My favorite films, outstanding performances, etc. in 2016

2016 has officially passed and so I am ready to list down my favorites before the next award-giving bodies start announcing their winners. With more than 500 films I have watched in 2016 (see list here) here are my 2016 Favorites for “feature films,” “best female performances,” “best male performances,” “breakout performances” “favorite docfilms,” “my top animated films,” “favorite foreign films list,” and “favorite gay-themed movies” of 2016 (all in no particular order):

My favorite Feature Films of 2016:
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA – Dir. Kenneth Lonergan
MOONLIGHT – Dir. Barry Jenkins
LA LA LAND – Dir. Damien Chazelle
SILENCE – Dir. Martin Scorsese
A MONSTER CALLS – Dir. J.A. Bayona
LION – Dir. Garth Davis
FENCES – Dir. Denzel Washington
AMERICAN HONEY – Dir. Andrea Arnold
WHITE GIRL – Dir. Elizabeth Wood
HELL OR HIGH WATER – Dir. David Mackenzie
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM – Dir. David Yates
THE WITCH – Dir. Robert Eggers
I AM GANGSTER – Dir. Moritz Rechenberg
AS YOU ARE – Dir. Miles Joris-Peyrafitte
THE NICE GUYS – Dir. Shane Black
TRIPLE9 – Dir. John Hillcoat
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS – Dir. Tom Ford
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE – Dir. Dan Trachtenberg
TAKE ME TO THE RIVER – Dir. Matt Sobel
GREEN ROOM – Dir. Jeremy Saulnier
LITTLE MEN – Dir. Ira Sachs
MISS SLOANE – Dir. John Madden
LOVESONG – Dir. So Yong Kim
GOAT – Dir. Andrew Neal
DON�T BREATHE – Dir. Fede Alvarez
KICKS – Dir. Justin Tipping
GIRL ON A TRAIN – Dir. Peter Sands
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY – Dir. Gareth Edwards
HIDDEN FIGURES – Dir. Theodore Melfi
OTHER PEOPLE – Dir. Chris Kelly


Breakout performances of 2016:
LUCAS HEDGES – �MANCHESTER BY THE SEA�
MICHAEL BARBIERI – �LITTLE MEN�
SASHA LANE – �AMERICAN HONEY�
RILEY KEOUGH – �AMERICAN HONEY� and �LOVESONG�
FRANCESCA EASTWOOD – �OUTLAWS & ANGELS�
LEWIS MACDOUGALL – �A MONSTER CALLS�
DAVE FRANCO – �NERVE�
LOGAN LERMAN – �INDIGNATION�
CHARLIE HEATON – �AS YOU ARE�
KOFI SIRIBOE – �KICKS�
NATHAN PARKER – �BIRTH OF A NATION�
JANELLE MONAE – �HIDDEN FIGURES�


Outstanding Performance – Actress in 2016:
MICHELLE WILLIAMS – �MANCHESTER BY THE SEA�
ALICIA VIKANDER – �THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS�
SALLY FIELD – �MY NAME IS DORIS�
KATE WINSLET – �TRIPLE 9�
NATALIE PORTMAN – �JACKIE�
MERYL STREEP – �FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS�
JESSICA CHASTAIN – �MISS SLOANE�
AMY ADAMS – �ARRIVAL�
VIOLA DAVIS – �FENCES�
FELICITY JONES – �A MONSTER CALLS�
MARGO MARTINDALE – �THE HOLLARS�
JENA MALONE – �LOVESONG�
KATIE HOLMES – �ALL WE HAD�
ELLEN PAGE – �TALULLAH�
MARION COTILLARD – �ALLIED�
RUTH NEGGA – �LOVING�
ISABELLE HUPERT – �ELLE�
EMMA STONE – �LA LA LAND�
TARAJI P. HENSON – �HIDDEN FIGURES�
NICOLE KIDMAN – �LION�
NAOMIE HARRIS – �MOONLIGHT�
JULIANNE MOORE – �MAGGIE�S PLAN�
MOLLY SHANNON – �OTHER PEOPLE�


Best Male Performances in 2016:
CASEY AFFLECK – �MANCHESTER BY THE SEA� and �TRIPLE 9�
DENZEL WASHINGTON – �FENCES�
VIGGO MORTENSEN – �CAPTAIN FANTASTIC�
JOEL EDGERTON – �LOVING�
ANDREW GARFIELD – �HACKSAW RIDGE� and �SILENCE�
JAMES FRANCO – �WHY HIM�
BEN FOSTER – �HELL OR HIGH WATER�
JEFF BRIDGES – �HELL OR HIGH WATER�
HUGH GRANT – �FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS�
DEV PATEL – �LION�
MAHERSHALA ALI – �MOONLIGHT�
MICHAEL SHANNON – �NOCTURNAL ANIMALS�
RALPH FIENNES – �A BIGGER SPLASH�
STELLAN SARSGAARD – �OUR KIND OF TRAITOR�


