Sorting and Filtering on Letterboxd

Last updated on 22 Aug 2025

If you want to browse films more effectively on Letterboxd, then sorting and filtering are your go-to tools. They let you narrow down lists, organize your watchlist, and surface exactly the kinds of movies you’re hoping to discover.

Here’s a quick guide to getting started.

Step 1: Open a List, Watchlist, or Filmography

Sorting and filtering options appear anywhere films are listed on Letterboxd, such as your watchlist, another user’s list, or a director’s filmography.

Pay special attention to the Sort by menu and the Filter icon (eye symbol).

Step 2: Apply Filters

Filters hide anything that doesn’t match your criteria. You can use one or combine multiple together. Options include:

Decade: From the 2020s back to the 1870s.
Genre: 19 to choose from.
Service: For Pro or Patron subscribers only; this lets you see what’s available on your streaming platforms.
Account Filters: Show/hide films you’ve already watched, liked, rated, reviewed, or added to your watchlist.
Content Filters: Show/hide short films, TV shows, documentaries, or unreleased titles.

Step 3: Choose Sorting Method

Sorting changes the order of what you see. Options include:

Name: Alphabetical A–Z or Z–A.
Popularity: Based on community activity.
When Added: When it was added to a list.
When Rated: When it was rated.
Release Date: Newest or earliest first.
Average Rating: Highest or lowest Letterboxd community score.
Your Rating: Highest or lowest of what you’ve rated.
You Diary Date: Newest to earliest log.
Your Interests: Based on the films you’ve liked or related to the films you’ve liked.
Film Length: Shortest to longest runtime.

Example of What You Can Do

Here’s an example of how I used sorting and filtering to recommend a film to a friend.

He wanted:

Something I’d already seen (so I could recommend it).
Available on HBO Max.
Not horror (he scares too easily).
Preferably from the 1990s (nostalgic).
On the shorter side (he didn’t have much time).

Here’s what I did:

Opened the Films section of my profile.
Set Decade → 1990s.
Set Genre → Horror and clicked twice to exclude horror (clicking once would only show horror).
Set Service → HBO Max (this is a Pro/Patron feature).
Sorted by Film Length → Shortest First.

That gave me a list of 1990s-released, non-horror films I’d already logged, available on HBO Max, ordered by runtime from shortest to longest. I scanned the top results, found a few that fit, and passed along the recommendations.