The Astra Awards
The Astra 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.
History
On January 10, 2018, the group held its first annual Film Awards at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles. 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. 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".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!. 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.
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." 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. 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.
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. On June 27, 2023, Awards Daily revealed the 2023 HCA Midseason Movie Awards nominees. 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. 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. In December 2023, the Hollywood Critics Association was renamed the Hollywood Creative Alliance, and its awards were rebranded as the Astra Awards. 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.
The 7th Astra Film Awards took place on January 6, 2024, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, 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. Barbie led in the film categories winning eight awards, including Best Picture.
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. 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. The ceremony was held at the Avalon Hollywood on August 18, 2024.
On November 25, 2024, the HCA revealed the nominees for their upcoming Creative Arts and Film Awards. Wicked received the most nominations with 20, followed by Dune: Part Two with 16. The HCA announced that actor, comedian, and writer Peter Kim would host the Creative Arts Awards, while 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.