2016
Intro
The following films appeared on year-end lists in Cinema Scope, Film Comment, The New York Times, and Sight & Sound. Selection for the Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, New York, Rotterdam, Sundance, Telluride, Toronto, and Venice film festivals is noted.
Films
13th
USA
Ava DuVernay
Lists: New York Times (9 - Dargis, 2016)
Festivals: New York (Main Slate - Opening Night, 2016)
Aferim!
Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic
Radu Jude
Lists: New York Times (5 - Scott, 2016)
Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2015)
All the Cities of the North
Svi severni gradovi
Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro
Dane Komljen
Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016) | Film Comment (15 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (Signs of Life, 2016) | New York (Projections, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017)
American Honey
UK, USA
Andrea Arnold
Lists: New York Times (6 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (5, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
Aquarius
Brazil, France
Kleber Mendonça Filho
Lists: Cinema Scope (9, 2016) | Film Comment (8, 2016) | New York Times (7 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (19, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2016)
Arrival
USA
Denis Villeneuve
Lists: New York Times (7 - Dargis, 2016)
Festivals: Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Gala Presentations, 2016) | Venice (In Competition, 2016)
Austerlitz
Germany
Sergei Loznitsa
Lists: Film Comment (10 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Berlin (LOLA at Berlinale, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016) | Venice (Out of Competition, 2016)
A Bigger Splash
Italy, France
Luca Guadagnino
Lists: New York Times (9 - Scott, 2016)
Festivals: Venice (In Competition, 2015)
By the Time It Gets Dark
Dao khanong
Thailand, Netherlands, France, Qatar
Anocha Suwichakornpong
Lists: Film Comment (7 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)
Cameraperson
USA
Kirsten Johnson
Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016) | Film Comment (14, 2016) | New York Times (4 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (16, 2016)
Festivals: Sundance (New Frontier, 2016)
Cemetery of Splendor
Rak Ti Khon Kaen
Thailand, UK, France, Germany, Malaysia
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Lists: Cinema Scope (1, 2015) | Film Comment (4, 2016) | Sight & Sound (5, 2015)
Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2016) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2015)
Certain Women
USA
Kelly Reichardt
Lists: Cinema Scope (6, 2016) | Film Comment (5, 2016) | Sight & Sound (4, 2016)
Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Sundance (Premieres, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)
The Dreamed Path
Der traumhafte weg
Germany
Angela Schanelec
Lists: Cinema Scope (7, 2016) | Film Comment (4 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)
Elle
France, Germany
Paul Verhoeven
Lists: Cinema Scope (4, 2016) | Film Comment (3, 2016) | New York Times (10 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (3, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
Embrace of the Serpent
El abrazo de la serpiente
Colombia
Ciro Guerra
Lists: Sight & Sound (21, 2016)
Festivals: Berlin (Native - Indigenous Cinema, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2016) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2016) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2015)
Everybody Wants Some!!
USA
Richard Linklater
Lists: Film Comment (17, 2016) | Sight & Sound (21, 2016)
Everything Else
Todo lo demás
Mexico
Natalia Almada
Lists: Film Comment (14 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: New York (Explorations, 2016)
Evolution
France, Spain, Belgium
Lucile Hadžihalilović
Lists: Sight & Sound (21, 2016)
Festivals: Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2016) | Toronto (Vanguard, 2015)
Fire at Sea
Fuocoammare
Italy, France
Gianfranco Rosi
Lists: Sight & Sound (13, 2016)
Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)
The Fits
USA
Anna Rose Holmer
Lists: Film Comment (18, 2016)
Festivals: Sundance (Next, 2016) | Venice (Biennale College - Cinema, 2015)
The Handmaiden
Ah-ga-ssi
South Korea
Park Chan-wook
Lists: Film Comment (16, 2016) | New York Times (8 - Dargis, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
Happy Times Will Come Soon
I tempi felici verranno presto
Italy, France
Alessandro Comodin
Lists: Film Comment (16 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Critics' Week, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017)
Hell or High Water
USA
David Mackenzie
Lists: Sight & Sound (21, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2016)
Hermia & Helena
USA, Argentina
Matías Piñeiro
Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016) | Film Comment (2 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Voices, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)
I Am Not Your Negro
USA, France
Raoul Peck
Lists: New York Times (6 - Dargis, 2016 / 4 - Scott, 2017) | Sight & Sound (19, 2017)
Festivals: Berlin (Panorama, 2017) | New York (Spotlight on Documentary, 2016) | Toronto (Documentaries, 2016)
I, Daniel Blake
UK, France, Belgium
Ken Loach
Lists: Sight & Sound (6, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | Locarno (Piazza Grande, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
Julieta
Spain
Pedro Almodóvar
Lists: Sight & Sound (13, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)
Kaili Blues
Lu bian ye can
China
Bi Gan
Lists: Cinema Scope (10, 2015) | Film Comment (15, 2016 / 11 - Undistributed, 2015)
