The Films of 2016. The 17th annual FiLM BiTCH Awards
PICTURE | ACTING | VISUALS | AURALS | EXTRAS | SPECIAL | SCENES
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Best Picture
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| 20th Century Women Mike Mills (A24) December 25th |
The Handmaiden Park Chan-Wook (Amazon Studios) October 21st |
La La Land |
Moonlight Barry Jenkins (A24) October 21st |
The Witch Robert Eggers (A24) February 19th |
 a feminist awakening in a teenage male coming of age movie? That's one of a kind. Another memoir driven winner from Mike Mills (see also Beginners) |
 A con-job perspective puzzle where the interlocking pieces have arm, legs, tentacles, suspension ropes, and errogenous zones |
This musical leaps off from the mundanity of a traffic jam and keeps on wowing. A joyous present-tense celebration of past-tense art forms |  Another rarity in a shortlist full of them: a black gay drama about surviving long enough to find yourself. "Who is you Chiron?" |
A terrifyingly isolated horror film straight from the 17th century. They have movie cameras back then?! Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? |
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RUNNERS UP |
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Arrival, Jackie, Love & Friendship and more... |
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Best Director
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Park Chan-Wook |
Damien Chazelle LA LA LAND |
Barry Jenkins MOONLIGHT |
Pablo Larraín JACKIE |
Denis Villeneuve
ARRIVAL |
For his provocative glee, formal control, and the lush abandon of this decorous erotic con-artist thriller |
For his traffic stopping commitment, and for understanding the blinding charisma of movie stars |
For treating another person's memoir as if its hiw own. Deeply felt and unerringly precise work. |
For his fury behind the camera and sideways attacks at material. An inspiringly fresh take on a monumental moment. | 
For understanding that the scifi genre isn't just action setpieces and CGI. His intuitive, awestruck film is an optimistic wonder. |
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Finalists: Mike Mills for 20th Century Women; Robert Eggers for The Witch |
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Best Original Screenplay
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| 20th Century Women |
Little Men |
The Lobster |
Neruda |
Zootopia |
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As with Beginners, Mike Mills has transformed personal memoirs into transcendent fiction |
This deceptively small study of family, friendship and real estate by Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias is richly perceptive |
The year's most successful high-wire act, Efthymis Filippou & Yorgos Lanthimos give genius dystopian satire |
Guillermo Calderón's literary yarn about Pablo Neruda on the run in Chile is playful, surprising and layered | Jared Bush & Phil Johnston's and a huge "story by" team have crafted a timely allegory that's also a smart family-friendly adventure comedy |
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Finalists Captain Fantastic - Matt Ross, Toni Erdmann - Maren Ade, Manchester by the Sea - Kenneth Lonergan, Jackie - Noah Oppenheim, Aquarius-Kleber Mendonça Filho |
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Best Adapted Screenplay
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| Arrival | Elle | The Handmaiden | Love & Friendship | Moonlight |
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Eric Heisserer orbits the acclaimed circular Ted Chiang short story "Story of Your Life" carefully extracting a grand movie from it |
David Birke's bitterly funny screenplay adapted the novel "Oh..." by Philippe Djian that was probably on no one's list of "Most Filmable" | Jeong Seo-Kyeong and Park Chan Wook take an imaginatively and outrageous leap from Sarah Water's novel "Fingersmith" |
Much was made of Whit Stillman's affinity for Jane Austen when this movie, based on "Lady Susan" premiered. Funniest Austen adaptation yet. |
Barry Jenkins crafts a stellar three act drama from Tarell Alvin's McCraney's unproduced play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" |
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Finalists Fences, Embrace of Serpent |
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Best Animated Feature
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| Moana | The Red Turtle | Zootopia | ||
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Bless Disney for their commitment to the animated musical. Rousing, funny... and that exquisite finale! |
Every still is frameable. A glorious reminder of the power of moving images with or without sound |
A great time at the movies and also a tribute to multiple film genres while it entertains and edifies |
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Finalist My Life as a Courgette and Phantom Boy |
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