THE FILM STAGE'S BEST OF 2016 LISTS

It's The Film Stage's turn to weigh in on what it considers the best in cinema from the year, just as it comes to a close. Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea proves its potential, winning Best Film in another small step toward possibly assuming frontrunner status in the Oscar Best Picture race. Beneath the cut, you'll find several other Best Of lists from TFS' contributors.

* Updated to include Best Score / Soundtrack and Best Trailer

Best Film
1. Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan)
2. Elle (Paul Verhoeven)
3. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)
4. La La Land (Damien Chazelle)
5. American Honey (Andrea Arnold)
6. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
7. Jackie (Pablo Larrain)
8. O.J.: Made in America (Ezra Edelman)
9. Arrival (Denis Villeneuve)
10. Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)
11. The Handmaiden (Park Chan Wook)
12. 20th Century Women (Mike Mills)
13. Knight of Cups (Terrence Malick)
14. Right Now, Wrong Then (Hong Sang Soo)
15. Silence (Martin Scorsese)
16. Sunset Song (Terence Davies)
17. The Witch (Robert Eggers)
18. Love & Friendship (Whit Stillman)
19. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
20. Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)
21. Mountains May Depart (Jia Zhang Ke)
22. Hail, Caesar! (Ethan Coen and Joel Coen)
23. 13th (Ava DuVernay)
24. I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck)
25. Everybody Wants Some!! (Richard Linklater)
26. Green Room (Jeremy Saulnier)
27. Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)
28. Kate Plays Christine (Robert Greene)
29. Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi)
30. The Fits (Anna Rose Holmer)
31. The Nice Guys (Shane Black)
32. Hell or High Water (David MacKenzie)
33. Little Men (Ira Sachs)
34. High-Rise (Ben Wheatley)
35. A Dragon Arrives! (Mani Haghighi)
36. Cosmos (Andrzej Zulawski)
37. A Monster Calls (J. A. Bayona)
38. Dirty Grandpa (Dan Mazer)
39. Sully (Clint Eastwood)
40. Pete's Dragon (David Lowery)
41. Allied (Robert Zemeckis)
42. The Invitation (Karyn Kusama)
43. Divines (Uda Benyamina)
44. Things to Come (Mia Hansen-Love)
45. de Palma (Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow)
46. The Treasure (Corneliu Porumboiu)
47. The Vessel (Julio Quintana)
48. Kaili Blues (Bi Gan)
49. The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos)
50. Cemetery of Splendour (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

DESISTFILM CHOOSES SIERANEVADA AS THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR

Another poll of 2016's best films, but this time, not another usual suspect topping the list. DesistFilm does the smart thing and goes against the grain, picking Cristi Puiu's Sieranevada as the best film its contributors saw this year. All in all, a very commendable slate from DesistFilm, which you can see in full right here, alongside their favourite experimental short films:

Best Film

1. Sieranevada (Cristi Puiu)

2. Elle (Paul Verhoeven)

3. The Death of Louis XIV (Albert Serra)

4. The Ornithologist (Joao Pedro Rodrigues)

5. All the Cities of the North (Dane Komljen)

6. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)

7. Viejo Calavera (Kiro Russo)

8. El Viento Sabe Que Vuelvo a Casa (Jose Luis Torres Leiva)

9. La Noche (Edgardo Castro)

10. The Woman Who Left (Lav Diaz)

Best Experimental Short Film

1. Answer Print (Monica Saviron)

2. Montanas Ardientes Que Vomitan Fuego (Samuel M. Delgado and Helena Giron)

3. Cilaos (Camilo Restrepo)

4. Blanche (Marc Hurtado)

5. An Aviation Field (Joana Pimenta)

NORTH TEXAS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS: LA LA LAND WINS BEST FILM

It was all white on the night for the North Texas Film Critics Association as they voted on their favourites in film from 2016! No 10th place mention for The Birth of a Nation in Best Film could prevent them from bestowing all of their prizes upon Caucasian recipients, including La La Land scoring yet another undeserved top category victory. Their ranked picks in full below.

