Don Shanahan
This week, after a voting round of nominations, Amazon MGM’s Project Hail Mary was named Best Picture at the 2026 Astra Midseason Movie Awards, leading this year’s winners alongside The Invite, Obsession, and Michael, as the Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) celebrated the standout films and performances released during the first half of 2026. Film Obsessive critic and Editor-in-Chief Don Shanahan is an active member of the HCA.
In addition to winning Best Picture, Project Hail Mary took home Best Director for Phil Lord & Chris Miller. The Invite received Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Penélope Cruz, while Obsession won Best Actress for Inde Navarrette and Best Horror Feature. Michael also had a strong showing, with Jaafar Jackson taking home Best Actor and Colman Domingo winning Best Supporting Actor. Other winners included Leviticus for Best Independent Feature, The Furious for Best Stunts, and The Odyssey, which was voted Most Anticipated Film for the second half of 2026.
The complete list of the 2026 Astra Midseason Movie Awards winners and runners-up is below:
Best Picture
Winner: Project Hail Mary
Runner-Up: The Invite
Best Actress
Winner: Inde Navarrette – Obsession
Runner-Up: Emily Blunt – Disclosure Day
Best Actor
Winner: Jaafar Jackson – Michael
Runner-Up: Ryan Gosling – Project Hail Mary
Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Penélope Cruz – The Invite
Runner-Up: Sandra Hüller – Project Hail Mary
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Colman Domingo – Michael
Runner-Up: Edward Norton – The Invite
Best Screenplay
Winner: The Invite – Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack
Runner-Up: Obsession – Written by Curry Barker
Best Director
Winner: Phil Lord & Chris Miller – Project Hail Mary
Runner-Up: Curry Barker – Obsession
Best Horror Feature
Winner: Obsession
Runner-Up: Backrooms
Best Independent Feature
Winner: Leviticus
Runner-Up: Tuner
Best Stunts
Winner: The Furious
Runner-Up: Mortal Kombat II
Most Anticipated Film (Second Half of 2026)
Winner: The Odyssey
Runner-Up: Avengers: Doomsday
About The Astra Awards:
The Astra Awards, presented by the Hollywood Creative Alliance, recognize and celebrate outstanding achievements in entertainment and media. The HCA’s mission is to foster a supportive and inclusive community where professionals from all areas of the industry can connect, collaborate, and champion one another. The current membership includes actors, critics, creatives, journalists, podcasters, producers, publicists, and writers.
The Hollywood Creative Alliance is now accepting new members from all areas of the entertainment industry—including actors, artisans, creatives, critics, directors, gamers, journalists, podcasters, publicists, producers, writers, and other industry professionals. To learn more about membership opportunities and our upcoming award ceremonies, please visit TheAstras.com.
Follow The Astras on social media:
Facebook: @TheAstraAwards
Instagram: @hollywoodcreativealliance
YouTube: @TheAstraAwards
TikTok: @TheAstraAwards
