# Best Picture nominees at the 2016 Oscars: all eight films

> All eight Best Picture nominees at the 2016 Oscars, from winner Spotlight to Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, The Martian and Room.

Source: https://rankiew.app/blog/oscars-2016-best-picture-nominees
Published: 2026-10-08
Author: Rankiew
Tags: oscars, oscars 2016, best picture, spotlight, oscar history

The 88th Academy Awards took place on February 28, 2016, hosted by Chris Rock. Mad Max: Fury Road won the most Oscars of the night, with six, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won for The Revenant, and Spotlight took the top prize.

# The eight Best Picture nominees of 2016

## 1. Spotlight (2015) · Winner

::film[Spotlight|2015]

Boston Globe reporters uncover abuse in the Catholic Church.

- **Director:** Tom McCarthy
- **Genre:** Drama, History

**Worth it if:** you love investigative journalism.

**Oscars:** Winner: Best Picture

## 2. The Big Short (2015)

::film[The Big Short|2015]

Financiers bet against the US housing market before the 2008 crisis.

- **Director:** Adam McKay
- **Genre:** Comedy, Drama

**Worth it if:** you want a smart, angry comedy about money.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

## 3. Bridge of Spies (2015)

::film[Bridge of Spies|2015]

Lawyer James Donovan negotiates a spy swap during the Cold War.

- **Director:** Steven Spielberg
- **Genre:** Thriller, History

**Worth it if:** you love Cold War thrillers with a human side.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

## 4. Brooklyn (2015)

::film[Brooklyn|2015]

A young Irishwoman emigrates to New York in the 1950s and is torn between two lives.

- **Director:** John Crowley
- **Genre:** Drama

**Worth it if:** you want a gentle, beautiful romance about home.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

## 5. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

::film[Mad Max: Fury Road|2015]

Max and Furiosa flee across the desert from a tyrant and his war machines.

- **Director:** George Miller
- **Genre:** Adventure, Science fiction

**Worth it if:** you want two hours of pure, insane action.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

## 6. The Martian (2015)

::film[The Martian|2015]

An astronaut left alone on Mars must use science to survive.

- **Director:** Ridley Scott
- **Genre:** Science fiction, Adventure

**Worth it if:** you want sci-fi with humor and optimism.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

## 7. The Revenant (2015)

::film[The Revenant|2015]

A frontiersman left for dead after a bear attack crosses the frozen wild for revenge in 1823.

- **Director:** Alejandro G. Iñárritu
- **Genre:** Adventure, Drama

**Worth it if:** you want raw survival on a grand scale.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

## 8. Room (2015)

::film[Room|2015]

A young mother and her five-year-old son live captive in a single room.

- **Director:** Lenny Abrahamson
- **Genre:** Drama

**Worth it if:** you are ready for a tense and deeply moving drama.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

# What won Best Picture at the 2016 Oscars?

Spotlight, directed by Tom McCarthy, won Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

# Which one is your favorite?

Pick your favorite on Rankiew: rate every film, write reviews, build lists and start clubs to talk movies with friends.

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**More from the series:** [Oscars 2022: every nominee and winner, category by category](/blog/oscars-2022-all-nominees)