Best Film

1. La La Land

2. Manchester by the Sea

3. Moonlight

4. Hacksaw Ridge

5. Loving

6. Arrival

7. Captain Fantastic

8. Nocturnal Animals

9. Jackie

10. The Birth of a Nation

Best Director

1. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

2. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

3. Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)

4. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)

5. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Actress

1. Natalie Portman (Jackie)

2. Emma Stone (La La Land)

3. Amy Adams (Arrival)

4. Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train)

5. Ruth Negga (Loving)

Best Actor

1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

2. Ryan Gosling (La La Land)

3. Denzel Washington (Fences)

4. Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

5. Don Cheadle (Miles Ahead)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

2. Viola Davis (Fences)

3. Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

4. Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)

5. Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

2. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

3. Dev Patel (Lion)

4. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

5. Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Cinematography

1. Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

2. James Laxton (Moonlight)

3. Simon Duggan (Hacksaw Ridge)

=  Bradford Young (Arrival)

5. Stephane Fontaine (Jackie)

Best Animated Film

1. Zootopia

2. Kubo and the Two Strings

3. Sing

Best Documentary

1. Gleason

2. 13th

3. Tower

4. Wiener

5. The Eagle Huntress

Best Foreign Language Film

1. Elle

2. The Handmaiden

3. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

4. The Salesman

=  Toni Erdmann

THE CHICAGO INDEPENDENT FILM CRITICS CIRCLE ANNOUNCES 1ST EVER AWARDS NOMINATIONS

The Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle evidently doesn't give a shit about the SOS Critics' Tally, since they've divided up their Best Picture category, which flouts its rules, but sure worse things have happened. The CIFCC is a new group, and it is indeed a group, not just a pair of wannabe film critics starting up a fan site for their own opinions. Award winners will be revealed on the 8th of January, when they're holding an 'invitation only awards banquet' lol.

Best Director

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Pablo Larrain (Jackie)

Best Actress

Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship)

Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Ryan Gosling (La La Land)

Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis (Fences)

Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Original Screenplay

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Jeong Seo Kyeong and Park Chan Wook (The Handmaiden)

Best Cinematography

The Handmaiden

La La Land

Moonlight

The Witch

Best Editing

The Handmaiden

Jackie

La La Land

Best Production Design

The Handmaiden

La La Land

The Love Witch

Best Costume Design

The Handmaiden

Jackie

The Love Witch

Best Visual Effects

Doctor Strange

The Jungle Book

Rogue One

Best Makeup

The Handmaiden

Jackie

Swiss Army Man

Best Original Score

Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)

Mica Levi (Jackie)

Cliff Martinez (The Neon Demon)

Best Ensemble Cast

Everybody Wants Some!!

Fences

Moonlight

Best Studio Film

Arrival

La La Land

Nocturnal Animals

Top 10

Captain America: Civil War

The Conjuring 2

Fences

Hail, Caesar!

The Neon Demon

The Nice Guys

Sully

Best Independent Film

Jackie

Love & Friendship

Moonlight

Top 10

A Bigger Splash

Green Room

Hell or High Water

The Love Witch

Loving

Manchester by the Sea

The Witch

Best Micro-Budget Film

The Fits

Kate Plays Christine

Krisha

Best Animated Film

Kubo and the Two Strings

Tower

Zootopia

Best Documentary

13th

O.J.: Made in America

Tower

Best Foreign Film

Elle

The Handmaiden

Toni Erdmann

Best Chicago Film

Henry Gamble's Birthday Party

Pause of the Clock

Southside with You

Best Undistributed Film

Atmo Horrox

Viaje

Best Short Film

Inner Workings

Piper

The Stylist

Impact Award

Ava DuVernay (13th)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Jacqueline Stewart (Pioneers of African-American Cinema)

Trailblazer Award

Anna Biller (The Love Witch)

Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Swiss Army Man)

Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

Deborah Stratman (The Illinois Parables)

MOONLIGHT WINS FIVE FROM AUSTIN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

Yet another film critics group has been seduced by Barry Jenkins' Moonlight, as proven in the awards choices of the Austin Film Critics Association. You can always rely on the AFCA to deliver a strong list of award winners, and they had an equally strong slate from which to choose, as evidenced in their nominations. All the info below.

