'The Trial of Chicago 7' wins top prize at Screen Actors Guild Awards

The SAG awards, chosen by members of the acting union, are regarded as a key indicator of likely success at the Oscars later this month

"The Trial Of The Chicago 7" was judged the year's best performance at the prestigious Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday -- a verdict that strengthens the film's cast for the Oscars later this month.

Aaron Sorkin's courtroom drama based on 1968 US anti-war riots -- and the infamous trial that followed -- took top honours at the prize-giving, which was whittled down to a virtual one-hour broadcast due to the pandemic.

"We need leaders to guide us toward hating each other less," said Frank Langella, who plays the civil rights-themed film's racist judge.

"We owe a debt of thanks to the voices of the Chicago 7 -- and especially Aaron Sorkin, our leader -- whose voice is the soul of this movie," he added, referring to the trial's seven defendants.

Chadwick Boseman, who died of cancer last August, was posthumously voted the best actor for the 1920s blues drama "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" by Hollywood's actor's guild.

The SAG awards are a vital stop on Tinseltown's annual prize-giving circuit, which climaxes this year with the delayed Academy Awards on April 25.

Typically a star-studded ceremony in their own right, the SAG awards were a pre-taped, hostless and bare-bones affair Sunday -- but they remain a key predictor of glory at the Oscars, where actors are the largest voting bloc.

Last year, South Korea's "Parasite" began its historic charge to the best picture Oscar by winning SAG's top prize for best performance by a motion picture cast.

While Chloe Zhao's road movie "Nomadland" remains the favourite for this year's top Oscar, having already won multiple awards including Golden Globes, it did not even receive a cast nomination from SAG.

In the film, several non-actors play fictional versions of themselves. "Nomadland" star Frances McDormand also failed to convert her SAG best actress nomination, losing out to Boseman's "Ma Rainey" co-star Viola Davis.

Davis thanked "the beautiful Chadwick Boseman," while his widow Taylor Simone Ledward -- accepting his prize -- quoted Boseman: "If you see the world unbalanced, be a crusader that pushes heavily on the seesaw of the mind."

The late "Black Panther" actor was also honoured in the annual "in memoriam" segment, along with leading stars who died this year including Sean Connery and Christopher Plummer.

In a year that has seen Hollywood boost minority representation on both sides of the camera, Daniel Kaluuya was named best supporting actor for his portrayal of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in "Judas and the Black Messiah."

And veteran Yuh-Jung Youn confirmed SAG's newfound love affair with South Korean cinema. She went one better than "Parasite" by winning an individual SAG prize -- supporting actress -- for "Minari," an immigrant tale set in 1980s Arkansas.

"I don't know how to describe my feelings, being recognized by Westerners... everything is not familiar!" she said, visibly shocked and in slightly broken English.

But the film, along with "Ma Rainey," "One Night in Miami" and "Da 5 Bloods" -- all featuring Black casts -- lost the night's final prize to "Chicago 7," which now has the best shot at unseating "Nomadland" as Oscars voting begins April 15.

The ceremony opened with a skit from the British soccer team of "Ted Lasso," with Jason Sudeikis -- the comedy's clueless American coach -- giving a rallying team talk: "Y'all, let's focus up. We've got a big night ahead of us, the SAG Awards."

Sudeikis was named best TV comedy actor, while "Schitt's Creek" took the other comedy prizes, including Catherine O'Hara for best actress.

Awards were interspersed with actors reflecting on their careers, and how they spent their pandemic-confined year -- Helen Mirren apparently "chased away" a bear from her home in the western US Sierra Nevada mountains.

British royals saga "The Crown" won the best drama, with its star Gillian Anderson earning best actress. Jason Bateman won the male drama prize for "Ozark."

In limited series, Mark Ruffalo and Anya Taylor-Joy followed up their Golden Globe wins for "I Know This Much Is True" and "The Queen's Gambit."