South Korean thriller "Parasite" was the upset winner at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards on Sunday, while Joaquin Phoenix and Renee Zellweger were named best actors, cementing their roles as frontrunners at the Oscars next month.
Eve Johnson reports.
An awards season surprise in Los Angeles on Sunday (November 19) - South Korean satire 'Parasite' grabbed best cast ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The first time in its history a foreign language film has won the top prize.
Lead actor Song Kang Ho: (SOUNDBITE) (Korean followed by English translation by interpreter) ACTOR SONG KANG HO SAYING: "Having been honored with this award, it occurs to me that perhaps we haven't created such a bad movie.
But the guild stuck with favorites when it came to best actor.
Joaquin Phoenix grabbed a trophy for his terrifying performance as a loner who finds fame through violence in "Joker".
And Renee Zellweger won in the female category for her desperate, ageing Judy Garland in biopic "Judy." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR RENEE ZELLWEGER SAYING: "Judy Garland -- 50 years later, your community is thinking of you tonight.
This is for you." Laura Dern won best supporting actress for playing a ruthless divorce lawyer in Netflix drama "Marriage Story." And Brad Pitt took home an award for his supporting role as a stunt man in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" - and poked fun at his personal life.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR BRAD PITT SAYING: "Let's be honest, it was a difficult part - a guy who gets high, takes his shirt off and doesn't get on with his wife.
It was a big stretch." In the television category, comedy "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel" and British royal drama "The Crown" took top prizes.
The night was light on politics, except when Robert De Niro stepped up to the mic.
The actor took a veiled shot at President Donald Trump while picking up a lifetime achievement award.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR ROBERT DE NIRO SAYING: "I have as much right as anybody -- an actor, an athlete, a musician, anybody else -- to voice my opinion.
And if I have a bigger voice because of my situation, I'm going to use it whenever I see a blatant abuse of power." The SAG awards are seen as a litmus test for which films might do well at the upcoming Oscars.
But there were plenty of surprises this time around.
Some favorites - including World War One film "1917" - didn't even score a nomination.
And the film that went in with the most nominations - sexual harassment drama "Bombshell" - left empty-handed, as did the Netflix gangster movie "The Irishman" from Martin Scorsese, despite its all-star cast and $170 million budget.