Best Film

1. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)

2. La La Land

3. Arrival

4. The Handmaiden

5. Manchester by the Sea

6. Elle

7. Hell or High Water

8. The Lobster

9. Jackie

10. Sing Street

Best Director

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Best Actress

Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis (Fences)

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Best Original Screenplay

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Heisserer (Arrival)

Best Cinematography

Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

Best Score

Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)

Best Animated Film

Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight)

Best Documentary

Tower (Keith Maitland)

Best Foreign-Language Film

The Handmaiden (Park Chan Wook)

Best Austin Film

Tower (Keith Maitland)

Best First Film

The Witch (Robert Eggers)

The Robert R. 'Bobby' McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award

Keith Maitland (Tower)

Special Honorary Award

A24 for excellence in production (20th Century Women / Green Room / The Lobster / Moonlight / Swiss Army Man / The Witch)

The ensemble cast of Moonlight and casting director Yesi Ramirez for excellence as an ensemble

Filmmaker Keith Maitland and his film Tower for revisiting a tragic event in Austin, Texas history in a sensitive and unique manner

Anton Yelchin for his contribution to the cinema of 2016, including performances in Green Room and Star Trek Beyond

OBIT - DEBBIE REYNOLDS

You've already heard, I'm sure. Too sad. Just too sad to even describe. Just leaving this here - hope you enjoy Debbie's legacy as much as I do.

LITTLE WHITE LIES WANTS SOME!!

The clue's in the title. And in the picture. And in the list below. And Little White Lies' favourite films of 2016 (and 2015, by the looks of things) are...

Best Film

1. Everybody Wants Some!! (Richard Linklater)

2. Julieta (Pedro Almodovar)

3. Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)

4. Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)

5. Knight of Cups (Terrence Malick)

6. Love & Friendship (Whit Stillman)

7. Sully (Clint Eastwood)

8. Arabian Nights: Volume 1 - The Restless One (Miguel Gomes)

=  Arabian Nights: Volume 2 - The Desolate One (Miguel Gomes)

=  Arabian Nights: Volume 3 - The Enchanted One (Miguel Gomes)

11. Midnight Special (Jeff Nichols)

12. Heaven Knows What (Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie)

13. The Assassin (Hou Hsiao Hsien)

14. Chi-Raq (Spike Lee)

15. Things to Come (Mia Hansen-Love)

16. No Home Movie (Chantal Akerman)

17. Further Beyond (Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy)

18. Son of Saul (Nemes Laszlo)

19. Kate Plays Christine (Robert Greene)

20. Anomalisa (Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman)

21. Cosmos (Andrzej Zulawski)

22. Rogue One (Gareth Edwards)

23. The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn)

24. Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi)

25. Hail, Caesar! (Ethan Coen and Joel Coen)

26. High-Rise (Ben Wheatley)

27. The BFG (Steven Spielberg)

ELLE IS LA INTERNACIONAL CINEFILA'S FILM OF THE YEAR

Year-end top tens don't come much smarter than La Internacional Cinefila's. The estimable Spanish publication's choices are always fine summations of the best in cinema of their respective frames, and their 2016 selections are reliably strong. Auteurs aplenty here, though it's Paul Verhoeven who tops the lot, as Elle claims the first place position. The full top 11 below.

Best Film

1. Elle (Paul Verhoeven)

2. The Death of Louis XIV (Albert Serra)

3. Aquarius (Kleber Mendonca Filho)

4. Sieranevada (Cristi Puiu)

5. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)

6. El Viento Sabe Que Vuelvo a Casa (Jose Luis Torres Leiva)

7. Homeland: Iraq Year Zero (Abbas Fahdel)

8. Hermia & Helena (Matias Pineiro)

=  The Ornithologist (Joao Pedro Rodrigues)

10. Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)

=   Staying Vertical (Alain Guiraudie)

Best First Film

1. La Noche (Edgardo Castro)

2. Short Stay (Ted Fendt)

3. The Human Surge (Eduardo Williams)

INDIANA FILM JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION AWARDS - MOONLIGHT WINS BEST FILM

Shameful tardiness! Did you know that the Indiana Film Journalists Association declared its 2016 awards longlist on the 5th of December? And that it declared its award winners on the 19th? Shit, I don't know what distracted me. Maybe important things with a bearing on my life. That might have been it. Longlist nominees are included where they make a difference, however minuscule, to the SOS Critics' Tally. Everything you need to know below.

