Awards season is starting to gather pace in the aftermath of last night’s politically-charged Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony.

On the cinematic front, the NASA-based factual drama Hidden Figures pulled off a major surprise by winning the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture accolade.

The film, which focuses on how three African American mathematicians played a pivotal role during the Space Race, persevered over stronger Oscar contenders like Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight.

There was also an upset in the Leading Male Actor category, as Denzel Washington beat Oscar frontrunner Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) to win for his role as scornful bin collector Troy Maxson in the drama Fences.

In contrast, Washington’s co-star (and on-screen wife) Viola Davis eased her way to the Supporting Female Actor gong for her role as long-suffering family matriarch Rose Maxson.

Elsewhere, Emma Stone moved a step closer towards a first Academy Award success after seeing off the likes of Amy Adams (Arrival) and Natalie Portman (Jackie) to win Leading Female Actor for her performance as aspiring actress Mia in the multi-award-winning romantic musical La La Land.

Meanwhile, Mahershala Ali overcame the likes of British duo Hugh Grant (Florence Foster Jenkins) and Dev Patel (Lion) to clinch Supporting Male Actor for his subtle turn as drug dealer Juan in the coming-of-age drama Moonlight.

Coincidentally, Ali would later return to the stage to pick up another SAG award for being part of the triumphant Hidden Figures cast.

There was also joy for the war epic Hacksaw Ridge as it took the Outstanding Stunt Ensemble gong ahead of Marvel duo Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange.

Finally, the SAG Life Achievement Award was presented to veteran star Lily Tomlin for her various roles across film and television including Nashville (1975), The Late Show (1977), 9 to 5 (1980), All of Me (1984), The West Wing (2002-06), Grandma (2015) and the ongoing Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie (2015-).

The full list of SAG (film) winners are…

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
HIDDEN FIGURES

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Emma Stone, LA LA LAND

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Denzel Washington, FENCES

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Viola Davis, FENCES

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Mahershala Ali, MOONLIGHT

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
HACKSAW RIDGE

Despite losing out on the main accolade, the historical drama The Crown did celebrate success in the acting categories, as Claire Foy and John Lithgow won Female Actor (Drama) and Male Actor (Drama) respectively for their portrayals of royal monarch Queen Elizabeth II and prime minister Winston Churchill.

British star Foy prevailed over the likes of Stranger Things duo Millie Bobby Brown and Winona Ryder, while the experienced Lithgow prevailed in a strong category that included Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Emmy holder Rami Malek (Mr. Robot).

There was a diverse group of winners in the comedy fields, as Netflix’s Orange is the New Black won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for a third successive year, ahead of AMC’s Modern Family and HBO’s Veep.

However, Veep did manage another acting accolade for leading star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as she took home Female Actor (Comedy) award for her performance as President Selina Meyer.

Upon collecting the award, she then used her speech to criticise newly-elected President Donald Trump over his controversial decision to ban immigrants from entering America.

Meanwhile, William H. Macy won the Male Actor (Comedy) prize for the second time in three years for his role as dysfunctional family patriarch Frank Gallagher in Showtime’s adaptation of the hit British series Shameless.

After crucial victories at the Emmys and Golden Globes, Sarah Paulson made it a hat-trick of award successes by taking home the Female Actor (Television Movie or Limited Series) gong for her lauded performance as prosecutor Marcia Clark in FX’s The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

However, a more surprising outcome came in the Male Actor (TV Movie/Limited Series) category, as Bryan Cranston clinched the award for his portrayal of former president Lyndon Johnson in the HBO television film All the Way.

Despite missing out on the Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series award, HBO’s Game of Thrones deservedly scooped the Outstanding Stunt Ensemble prize for a sixth consecutive year.

The full list of SAG (television) winners are…

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
STRANGER THINGS

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Claire Foy, THE CROWN

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
John Lithgow, THE CROWN

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, VEEP

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
William H. Macy, SHAMELESS

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Sarah Paulson, THE PEOPLE V. O. J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Bryan Cranston, ALL THE WAY

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A TELEVISION SERIES
GAME OF THRONES