Year-End Lists

Sean Mulvihill: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

1. Silence
   Martin Scorsese
2. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
3. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
4. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
5. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
   Taika Waititi
6. The Nice Guys
   Shane Black
7. Green Room
   Jeremy Saulnier
8. Hail, Caesar!
   Joel & Ethan Coen
9. 20th Century Women
   Mike Mills
10. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
    Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016

Jana Monji: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

[see also 2021]

1. Arrival
   Denis Villeneuve
2. The Eagle Huntress
   Otto Bell
2. Hidden Figures
   Theodore Melfi
3. Fences
   Denzel Washington
4. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
5. Land of Mine
   Martin Zandvliet
6. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
7. A Monster Calls
   J.A. Bayona
8. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
9. 13th
   Ava DuVernay
10. Zootopia
    Byron Howard and Rich Moore

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016

Patrick McGavin: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

1. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
2. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
3. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
4. My Golden Days
   Arnaud Desplechin
5. Silence
   Martin Scorsese
6. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
7. Jackie
   Pablo Larraín
8. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
9. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
10. Right Now, Wrong Then
    Hong Sang-soo

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016

Craig Lindsey: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

• Aquarius
  Kleber Mendonça Filho
• Fences
  Denzel Washington
• Hell or High Water
  David Mackenzie
• I Am Not Your Negro
  Raoul Peck
• La La Land
  Damien Chazelle
• Manchester by the Sea
  Kenneth Lonergan
• Moonlight
  Barry Jenkins
• The Nice Guys
  Shane Black
• O.J.: Made in America
  Ezra Edelman
• Paterson
  Jim Jarmusch

Runner-ups

• The Edge of Seventeen
  Kelly Fremon Craig
• The Handmaiden
  Park Chan-wook
• A Monster Calls
  J.A. Bayona
• Mountains May Depart
  Jia Zhang-ke
• My Golden Days
  Arnaud Desplechin
• Pete’s Dragon
  David Lowery
• Queen of Katwe
  Mira Nair
• Right Now, Wrong Then
  Hong Sang-soo

Runner-ups (documentary)

• 13th
  Ava DuVernay
• The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years
  Ron Howard
• Cameraperson
  Kirsten Johnson
• De Palma
  Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow
• Kate Plays Christine
  Robert Greene
• Life, Animated
  Roger Ross Williams
• Tower
  Keith Maitland
• Weiner
  Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016

Susan Wloszczyna: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

[see also 2021]

1. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
2. Zootopia
   Byron Howard and Rich Moore
3. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
4. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
5. Florence Foster Jenkins
   Stephen Frears
6. Sing Street
   John Carney
7. A Bigger Splash
   Luca Guadagnino
8. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
9. The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years
   Ron Howard
10. O.J.: Made in America
    Ezra Edelman

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016

Matt Zoller Seitz: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. Cameraperson
   Kirsten Johnson
2. Lemonade
   Beyoncé Knowles Carter and Kahlil Joseph with Jonas Åkerlund, Melina Matsoukas, Dikayl Rimmasch, Mark Romanek and Tod Tourso
3. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
4. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
5. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
6. Fences
   Denzel Washington
7. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
8. The Jungle Book
   Jon Favreau
9. Knight of Cups
   Terrence Malick
10. Sunset Song
    Terence Davies

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016

Christy Lemire: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. Nocturnal Animals
   Tom Ford
4. The Lobster
   Yorgos Lanthimos
5. 13th
   Ava DuVernay
6. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
7. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
8. Kubo and the Two Strings
   Travis Knight
9. Sing Street
   John Carney
10. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016

Tina Hassannia: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

1. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
2. Certain Women
   Kelly Reichardt
3. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
4. Love & Friendship
   Whit Stillman
5. Happy Hour
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
6. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
7. The Edge of Seventeen
   Kelly Fremon Craig
8. Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids
   Jonathan Demme
9. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
10. Cameraperson
    Kirsten Johnson

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016

Noah Gittell: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

1. Arrival
   Denis Villeneuve
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
4. Certain Women
   Kelly Reichardt
5. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
6. Sunset Song
   Terence Davies
7. American Honey
   Andrea Arnold
8. Cameraperson
   Kirsten Johnson
9. Everybody Wants Some!!
   Richard Linklater
10. Men & Chicken
    Anders Thomas Jensen

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016

Matt Fagerholm: Top Ten Films of 2016, as published by RogerEbert.com

1. Sonita
   Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami
2. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
3. Life, Animated
   Roger Ross Williams
4. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
5. I, Daniel Blake
   Ken Loach
6. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
7. The Lobster
   Yorgos Lanthimos
8. A War
   Tobias Lindholm
9. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
10. Newtown
    Kim A. Snyder

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2016