AwardsWatch’s 50 Favorite Performances of 2016
“I think having your heart broken is a tremendous way to learn about the world.”
5. Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
356 points / 34 mentions / 3 #1 spots
“I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone’s shadow…”
4. Sandra Hüller, Toni Erdmann
378 points / 39 mentions / 6 #1 spots
“Despite knowing the journey and where it leads, I embrace it, and I welcome every moment of it.”
3. Amy Adams, Arrival
396 points / 42 mentions / 9 #1 spots
“I can’t beat it.”
2. Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
416 points / 40 mentions / 7 #1 spots
“Nutjobs, I can handle. My specialty.”
1. Isabelle Huppert, Elle
510 points / 49 mentions / 8 #1 spots
Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)
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- FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTRESS - January 19, 2026
76th Berlin Film Festival Lineup: Starry Films with Elle Fanning, Charli xcx, Callum Turner, Jamie Bell and Isabelle Huppert 
Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA) Nominations: ‘Sinners’ Leads with 16 
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FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTRESS