LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korean black comedy thriller "Parasite" nabbed top film award at the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Sunday evening, picking up the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Directed by Bong Joon-ho, it became the first ever foreign language film to pick up the top prize of SAG Awards, beating out drama film "Bombshell," epic crime film "The Irishman," black comedy film "Jojo Rabbit" and comedy drama film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." It's only the second foreign-language film to race for the trophy in the SAG Awards history.
The awards season darling follows the members of a poor household scheming to become employees of a much wealthier family by posing as unrelated, highly-qualified individuals. It's the first South Korean film to win the coveted Palme d'Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival last year and is the first South Korean film nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
The SAG ensemble award is widely considered the equivalent of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Best Picture Oscar.
Joaquin Phoenix won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of troubled Arthur Fleck in the psychological thriller "Joker," the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, which raked in 1.06 billion U.S. dollars globally. Phoenix is also the winner of best actor at the 77th Golden Globe Awards and the 25th annual Critics' Choice Awards earlier this month.
"I'm standing here on the shoulders of my favorite actor, Heath Ledger," said Phoenix at his acceptance speech. Ledger played the Joker in 2008's superhero film "The Dark Knight."
Renee Zellweger took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her role as Judy Garland in biographical drama film "Judy" about American singer and actress Judy Garland, cementing her status as a Hollywood awards season favorite. It's Zellweger's fourth SAG win.
"Judy Garland, 50 years later, your community is thinking of you tonight. This is for you," Zellweger said at her acceptance speech.
This is Zellweger's third major win of the awards season for her leading role following her victory at the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards.
Brad Pitt of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" and Laura Dern of "Marriage Story" repeated their wins at the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards, walking away with the awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, respectively.
The SAG Awards are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild -- American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) to recognize outstanding performances of the year in film and prime time television.
The SAG Awards, which made their debut in 1995, have become one of the Hollywood's most prized honors and is considered as indicators of likely Oscar success next month.
