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Amazon scores Best Picture Oscar nod

Amazon made history yesterday when it became the first ever streaming service to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Manchester by the Sea

Manchester By The Sea

The US e-commerce giant’s Amazon Studios arm pipped SVoD rival Netflix to the post when it landed a nod for its movie Manchester by the Sea.

Amazon bought rights to the indie drama for US$10m at Sundance last year, reportedly outbidding US studios Fox and Universal.

The film received six Academy Awards nominations, including best director for Kenneth Lonergan and best actor for Casey Affleck.

In previous years, Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos has made no secret of his dream for the streamer to win an Oscar in the drama categories. However, Netflix yesterday did receive an Oscar nomination in the Best Documentary Feature category for 13th, director Ava DuVernay’s film about racial inequality.

13th will compete against Fire at Sea, from Gianfranco Rosi and Donatella Palermo; I Am Not Your Negro, from Raoul Peck, Rémi Grellety and Hébert Peck; Life, Animated, from Roger Ross Williams and Julie Goldman; and OJ: Made in America, from Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow.

In the Best Documentary (Short Subject) category, the nominees are Extremis, 4.1 Miles, Joe’s Violin, Watani: My Homeland and The White Helmets.

The 89th Academy Awards will be held in LA on Sunday, February 26.

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