Team Screen's best films of 2016

Scroll down for Screen’s overall top 10

Screen’s esteemed critics have had their turn. Now, Screen staff, contributors and correspondents reveal their favourite films seen in 2016. Festival premieres and UK/US theatrical releases are deemed eligible.

Matt Mueller (editor)

1. Moonlight (dir. Barry Jenkins)
2. La La Land (dir. Damien Chazelle)
3. Aquarius (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)
4. Mustang (dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven)
5. Hell Or High Water (dir. David Mackenzie)
6. Embrace Of The Serpent (dir. Ciro Guerra)
7. Little Men (dir. Ira Sachs)
8. Suntan (dir. Argyris Papadimitropoulos)
9. Love & Friendship (dir. Whit Stillman)
10. Nocturnal Animals (dir Tom Ford)

Jeremy Kay (US editor)

1. Manchester By The Sea (dir. Kenneth Lonergan)
2. Neruda (dir. Pablo Larrain)
3. Aquarius (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)
4. Deadpool (dir Tim Miller)
5. Fire At Sea (dir. Gianfranco Rosi)
6. Moonlight (dir. Barry Jenkins)
7. OJ: Made In America (dir. Ezra Edelman)
8. Like Crazy (dir. Paolo Virzi)
9. Toni Erdmann (dir. Maren Ade)
10. Elle (dir. Paul Verhoeven)

Andreas Wiseman (deputy editor)

1. Mustang (dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven)
2. The Birth Of A Nation (dir. Nate Parker)
3. Nocturnal Animals (dir. Tom Ford)
4. The Revenant (dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)
5. Moonlight (dir. Barry Jenkins)
6. Bone Tomahawk (dir. Craig Zahler)
7. The Girl On The Train (dir. Tate Taylor)
8. Chiraq (dir. Spike Lee)
9. Fire At Sea (dir. Gianfranco Rosi)
10. Nocturama (dir. Bertrand Bonello)

Orlando Parfitt (senior editor - online)

1. The Revenant (dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)
2. Arrival (dir. Denis Villeneuve )
3. The Assassin (dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
4. Creed (dir. Ryan Coogler)
5. Room (dir. Lenny Abrahamson)
6. The Witch (dir. Robert Eggers)
7. Spotlight (dir. Todd McCarthy)
8. Tale Of Tales (dir. Matteo Garrone)
9. Sausage Party  (dir. Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan)
10. My Scientology Movie (dir. John Dower)

Tom Grater (Deputy Online Editor)

1. American Honey (dir. Andrea Arnold)
2. Embrace Of The Serpent (dir. Ciro Guerra)
3. One Week And A Day (dir. Asaph Polonsky)
4. Sieranevada (dir. Cristi Puiu)
5. Toni Erdmann (dir. Maren Ade)
6. Moonlight (dir. Barry Jenkins)
7. La La Land (dir. Damien Chazelle)
8. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (dir. Gareth Edwards)
9. Hunt For The Wilderpeople (dir. Taika Waititi)
10. Train To Busan (dir. Yeon Sang-ho)

Melanie Goodfellow (France/Middle East correspondent)

1. Elle (dir. Paul Verhoeven)
2. Raw (dir. Julie Ducournau)
3. Nocturama (dir. Bertrand Bonello)
4. Frantz (dir. Francois Ozon)
5. The Eagle Huntress (dir. Otto Bell)
6. Certain Women (dir. Kelly Reichardt)
7. O.J.: Made in America (dir. Ezra Edelman)
8. Lion (dir. Garth Davis)
9. Like Crazy (dir. Paolo Virzi)
10. Zootropolis (dir. Byron Howard)

Geoffrey Macnab (UK correspondent)

1. Elle (dir. Paul Verhoeven)
2. The Clan (dir. Pablo Trapero)
3. Nocturnal Animals (dir. Tom Ford)
4. Afterimage (dir. Andrzej Wajda)
5. American Honey (dir. Andrea Arnold)
6. Sully (dir. Clint Eastwood)
7. The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki (dir. Juho Kuosmanen)
8. The Promise (dir. Markus Vetter & Karin Steinberger)
9. The Jungle Book (dir. Jon Favreau)
10. Everybody Wants Some!! (dir. Richard Linklater)

Elisabet Cabeza (Spain correspondent)

1. Paterson (dir. Jim Jarmusch)
2. Elle (dir. Paul Verhoeven)
3. Jackie (dir. Pablo Larraín)
4. Toni Erdmann (dir. Maren Ade)
5. Lady Macbeth (dir. William Oldroyd)
6. Fire At Sea (dir. Gianfranco Rosi)
7. Things to Come (dir. Mia Hansen-Love)
8. The Death Of Louis XIV (dir. Albert Serra)
9. Julieta (dir. Pedro Almodóvar)
10. The Distinguished Citizen (dir. Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn)

Gabriele Niola (Italy correspondent)

1. The Wailing (dir. Na Hong-jin)
2. It’s Only The End Of The World (dir. Xavier Dolan)
3. Everybody Wants Some (dir. Richard Linklater)
4. La La Land (dir. Damien Chazelle)
5. The Distinguished Citizen (dir. Gastón Duprat & Mariano Cohn)
6. Arrival (dir. Denis Villeneuve)
7. The Witch (dir. Robert Eggers)
8. The Hateful Eight (dir. Quentin Tarantino)
9. American Honey (dir. Andrea Arnold)
10. Fire At Sea (dir. Gianfranco Rosi)

Edna Fainaru (Israel correspondent)

1. Graduation (dir. Cristian Mungiu)
2. Aquarius (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)
3. Sieranevada (dir. Cristi Puiu)
4. The Red Turtle (dir. Michael Dudok de Wit)
5. Hell Or High Water (dir. David Mackenzie)
6. Lady Macbeth (dir. William Oldroyd)
7. I Am Not Madame Bovary (dir. Feng Xiaogang)
8. The Happiest Day In The Life Of Ollie Maki (dir. Juho Kuosmanen)
9. A Monster Calls (dir. J.A. Bayona) 
10. Heartstone (dir. Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson)

Vladan Petkovic (Serbia correspondent)

1. Elle (dir. Paul Verhoeven)
2. The Land Of The Enlightened (dir. Pieter-Jan De Pue)
3. The Ornithologist (dir. Joao Pedro Rodrigues)
4. The Witch (dir. Robert Eggers)
5. Train To Busan (dir. Yeon Sang-ho)
6. Arrival (dir. Denis Villeneuve)
7. Depth Two (dir. Ognjen Glavonic)
8. A Mere Breath (dir. Monica Lazurean Gorgan)
9. House Of Others (dir. Russudan Glurjidze)
10. Midnight Special (dir. Jeff Nichols)

Elaine Guerini (Brazil Correspondent)

1. Toni Erdmann (dir. Maren Ade)
2. Manchester By The Sea (dir. Kenneth Lonergan)
3. Moonlight (dir. Barry Jenkins)
4. The Winter (dir. Emiliano Torres)
5. After The Storm (dir. Kore-eda Hirokazu)
6. La La Land (dir. Damien Chazelle)
7. Arrival (dir. Denis Villeneuve)
8. Nocturnal Animals (dir. Tom Ford)
9. The Salesman (dir. Ashgar Farhadi)
10. Aquarius (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)

Nikki Baughan (contributing editor)

1. Arrival (dir. Denis Villeneuve)
2. The Girl With All The Gifts (dir. Colm McCarthy)
3. Under The Shadow (dir. Babak Anvari)
4. The Keeping Room (dir. Daniel Barber)
5. American Honey (dir. Andrea Arnold)
6. A Monster Calls (dir. G.A Bayona)
7. Queen Of Earth (dir. Alex Ross Perry)
8. Life, Animated (dir. Roger Ross Williams)
9. Remainder (dir. Omer Fast)
10. Innocence Of Memories (dir. Grant Gee)

Ian Sandwell (contributing reporter)

1. La La Land (dir. Damien Chazelle)
2. Arrival (dir. Denis Villeneuve)
3. Hunt For The Wilderpeople (dir. Taika Waititi)
4. Midnight Special (dir. Jeff Nichols)
5. The BFG (dir. Steven Spielberg)
6. The Girl With All The Gifts (dir. Colm McCarthy)
7. Kubo and the Two Strings (dir. Travis Knight)
8. Sing Street (dir. Mark Carney)
9. Lady Macbeth (dir. William Olroyd)
10. Little Sister (dir. Zach Clark)

SCREEN INTERNATIONAL - OVERALL TOP 10

The below scores represent the above ratings combined into an overall top ten, with scores averaged across each list. A first-placed film received the maximum 10 points, while a tenth-placed film received one point.

1. Arrival (42, dir. Denis Villeneuve)
2. Elle (40, dir. Paul Verhoeven)
3. La La Land (35, dir. Damien Chazelle)
4. Moonlight (34, dir. Barry Jenkins)
5. Aquarius (26, dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)
6. Toni Erdmann (25, dir. Maren Ade)
7. American Honey (24, dir. Andrea Arnold)
8. Nocturnal Animals (20, dir. Tom Ford)
9. Manchester By The Sea (19, dir. Kenneth Lonergan)
10. = The Revenant (17, dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)
11. = Mustang (17, dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven)