Streamers tighten grip on Hollywood with producer award nods

LOS ANGELES — Netflix and Amazon bagged more than half the film nominations chosen by Hollywood's top producers on 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 (PGA) 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 favourites including "The Crown" on the shortlists.

Winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony on March 24, around a month before the delayed Oscars.