AwardsWatch Forums’ 50 Favourite Performances of 2017
– 111 ballots were received (99 in 2016)
– 20 male and 30 female performances made it to the final list (21 vs 29 in 2016)
– 46 performances received #1 placement (44 in 2016)
Before we begin, here are the top 10 lists from 2013-2016.
AW’s 50 Favourite Performances of 2016
1. Isabelle Huppert, Elle
2. Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
3. Amy Adams, Arrival
4. Sandra Hüller, Toni Erdmann
5. Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
6. Isabelle Huppert, Things to Come
7. Sonia Braga, Aquarius
8. Trevante Rhodes, Moonlight
9. Natalie Portman, Jackie
10. Ashton Sanders, Moonlight
AW’s 50 Favourite Performances of 2015
1. Rooney Mara, Carol
2. Cate Blanchett, Carol
3. Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
4. Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
5. Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina
6. Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
7. Nina Hoss, Phoenix
8. Juliette Binoche, Clouds of Sils Maria
9. Emory Cohen, Brooklyn
10. Brie Larson, Room
AW’s 50 Favourite Performances of 2014
1. Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
3. Julianne Moore, Still Alice
4. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
5. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Beyond the Lights
6. Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars
7. Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant
8. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
9. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
10. Essie Davis, The Babadook
AW’s 50 Favourite Performances of 2013
1. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
2. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Adele Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Color
4. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
5. Suzanne Clement, Laurence Anyways
6. Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
7. Juliette Binoche, Camille Claudel 1915
8. James Franco, Spring Breakers
9. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt
10. Brie Larson, Short Term 12
THE 2017 LIST…50-41
- 2026 Cannes Film Festival Winners: Cristian Mingiu’s ‘Fjord’ Takes the Palme, Seventh Win in a Row for NEON - May 23, 2026
- Cannes 2026: Sandra Wollner’s ‘Everytime’ Wins Un Certain Regard Grand Prize - May 22, 2026
- ‘Coward’ Review: Belgian Soldiers Find Love in Lukas Dhont’s Hidden Romance Masterpiece [A] Cannes - May 21, 2026


AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 345: Recapping the 79th Cannes Film Festival and Looking to the Awards Future
‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Makes a Meal Out of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Movie-Making Buffet [B]
‘The Dreamed Adventure’ Review: Valeska Grisebach’s Observant Thriller Examines the Grey Zones of Morality [B+]
‘Minotaur’ Review: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Timeless, Domestic Epic is an Unflinching Look at Putin’s Russia [A] Cannes