| The Astra Awards | |
|---|---|
| Current: 8th Astra Film Awards | |
| Awarded for | Excellence in cinematic achievements |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Hollywood Creative Alliance |
| First award | 2017 |
| Website | theastras.com |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | ABS-CBN News KNEKT Television Network YouTube (@HollywoodCreativeAlliance) |
The Astra Awards (formerly known as the Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Awards and the Hollywood Critics Association Awards) is an annual awards ceremony hosted by the Hollywood Creative Alliance to recognize achievements in the entertainment industry. These awards span categories in film, television, and digital media, honoring technical and creative excellence.
On January 10, 2018, the group held its first annual Film Awards at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles. [1] On August 29, 2021, the HCA held its inaugural Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards. The event was originally to take place in-person but was shifted to virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] Ashley Menzel said, "Over these past 14 months, many of us have been watching more television than ever before. This is why we are absolutely delighted that our first in-person event for 2021 will begin with a brand-new event paying tribute to the best of television". [3]
On February 28, 2022, the 5th HCA Film Awards took place at the Avalon Hollywood. Apple TV+'s CODA won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur. Kristen Stewart won Best Actress for Spencer and Andrew Garfield won Best Actor for Tick, Tick... Boom! . [4] On August 13 and 14, 2022, the HCA hosted their 2nd Annual HCA TV Awards at the Beverly Hilton. The two-night event dedicated one night to broadcast and cable networks and the other to streaming platforms. Dulcé Sloan hosted night one while Cameron Esposito hosted night two. [5]
On October 13, 2022, HCA President Nikki Fowler announced the Inaugural Creative Arts Awards, "dedicated to celebrating those behind the scenes who don't often get the level of recognition they deserve." [6] On December 15, 2022, Variety shared the list of nominations for the 6th HCA Film Awards and the inaugural HCA Creative Arts Awards, with A24's Everything Everywhere All at Once garnering a leading 16 nominations. [7] On February 16, 2023, The HCA announced a new partnership with KNEKT Television Network where the Film Awards would be live-streamed on their network in addition to the official HCA app and YouTube channel. [8]
On February 24, 2023, the 6th HCA Film Awards took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Everything Everywhere All At Once took home a total of six awards. [9] On June 27, 2023, Awards Daily revealed the 2023 HCA Midseason Movie Awards nominees. [10] Amazon Studios' Air and A24's Past Lives tied for the most nominations with seven each. On June 30, 2023, Gold Derby revealed the 2023 HCA Midseason Movie Awards winners. [11] Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was awarded Best Picture and Best Director. Past Lives won the most awards with three wins, including Best Actress for Greta Lee, Best Screenplay for Celine Song, and Best Indie Film.
In December 2023, the HCA renamed its awards ceremonies to the Astra Awards. [12] In December 2023, the Hollywood Critics Association was renamed the Hollywood Creative Alliance, and its awards were rebranded as the Astra Awards. [13] This change, approved by the advisory committee on November 17, 2023, led to the renaming of the HCA Film Awards, HCA TV Awards, and HCA Creative Arts Awards to the Astra Film Awards, the Astra TV Awards, and the Astra Creative Arts Awards, respectively. [14] [13] [15]
The 7th Astra Film Awards took place on January 6, 2024, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, [16] as the first ceremony to be held under the new name. It was produced by Content.23 Media, DIGA Studios, and Vox Productions. Nominations were announced live on the official HCA YouTube channel on December 7, 2023. That same day, the Astra Film Creative Arts Awards winners were announced, with the ceremony scheduled to take place on February 26, 2024, at City Market Social House in Los Angeles, California. [17] [18] Barbie led all films with eight wins. [19]
On July 3, 2024, the winners of the Astra Midseason Awards were revealed via the HCA's social media channels. Dune: Part Two won Best Picture and Best Director, Zendaya won Best Actress for her performance in Challengers , and Glen Powell won Best Actor for Hit Man . [20] The nominations for the 2024 Astra TV Awards were revealed on July 9, 2024. FX's The Bear topped the field with 15 bids followed by Max's Hacks and Hulu's Only Murders in the Building with 13 apiece for the Astra TV Awards. [21] The ceremony was held at the Avalon Hollywood on August 18, 2024. [22]
On November 25, 2024, the HCA revealed the nominees for their upcoming Creative Arts and Film Awards. [23] Wicked received the most nominations with 20, followed by Dune: Part Two with 16. The organization also revealed that actor, comedian, and writer Peter Kim would host the Creative Arts Awards and two-time Emmy Award winner Loni Love would host the Film Awards. On December 8, 2024, the HCA would host a two ceremony event taking place at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles. Winners included Wicked for Best Picture, Timothée Chalamet for Best Actor in A Complete Unknown , Cynthia Erivo for Best Actress in Wicked Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor in A Real Pain , and a Best Supporting Actress tie between Ariana Grande in Wicked and Zoe Saldana in Emilia Pérez . [24]
Each December, the association releases the nominations for the HCA Film Awards, which are held in January of the following year. [25]
Halfway through the year, the association releases the nominations for the HCA Midseason Film Awards, which honor films that come out in the first half of the respected year. The nominations are announced the last week of June, and winners are announced the first week of July.
The Hollywood Critics Association announced that they were launching the HCA TV Awards on March 24, 2021. [26] The inaugural TV awards ceremony took place on August 22, 2021. [27] The following is a list of the current and discontinued categories of the television awards as of 2023. [28]
The Hollywood Critics Association announced the launch of the HCA Creative Arts Film Awards on October 13, 2022. The inaugural Creative Awards ceremony took place on February 24, 2023. [29]
Along with announcement of the 3rd HCA TV Awards, the Hollywood Critics Association announced the launch of the HCA Creative Arts TV Awards along with the TV awards, with the ceremony being held on January 8, 2024. The Creative Arts TV Awards did not return in subsequent years. The following is a list of the categories used at the first Creative Arts TV awards ceremony. [30]