2016: World Premieres
2016: U.S. Releases
2016: Still Left to See
2016: Cannes Festival
2016: Venice Festival
2016: Chicago Festival
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The Movies of 2016: World Premieres
By Title // By Grade // By VOR Rating
Full Listing of Films Screened
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(Most recent links don't work yet, but I'm updating! Thanks for your patience this year.)
⑤ Indispensable to film fans, even if it's flawed
13th Dir. Ava DuVernay. Documentary about the racial history of U.S. incarceration B
20th Century Women Dir. Mike Mills. Annette Bening, Lucas Jade Zumann A
24 Weeks Dir. Anne Zohra Berrached. Julia Jentsch, Bjarne Mädel, Johanna Gastdorf A
American Honey Dir. Andrea Arnold. Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough B+
Aquarius Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho. Sonia Braga, Humberto Carrão, Zoraide Coleto A
Cameraperson Dir. Kirsten Johnson. Collaged footage from cinematographer's career B+
Do Not Resist Dir. Craig Atkinson. Documentary about the militarizing of U.S. police A
Elle Dir. Paul Verhoeven. Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny A
Fire at Sea Dir. Gianfranco Rosi. Documentary about kids and refugees in Lampedusa A
I Am Not Your Negro Dir. Raoul Peck. Nonfiction collage drawn from James Baldwin B+
Moonlight Dir. Barry Jenkins. Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes A
Raising Bertie Dir. Margaret Byrne. Documentary about black teens in North Carolina A
Silence Dir. Martin Scorsese. Andrew Garfield, Yôsuke Kubozuka, Adam Driver B+
Starless Dreams Dir. Mehrdad Oskovei. Documentary about Iranian girls' prison A
Toni Erdmann Dir. Maren Ade. Sandra Hüller, Peter Simonischek, Thomas Loibl B+
Trapped Dir. Dawn Porter. Documentary about abortion providers in the U.S. South B
Weiner Dirs. Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg. Documentary about political campaign B
Zootopia Dirs. Byron Howard, Rich Moore. Voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman B
④ Good or bad, this is risky and original work
93 Days Dir. Steve Gukas. Somkele Idhalama, Bimbo Akintola, Seun Kentebe B
Abortion: Stories Women Tell Dir. Tracy Droz Tragos. Clinic-based documentary B
Arrival Dir. Denis Villeneuve. Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker B
The Birth of a Nation Dir. Nate Parker. Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King B
Certain Women Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Lily Gladstone B
Crosscurrent Dir. Yang Chao. Qin Hao, Xin Zhilei, Tan Kai, Wang Hongwei, Wu Lipeng B+
Everybody Wants Some!! Dir. Richard Linklater. Blake Jenner, Glen Powell C
Hail, Caesar! Dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen. Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes B
The Handmaiden Dir. Park Chan-wook. Kim Tae-ri, Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo B
Jackie Dir. Pablo Larraín. Natalie Portman, Billy Crudup, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig C
Julieta Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. Adriana Ugarte, Emma Suárez, Daniel Grao B+
Kati Kati Dir. Mbithi Masya. Nyokabi Gethaiga, Elsaphan Njora, Paul Ogola B+
Kubo and the Two Strings Dir. Travis Knight. Animated. Voice of Art Parkinson B
La La Land Dir. Damien Chazelle. Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, John Legend B
Last Men Standing Dirs. Erin Bethauer, Tim Hussin. Documentary B+
Layla M. Dir. Mijke De Jong. Nora El Koussour, Ilias Addab, Hassan Akkouch B
Life, Animated Dir. Roger Ross Williams. Documentary about autistic animation fan B
Little Men Dir. Ira Sachs. Theo Taplitz, Michael Barbieri, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle B
The Lost City of Z Dir. James Gray. Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson B+
Love & Friendship Dir. Whit Stillman. Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell B
The Love Witch Dir. Anna Biller. Samantha Robinson, Laura Waddell, Gian Keys C
Midnight Special Dir. Jeff Nichols. Jaeden Lieberher, Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst B
Moana Dirs. Ron Clements, John Musker. Animated. Voice of Auli'i Cravalho B+
Neruda Dir. Pablo Larraín. Luis Gnecco, Gael García Bernal, Mercedes Morán B+
O.J.: Made in America Dir. Ezra Edelman. Documentary about the fallen athlete B
The Ornithologist Dir. João Pedro Rodrigues. Paul Hamy, Xelo Cagiao, Wen Han A
Panamerican Machinery Dir. Joaquin del Paso. Javier Zaragoza, Ramiro Orozco B+
Paterson Dir. Jim Jarmusch. Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Barry Shabaka Henley B
Personal Shopper Dir. Olivier Assayas. Kristen Stewart, Sigrid Bouaziz, Lars Eidinger B
Queen of Katwe Dir. Mira Nair. Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong'o B
A Quiet Passion Dir. Terence Davies. Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Ehle, Keith Carradine B+
The Salesman Dir. Asghar Farhadi. Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Babak Karimi A
