2016 introduced us to some remarkable new actors.
Many of 2016's best performances came from actors relatively new to cinema-going audiences. Here are 10 fresh faces that won us over.
Michael Barbieri
As one of the two 13-year-old friends at the centre of Ira Sachs' low-key drama Little Men, Michael Barbieri stole his scenes with an energy (and accent) reminiscent of a young Al Pacino. You can see him next in two of 2017's would be blockbusters - Marvel's Spiderman: Homecoming and Stephen King adaptation The Dark Tower.
Scott Chambers
Watching actors portray characters with learning difficulties can all too often be cringe-inducing, but newcomer Scott Chambers delivered a nuanced and wholly convincing performance as the troubled lead of Joe Stephenson's outstanding directorial debut, Chicken. Chambers instantly endears us to his character, lending an extra weight to the film's events. Next for the young Brit are horror movies Fox Trap and Hush.
Devin Druid
Devin Druid caught our attention as the 15-year-old son of Gabriel Byrne in director Joachim Trier's English language debut, Louder Than Bombs. The young star was a revelation as a teenager struggling to move forward following the death of his mother. We also saw him in minor roles in Imperium, Wiener-Dog and Macbeth Unhinged.
Sasha Lane
When director Andrea Arnold's American Honey debuted at Cannes, much of the talk was of its young unknown star, Sasha Lane. And rightly so. Plucked from obscurity by Arnold, who discovered her on a beach during Spring Break, Lane took to acting like a natural, enjoying a palpable chemistry with co-star Shia LaBeouf. Next year we'll see her in Desiree Akhavan's gay conversion drama The Miseducation of Cameron Post.
Garance Marillier
Having appeared in a handful of shorts, the young Garance Marillier was thrust into the lead role of Julia Ducornau's blackly comic cannibal college drama, Raw. With expert comic timing, Marillier's deadpan tortured performance sells the film's conceit without straying into parody.
Lauren McQueen
Teenager Lauren McQueen had racked up some TV credits before making her cinematic debut as the lead of Helen Walsh's gritty British drama The Violators. As a young woman struggling to keep her parent-less family together while fending off the advances of predatory men, McQueen was a revelation.
Sennia Nanua
In her debut role as the titular Girl with All the Gifts, child actor Sennia Nanua was required to hold her own alongside Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine and Glenn Close, an intimidating ask for a performer of any age. Nanua took it in her stride, delivering a performance that veers from sympathetic to downright scary.
Geza Rohrig
The oldest actor on the list by some years, Geza Rohrig made his feature debut at the age of 48 in gruelling Holocaust drama Son of Saul. Rohrig is onscreen throughout, primarily in tight close-ups, and his performance was no doubt key to the film taking home the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Anya Taylor-Joy
The star of acclaimed period horror The Witch caught the attention of critics when that movie debuted at Sundance. Required to contend with dialogue delivered in the language of 17th century English settlers, Anya Taylor-Joy's performance went a long way to selling the film's setting. Since then she's appeared in far less interesting horror fare in Morgan and Split.
Ferdia Walsh-Peelo
Many critics have called John Carney's latest musical melodrama , Sing Street, the feelgood movie of the year, and much of this is down to the charmingly vulnerable performance of Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as the film's talented but tormented protagonist. He can sing too!