropolis silent, others pre-talkie.
  16. A. Stanley Kubrick – Kubrick co-wrote and directed the groundbreaking sci-fi; others made later space films.
  17. C. 1 – Scorsese won for The Departed (2007); nominated 7 times prior but no others.
  18. A. Jack Nicholson – Nicholson’s dual role as Joker opposite Michael Keaton; later actors played the character in other films.
  19. A. Forrest Gump – Won Best Picture at the 67th Oscars; Pulp Fiction won Original Screenplay, Shawshank nominated.
  20. C. Shrek – Won at the 75th Oscars (2003) for 2002 films; category debuted then, others nominated later or ineligible.

How did you score? Drop your results in the comments and challenge fellow cinephiles to top your 20/20!