Film Comment 2016
Intro
The following films appeared in the Film Comment best of 2016 poll. The poll is divided between films that received US theatrical distribution in 2016 and those that did not (including self-distributed films).
Sources: Best Films of 2016, Best Undistributed Films of 2016
Films
1. Toni Erdmann
Germany
Maren Ade
Lists: Cinema Scope (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)
2. Moonlight
USA
Barry Jenkins
Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 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)
3. Elle
France, Germany
Paul Verhoeven
Lists: Cinema Scope (4, 2016) | New York Times (10 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (3, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
4. Cemetery of Splendor
Rak Ti Khon Kaen
Thailand, UK, France, Germany, Malaysia
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Lists: Cinema Scope (1, 2015) | Sight & Sound (5, 2015)
Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2016) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2015)
5. Certain Women
USA
Kelly Reichardt
Lists: Cinema Scope (6, 2016) | Sight & Sound (4, 2016)
Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Sundance (Premieres, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)
6. Paterson
USA
Jim Jarmusch
Lists: Sight & Sound (9, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
7. Manchester by the Sea
USA
Kenneth Lonergan
Lists: Sight & Sound (7, 2016)
Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Sundance (Premieres, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
8. Aquarius
Brazil, France
Kleber Mendonça Filho
Lists: Cinema Scope (9, 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)
9. Things to Come
L’Avenir
France, Germany
Mia Hansen-Løve
Lists: 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)
10. No Home Movie
Belgium, France
Chantal Akerman
Lists: Cinema Scope (8, 2015) | New York Times (1 - Dargis, 2016) | Sight & Sound (6, 2015)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2015)
11. The Lobster
Ireland, UK, France, Greece, Netherlands
Yorgos Lanthimos
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2015)
12. Right Now, Wrong Then
Jigeumeun matgo geuttaeneun tteullida
South Korea
Hong Sang-soo
Lists: Cinema Scope (5, 2015)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Rotterdam (Critics' Choice, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2015)
13. Love & Friendship
Ireland, France, Netherlands
Whit Stillman
Lists: Sight & Sound (18, 2016)
Festivals: Rotterdam (Voices, 2016) | Sundance (Premieres, 2016)
14. Cameraperson
USA
Kirsten Johnson
Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016) | New York Times (4 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (16, 2016)
Festivals: Sundance (New Frontier, 2016)
15. Kaili Blues
Lu bian ye can
China
Bi Gan
Lists: Cinema Scope (10, 2015)
Festivals: Locarno (Filmmakers of the Present, 2015) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2016)
16. The Handmaiden
Ah-ga-ssi
South Korea
Park Chan-wook
Lists: New York Times (8 - Dargis, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
17. Everybody Wants Some!!
USA
Richard Linklater
Lists: Sight & Sound (21, 2016)
18. The Fits
USA
Anna Rose Holmer
Festivals: Sundance (Next, 2016) | Venice (Biennale College - Cinema, 2015)
19. Neruda
Chile, Argentina, France, Spain
Pablo Larraín
Lists: Sight & Sound (26, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)
20. The Other Side
France, Italy
Roberto Minervini
Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2015) | Rotterdam (Voices, 2016) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2015)
Undistributed
1. Sieranevada
Romania
Cristi Puiu
Lists: Cinema Scope (2, 2016) | Sight & Sound (11, 2016)
Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)
2. Hermia & Helena
USA, Argentina
Matías Piñeiro
Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Voices, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)
3. Nocturama
France
Bertrand Bonello
Lists: Cinema Scope (3, 2016) | Sight & Sound (13, 2016)
Festivals: Rotterdam (A Band Apart, 2017) | Toronto (Platform, 2016)
4. The Dreamed Path
Der traumhafte weg
Germany
Angela Schanelec
Lists: Cinema Scope (7, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)
5. Yourself and Yours
Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot
South Korea
Hong Sang-soo
Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)
6. Kékszakállú
Argentina
Gastón Solnicki
Festivals: New York (Explorations, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016) | Venice (Horizons, 2016)
7. By the Time It Gets Dark
Dao khanong
Thailand, Netherlands, France, Qatar
Anocha Suwichakornpong
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)
8. Scarred Hearts
Inimi cicatrizate
Romania, Germany
Radu Jude
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016)
9. The Woman Who Left
Ang babaeng humayo
Philippines
Lav Diaz
Festivals: Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016) | Venice (In Competition, 2016)
10. Austerlitz
Germany
Sergei Loznitsa
Festivals: Berlin (LOLA at Berlinale, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016) | Venice (Out of Competition, 2016)
11. Tempestad
Mexico
Tatiana Huezo
Festivals: Berlin (Forum, 2016)
12. The Rehearsal
New Zealand
Alison Maclean
Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2016)
13. Safari
Austria, Denmark
Ulrich Seidl
Festivals: Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Masters, 2016) | Venice (Out of Competition, 2016)
14. Everything Else
Todo lo demás
Mexico
Natalia Almada
Festivals: New York (Explorations, 2016)
15. All the Cities of the North
Svi severni gradovi
Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro
Dane Komljen
Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016)
Festivals: Locarno (Signs of Life, 2016) | New York (Projections, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017)
16. Happy Times Will Come Soon
I tempi felici verranno presto
Italy, France
Alessandro Comodin
Festivals: Cannes (Critics' Week, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017)
17. Dawson City: Frozen Time
USA
Bill Morrison
Festivals: New York (Spotlight on Documentary, 2016) | Rotterdam (Regained, 2017) | Venice (Horizons, 2016)
18. Suite Armoricaine
France
Pascale Breton
Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2015) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2016)
19. Women Who Kill
USA
Ingrid Jungermann
20. The Park
Le Parc
France
Damien Manivel
Festivals: Cannes (ACID, 2016)