Best Film

1. Moonlight

2. Hell or High Water

American Honey

Arrival

Deadpool

Everybody Wants Some!!

La La Land

The Lobster

Manchester by the Sea

Sing Street

Best Director

1. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

2. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Actress

1. Rebecca Hall (Christine)

2. Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Best Actor

1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

2. Ethan Hawke (Born to Be Blue)

Longlist nominees

Don Cheadle (Miles Ahead)

Bryan Cranston (The Infiltrator)

Chris Evans (Captain America: Civil War)

Colin Farrell (The Lobster)

Michael Fassbender (The Light Between Oceans)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Ryan Gosling (La La Land)

Tom Hanks (Sully)

Michael Keaton (The Founder)

Rolf Lassgard (A Man Called Ove)

Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)

Nate Parker (The Birth of a Nation)

Chris Pine (Hell or High Water)

Michael Shannon (Elvis & Nixon)

Miles Teller (Bleed for This)

Ferdia Walsh-Peelio (Sing Street)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Viola Davis (Fences)

2. Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Longlist nominees

Judy Davis (The Dressmaker)

Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)

Lily Gladstone (Certain Women)

Scarlett Johansson (Captain America: Civil War)

Margo Martindale (The Hollars)

Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures)

Lupita Nyong'o (Queen of Katwe)

Bahar Pars (A Man Called Ove)

Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad)

Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)

Rachel Weisz (The Light Between Oceans)

Rachel Weisz (The Lobster)

Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

2. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

2. Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

2. Eric Heisserer (Arrival)

Longlist nominees

Peter Berg, Matt Cook and Joshua Zetumer (Patriots Day)

Chris Butler and Marc Haimes (Kubo and the Two Strings)

Derek Cianfrance (The Light Between Oceans)

David Hare (Denial)

Jeong Seo Kyeong and Park Chan Wook (The Handmaiden)

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America: Civil War)

Melissa Mathison (The BFG)

Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures)

Patrick Ness (A Monster Calls)

Jeff Nichols (Loving)

Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool)

Best Musical Score

1. Mica Levi (Jackie)

2. Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)

Longlist nominees

Nicholas Britell (Moonlight)

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (Hell or High Water)

Alexandre Desplat (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Michael Giacchino (Doctor Strange)

Johann Johannsson (Arrival)

Mark Korven (The Witch)

Abel Korzeniowski (Nocturnal Animals)

Bear McCreary (10 Cloverfield Lane)

Brian McOmber (Krisha)

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Patriots Day)

Best Ensemble Acting

1. Everybody Wants Some!!

2. Don't Think Twice

Longlist nominees

American Honey

Captain America: Civil War

Certain Women

Hidden Figures

The Hollars

Jackie

The Lobster

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Our Little Sister

Patriots Day

The Witch

Best Animated Feature

1. Kubo and the Two Strings

2. Sausage Party

Longlist nominees

Finding Dory

Kung Fu Panda 3

Moana

The Secret Life of Pets

Zootopia

Best Documentary

1. O.J.: Made in America

2. Weiner

Longlist nominees

13th

Amanda Knox

Art Bastard

Author: The JT LeRoy Story

Command and Control

de Palma

Gleason

The Invisible Parents

Life, Animated

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

Night School

Tower

Trapped

Voyage of Time: Life's Journey

Who Took Johnny?

Best Foreign Language Film

1. The Handmaiden

2. A Man Called Ove

Longlist nominees

Dheepan

Elle

The Girl's House

Neruda

Our Little Sister

Shin Godzilla

Things to Come

Breakout of the Year

1. Robert Eggers (The Witch)

2. Sasha Lane (American Honey)

Best Vocal / Motion Capture Performance

1. Alan Tudyk (Rogue One)

2. Nick Kroll (Sausage Party)

Original Vision Award

1. The Lobster

2. Sausage Party