Samuel in the Clouds Dir. Pieter Van Eecke. Documentary about ski-lift operator B+
Sieranevada Dir. Cristi Puiu. Mimi Branescu, Marin Grigore, Rolando Matsangos B+
Southside with You Dir. Richard Tanne. Tika Sumpter, Parker Sawyers B+
Spa Night Dir. Andrew Ahn. Joe Seo, Cho Youn Ho, Haerry Kim, Song Tae B+
Sully Dir. Clint Eastwood. Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Mike O'Malley B
Things to Come Dir. Mia Hansen-Løve. Isabelle Huppert, Roman Kolinka, André Marcon A
Tomcat Dir. Händl Klaus. Lukas Turtur, Philipp Hochmair, Thomas Stipsits A
Wolf and Sheep Dir. Shahrbanoo Sadat. Sediqa, Qodrat, Amina, Sahar, Masuma, Zekria B+
③ Worth an opinion, so try to make the time
10 Cloverfield Lane Dir. Dan Trachtenberg. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman C
American Anarchist Dir. Charlie Siskel. Documentary about The Anarchist Cookbook B
Among Wolves Dir. Shawn Convey. Documentary about humanitarian biker gang B
The Bad Batch Dir. Ana Lily Amirpour. Suki Waterhouse, Jason Momoa, Jayda Fink C
Being 17 Dir. André Téchiné. Kacey Mottet Klein, Corentin Fila, Sandrine Kiberlain B
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Dir. Ang Lee. Joe Alwyn, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel C
Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds Dir. Fisher Stevens, et al. Grade: B
Café Society Dir. Woody Allen. Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell C
Captain Fantastic Dir. Matt Ross. Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler B
Christine Dir. Antonio Campos. Rebecca Hall, Tracy Letts, Michael C. Hall, Maria Dizzia B
The Challenge Dir. Yuri Ancarani. Documentary about Qatari falcon enthusiasts B
Colossal Dir. Nacho Vigalondo. Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Dan Stevens D+
Daddy's Boy Dir. Daniel Armando. Al Miro, Jonathan Iglesias, Joe Lopez, James Koroni B+
Deadpool Dir. Tim Miller. Ryan Reynolds, Ed Skrein, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller C
The Edge of Seventeen Dir. Kelly Fremon Craig. Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson B+
The Eyes of My Mother Dir. Nicolas Pesce. Kika Magalhães, Diana Agostini, Paul Nazak B
Fences Dir. Denzel Washington. Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Jovan Adepo B
Girls Don't Fly Dir. Monika Grassl. Documentary about Ghanaian aviation academy B+
Graduation Dir. Cristian Mungiu. Adrian Titieni, Maria-Victoria Dragus, Malina Manovici B
Heartstone Dir. Guðmunder Amar Guðmundsson. Balður Einarsson, Blær Hinriksson C+
Hell or High Water Dir. David Mackenzie. Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges B
Hidden Figures Dir. Theodore Melfi. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe B
I, Daniel Blake Dir. Ken Loach. Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Briana Shann B
Indignation Dir. James Schamus. Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Danny Burstein C
Karl Marx City Dirs. Petra Epperlein, Michael Tucker. Documentary about the Stasi B
Kékszakállú Dir. Gastón Solnicki. Laila Maltz, Natali Maltz, María Soldi B
Lady Macbeth Dir. William Oldroyd. Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Paul Hilton B
The Landscape Within Dir. Andrea Capranico. Documentary about queer Filipino artist B+
Loving Dir. Jeff Nichols. Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Terri Abney, Marton Csokas B
Malaria Dir. Parvaz Shahbazi. Saed Soheili, Saghar Ghanaat, Azarakhsh Farahani B
Manchester by the Sea Dir. Kenneth Lonergan. Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges B
Maudie Dir. Aisling Walsh. Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke, Kari Matchett, Gabrielle Rose B+
A Mere Breath Dir. Monica Lãzurean-Gorgan. Documentary about Romanian family B+
Mirzya Dir. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Harshvardhan Kapoor, Saiyami Kher B
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Dir. Nicholas Stoller. Seth Rogen, Zac Efron C
The Neon Demon Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee C
Paradise Dir. Andrei Konchalovsky. Yuliya Vysotskaya, Peter Kurth, Filipp Dyuken B
Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo Dirs. Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau B
Prevenge Dir. Alice Lowe. Alice Lowe, Kayvan Novak, Gemma Whelan, Tom Davis C+
Raw Dir. Julia DuCournau. Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Nait Oufella B
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Dir. Gareth Edwards. Felicity Jones, Diego Luna B
Santa y Andrés Dir. Carlos Lechuga. Lola Amores, Eduardo Mart?nez, George Abreu B
Sing Street Dir. John Carney. Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Ben Carolan B+
Slack Bay Dir. Bruno Dumont. Brandon Lavieville, Didier Després, Fabrice Luchini B
Staying Vertical Dir. Alain Guiraudie. Damien Bonnard, India Hair, Raphaël Thiéry B
Swiss Army Man Dirs. Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan. Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe C
