Manchester by the Sea is a movie.
Kenneth Lonergan . He is best known for writing Gangs of New York ( 2002 ) and for writing and directing Manchester by the Sea ( 2016 ) . Manchester by the Sea is a 2016 American drama film written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan , and starring Casey Affleck , Michelle Williams , Kyle Chandler , and Lucas Hedges . The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23 , 2016 and was soon picked up by Amazon Studios for distribution . Manchester by the Sea received critical acclaim upon its release and was counted among the best films of 2016 . At the 89th Academy Awards , the film received six nominations : Best Picture , Best Director , Best Actor ( Affleck ) , Best Supporting Actor ( Hedges ) , Best Supporting Actress ( Williams ) , and Best Original Screenplay -- winning for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor .