LOS ANGELES, March 9, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Netflix and Amazon bagged more than
half the film nominations chosen by Hollywood’s top producers Monday,
tightening the streaming platforms’ grip on an awards season turned upside-
down by the pandemic.
Six of the 10 movies shortlisted by the Producers Guild of America were
released by streamers — up from two last year — as movie theaters only
begin to reopen in New York and remain closed in Los Angeles after a year of
Covid-19 restrictions.
Netflix’s courtroom drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is seen as the
streaming giant’s best shot at top awards glory, and is joined on the list by
“Mank” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Amazon, which failed to land a nomination last year, has Golden Globe-
winning comedy sequel “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” as well as “One Night in
Miami” and “Sound of Metal.”
Neither company has ever won the top prize at the PGAs or the season-
crowning Oscars.
The prestigious PGAs, chosen by the 8,000-odd Hollywood movers and shakers
of the producers’ union, have predicted 10 of the past 13 winners of the
Academy Award for best picture.
In a year that saw major studios postpone several big-hitting titles,
intimate US road movie “Nomadland” from Disney-owned Searchlight leads the
charge for Hollywood’s traditional powerhouses, winning the Golden Globes’
top prize last month and earning a PGA nod.
Warner is represented on the list by “Judas and the Black Messiah” and
Universal by “Promising Young Woman.”
Korean-American immigrant drama “Minari” from A24 is the only indie-label
movie to make the cut.
And notable absences included western “News of the World” starring Tom
Hanks and Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods.”
The PGAs also honor television, with newcomers such as “Bridgerton” and
“Ted Lasso” joining perennial favorites including “The Crown” on the
shortlists.
Winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony on March 24, around a month
before the delayed Oscars.