Vatican thriller Conclave won the top prize at an unpredictable Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards gala, throwing a potential late curveball into the Oscars race just a week before the Academy Awards.
The movie about the mysterious, behind-closed-doors selection process for choosing a new pope won the prize for best cast – the SAG equivalent of best picture – for a stellar ensemble including Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini.
Collecting the award, Fiennes said the win was a celebration of community and “the supreme importance of it in our work and in the world”.
Rossellini earlier wished “a quick recovery” to Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for 10 days with respiratory issues and remains in critical condition.
Having also won big at Britain’s recent Bafta awards, Conclave now appears a strong, late-breaking contender for the best picture Oscar, alongside critical darlings such as Anora.