Tickled Dirs. David Farrier, Dylan Reeve. Documentary about online tickling network D+
Under the Shadow Dir. Babak Anvari. Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi B
The Unknown Girl Dirs. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Adèle Haenel, Jérémie Renier B
Upstairs Inferno Dir. Robert L. Camina. Documentary about a New Orleans hate crime B
We Are the Flesh Dir. Emiliano Rocha Minter. Noé Hernández, María Evoli B
White Girl Dir. Elizabeth Wood. Morgan Saylor, Brian Marc, India Mendez, Justin Bartha B
② Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking
Are We Not Cats Dir. Xander Robin. Michael Patrick Nicholson, Chelsea LJ Lopez B
Bridget Jones's Baby Dir. Sharon Maguire. Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth B
bwoy Dir. John G. Young. Anthony Rapp, Jimmy Brooks, De'Adre Aziza, Ashton Randle B
The Conjuring 2 Dir. James Wan. Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe C+
The Daughter Dir. Luis Sampieri. María Laura Cuarhavilca, Santiago Paz Posse C+
Deepwater Horizon Dir. Peter Berg. Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Gina Rodriguez C
Denial Dir. Mick Jackson. Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall, Andrew Scott C
Don't Breathe Dir. Fede Alvarez. Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Stephen Lang D
Finals Dir. Adel Yaraghi. Shahab Hosseini, Amir Salamati, Behnam Asgari, Leila Zare C+
Florence Foster Jenkins Dir. Stephen Frears. Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg B
Frantz Dir. François Ozon. Paula Beer, Pierre Niney, Ernst Stötzner, Marie Gruber C+
Ghostbusters Dir. Paul Feig. Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon D+
Goat Dir. Andrew Neel. Ben Schnetzer, Nick Jonas, Danny Flaherty, Gus Halper B
Hacksaw Ridge Dir. Mel Gibson. Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Sam Worthington C
Illegitimate Dir. Adrian Sitaru. Robi Urs, Alina Grigore, Bogdan Albulescu C+
The Intervention Dir. Clea DuVall. Melanie Lynskey, Cobie Smulders, Vincent Piazza B
It's Only the End of the World Dir. Xavier Dolan. Gaspard Ulliel, Nathalie Baye C
The Jungle Book Dir. Jon Favreau. Neel Sethi, voices of Ben Kingsley, Lupita Nyong'o C+
Lazy Eye Dir. Tim Kirkman. Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Aaron Costa Ganis B
The Light Between Oceans Dir. Derek Cianfrance. Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander C+
Lights Out Dir. David F. Sandberg. Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Maria Bello D
Lion Dir. Garth Davis. Dev Patel, Sunny Pawar, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman B
Ministry of Love Dir. Pavo Marinković. Stjepan Perić, Dražen Kühn, Ecija Ojdanić B
The Nice Guys Dir. Shane Black. Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice C+
Nocturnal Animals Dir. Tom Ford. Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon D
Other People Dir. Chris Kelly. Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford B
Paint It Black Dir. Amber Tamblyn. Alia Shawkat, Janet McTeer, Rhys Wakefield C
The Revival: Women and the Word Dir. Sekiya Dorsett. Documentary B
The Secret Life of Pets Dir. Chris Renaud. Voices of Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet C+
The Shallows Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra. Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Sedona Legge B
Snowden Dir. Oliver Stone. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Rhys Ifans B
Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four Dir. Deborah S. Esquenazi B
Star Trek: Beyond Dir. Justin Lin. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Idris Elba B
Strange Weather Dir. Katherine Dieckmann. Holly Hunter, Carrie Coon, Kim Coates C
Strike a Pose Dirs. Ester Gould, Reijer Zwaan. Documentary about backup dancers B
Suntan Dir. Argyris Papadimitropoulos. Makis Papadimitriou, Elli Tringou, Marcus Collen C+
Taekwondo Dirs. Marco Berger, Martin Farina. Gabriel Epstein, Lucas Papa B
Wakefield Dir. Robin Swicord. Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Garner, Jason O'Mara F
Where You're Meant to Be Dir. Paul Fegan. Documentary about Scottish ballads B
① Low ambition, little originality, easy to forget
Almost Christmas Dir. David E. Talbert. Danny Glover, Kimberly Elise, Gabrielle Union C
Before the Fall Dir. Byrum Geisler. Ethan Sharrett, Chase Conner, Jonathan Horvath D
Blair Witch Dir. Adam Wingard. James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott C
The Darkness Dir. Daniel Castro Zimbrón. Brontis Jodorowsky, Aliocha Sotnikoff C+
Fado Dir. Jonas Rothlaender. Golo Euler, Luise Heyer, Albano Jer?nimo, Pirjo Lonka C
Genius Dir. Michael Grandage. Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Laura Linney F
Jason Bourne Dir. Paul Greengrass. Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones C
Money Monster Dir. Jodie Foster. George Clooney, Jack O'Connell, Julia Roberts C
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