My favorite top documentary films of 2016:
GLEASON – Dir. J. Clay Tweel
BEFORE THE FLOOD – Dir. Fisher Stevens
THE WHITE HELMETS – Dir. Orlando Von Einsiedel
FOOD CHOICES – Dir. Michael Siewierski
10 BILLION: WHAT�S ON YOUR PLATE? – Dir. Valentin Thurn
THE BAD KIDS – Dir. Keith Fulton
TOMORROW (DEMAIN) – Dir. Cyril Dion/ Melanie Laurent
AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY – Dir. Jeff Feiuerzeig
HOOLIGAN SPARROW – Dir. Nanfu Wang
LIFE ANIMATED – Dir. Roger Ross Williams
FIRE AT SEA – Dir. Gianfranco Rosi
THE FIRST MONDAY IN MAY – Dir. Andrew Rossi
O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA – Dir. Ezra Edelman
CITY OF GOLD – Dir. Laura Gabbert
TICKLED – Dir. David Farrier
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO – Dir. Raoul Peck
ZERO DAYS – Dir. Alex Gibney
MAKING A MURDERER – Dir. Moira Demos / Laura Ricciardi
SOUTH OF SALEM: THE SAN ANTONIO FOUR – Dir. Deborah Esquinazi
THE GOD CELLS – Dir. Eric Merola
RIGHT FOOTED LEG – Dir. Nick Spark
IMMINENT THREAT – Dir. Janek Ambros
OUT OF IRAQ – Dir. Eva Orner / Chris McKim


My favorite animated films of 2016:
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS – Dir. Travis Knight
ZOOTOPIA – Dir. Byron Howard
SING – Dir. Christophe Lourdelet
THE BOY AND THE BEAST – Dir. Mamoru Hosoda
THE BFG – Dir. Steven Spielberg
MOANA – Dir. Ron Clements


Favorite Foreign Films I�ve seen in 2016:
IT�S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD – Dir. Xavier Dolan
I, DANIEL BLAKE – Dir. Ken Loach
HOME – Dir. Fien Troch
DIVINES – Dir. Houda Benyamina
OLD STONE – Dir. Johnny Ma
BANG GANG (A MODERN LOVE STORY) – Dir. Eva Husson
AS I OPEN MY EYES (A PEINE J�OUVRE LES YEUX) – Dir. Leila Bouzid
MUCH LOVED – Dir. Nabil Ayouch
THE WOMAN WHO LEFT – Dir. Lav Diaz
BAD SEEDS (LES MAULVALSES HERBES) – Dir. Louis Belanger
THE CLAN (EL CLAN) – Dir. Pablo Trapero
THE HIGH SUN (SVIZDAN) – Dir. Dalibor Matanic
THE CULPABLE (VERFEHLUNG) – Dir. Gerd Schneider
LAZAR – Dir. Svetozor Ristovski
MAMMAL – Dir. Rebecca Daly
THE MIDWIFE (KATILO) – Dir. Antti J. Jokinen
TOO CLOSE TO OUR SON (AUPLUS PRES DU SOLEIL) – Dir. Yves Angelo
WE MONSTERS (WIR MONSTER) – Dir. Sebastian Ko
SECRETS OF WAR – Dir. Dennis Bots
REMEMBER – Dir. Atom Egoyan
STANDING TALL – Dir. Emmanuelle Bercot
DHEEPAN – Dir. Jacques Audiard
A BIGGER SPLASH – Dir. Luca Guadagnino
THE ONES BELOW – Dir. David Farr
PRINCESS – Dir. Tali Shalom Ezer
100 STREETS – Dir. Jim O�Hanlon
A CONSPIRACY OF FAITH – Dir. Hans Petter Moland
THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES – Dir. Mikkel Norgaard
THE ABSENT ONE – Dir. Mikkel Norgaard
OUR KIND OF TRAITOR – Dir. Susanna White
THE NEON DEMON – Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
THE SALESMAN – Dir. Asghar Farhadi
GOAT (KOZA) – Dir. Ivan Ostrochovsky
NOTHING IN RETURN (A CAMBIO DE NADA) – Dir. Daniel Guzman
THE NET – Dir. Kim Ki-Duk
LAND OF MINE – Dir. Martin Zandvliet
ELLE – Dir. Paul Verhoeven
A SECOND CHANCE – Dir. Susanne Bier
VILLE-MARIE – Dir. Guy Edoin
KALINKA (AU NOM DE MA FILLE) – Dir. Vincent Garenq
OSCURO ANIMAL – Dir. Felipe Guerrero


Favorite Gay-Themed movies of 2016:
KING COBRA – Dir. Justin Kelly
THE CULPABLE – Dir. Gerd Schneider
MOONLIGHT – Dir. Barry Jenkins
PARIS 05:59 (THEO & HUGO) – Dir. Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau
FRONT COVER – Dir. Ray Yeung
ESTEROS – Dir. Papu Curotto
BEING 17 (QUAND ON A 17 ANS) – Dir. Andre Techine
DEPARTURE – Dir. Andrew Steggall
OUT OF IRAQ – Dir. Eva Orner / Chris McKim
HOLDING THE MAN – Dir. Neil Armfield
I PROMISE YOU ANARCHY – Dir. Julie Hernandez Cordon
OTHER PEOPLE – Dir. Chris Kelly
FORBIDDEN: UNDOCUMENTED AND QUEER IN RURAL AMERICA – Dir. Tiffany Reynaud
MAJOR! – Dir. Annalise Ophelian
REAL BOY – Dir. Shaleece Haas
WOMEN HE�S UNDRESSED – Dir. Gillian Armstrong

(coming up — my Golden Globes predictions!)