Festivals: Locarno (Filmmakers of the Present, 2015) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2016)
Kékszakállú
Argentina
Gastón Solnicki
Lists: Film Comment (6 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: New York (Explorations, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016) | Venice (Horizons, 2016)
La La Land
USA
Damien Chazelle
Lists: Sight & Sound (16, 2016)
Festivals: Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016) | Venice (In Competition - Opening Film, 2016)
Lemonade
USA
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Kahlil Joseph
Lists: Sight & Sound (26, 2016)
The Lobster
Ireland, UK, France, Greece, Netherlands
Yorgos Lanthimos
Lists: Film Comment (11, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2015)
Love & Friendship
Ireland, France, Netherlands
Whit Stillman
Lists: Film Comment (13, 2016) | Sight & Sound (18, 2016)
Festivals: Rotterdam (Voices, 2016) | Sundance (Premieres, 2016)
Manchester by the Sea
USA
Kenneth Lonergan
Lists: Film Comment (7, 2016) | Sight & Sound (7, 2016)
Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Sundance (Premieres, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
Moonlight
USA
Barry Jenkins
Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016) | Film Comment (2, 2016) | New York Times (3 - Dargis / 1 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (2, 2016 / 19, 2017)
Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Black Rebels, 2017) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Platform, 2016)
My Golden Days
Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse
France
Arnaud Desplechin
Lists: New York Times (5 - Dargis, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015)
Neruda
Chile, Argentina, France, Spain
Pablo Larraín
Lists: Film Comment (19, 2016) | Sight & Sound (26, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
No Home Movie
Belgium, France
Chantal Akerman
Lists: Cinema Scope (8, 2015) | Film Comment (10, 2016) | New York Times (1 - Dargis, 2016) | Sight & Sound (6, 2015)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2015)
Nocturnal Animals
USA
Tom Ford
Lists: Sight & Sound (26, 2016)
Festivals: Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016) | Venice (In Competition, 2016)
O.J.: Made in America
USA
Ezra Edelman
Lists: New York Times (4 - Dargis / 2 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (21, 2016)
Festivals: Sundance (Special Events, 2016)
The Ornithologist
O Ornitólogo
Portugal, France, Brazil
João Pedro Rodrigues
Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016) | Sight & Sound (26, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | New York (Explorations, 2016) | Rotterdam (Voices, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)
The Other Side
France, Italy
Roberto Minervini
Lists: Film Comment (20, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2015) | Rotterdam (Voices, 2016) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2015)
The Park
Le Parc
France
Damien Manivel
Lists: Film Comment (20 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (ACID, 2016)
Paterson
USA
Jim Jarmusch
Lists: Film Comment (6, 2016) | Sight & Sound (9, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
Raw
Grave
France, Belgium
Julia Ducournau
Lists: Sight & Sound (26, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Critics' Week, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2017) | Toronto (Midnight Madness, 2016)
The Rehearsal
New Zealand
Alison Maclean
Lists: Film Comment (12 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2016)
Right Now, Wrong Then
Jigeumeun matgo geuttaeneun tteullida
South Korea
Hong Sang-soo
Lists: Cinema Scope (5, 2015) | Film Comment (12, 2016 / 1 - Undistributed, 2015)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Rotterdam (Critics' Choice, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2015)
Safari
Austria, Denmark
Ulrich Seidl
Lists: Film Comment (13 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Masters, 2016) | Venice (Out of Competition, 2016)
Sausage Party
USA
Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Lists: New York Times (8 - Scott, 2016)
Scarred Hearts
Inimi cicatrizate
Romania, Germany
Radu Jude
Lists: Film Comment (8 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016)
Sieranevada
Romania
Cristi Puiu
Lists: Cinema Scope (2, 2016) | Film Comment (1 - Undistributed, 2016) | Sight & Sound (11, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)
Silence
USA, Taiwan, Mexico
Martin Scorsese
Lists: Cinema Scope (10, 2016) | Sight & Sound (25, 2017)
Suite Armoricaine
France
Pascale Breton
Lists: Film Comment (18 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2015) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2016)
Tempestad
Mexico
Tatiana Huezo
Lists: Film Comment (11 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Berlin (Forum, 2016)
Things to Come
L’Avenir
France, Germany
Mia Hansen-Løve
Lists: Film Comment (9, 2016) | New York Times (10 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (8, 2016)
Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
Toni Erdmann
Germany
Maren Ade
Lists: Cinema Scope (1, 2016) | Film Comment (1, 2016) | New York Times (2 - Dargis / 3 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (1, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
The Woman Who Left
Ang babaeng humayo
Philippines
Lav Diaz
Lists: Film Comment (9 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016) | Venice (In Competition, 2016)
Women Who Kill
USA
Ingrid Jungermann
Lists: Film Comment (19 - Undistributed, 2016)
Yourself and Yours
Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot
South Korea
Hong Sang-soo
Lists: Film Comment (5 - Undistributed, 2016)
Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)