ManchesterByTheSea
Latest
Amazon gives Prime to everyone in Manchester-by-the-Sea
Amazon just highlighted one of the bonuses of both producing movies and running the internet service that plays them: you can offer viewer perks that conventional studios can't match. The online giant is giving away a year of free Prime membership (plus some Amazon popcorn) to every home in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts in order to mark the streaming availability of Manchester by the Sea on May 5th. It's clearly a publicity stunt, and a modest one when it would cost just over $500,000 to give the entire 2010 population (a whopping 5,136 people) Prime access. However, the scale of the giveaway isn't what's significant here -- it's more the long-term ramifications that matter.
Amazon's 'Manchester by the Sea' wins acting and screenplay Oscars
Amazon's $10 million bet on Manchester by the Sea has paid off with a few Oscar wins. Casey Affleck won the Academy Award for Best Actor, while writer/director Kenneth Lonergan picked up Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, and it notably made Amazon the first streaming video company to earn a Best Picture nod. It was also Amazon's first Golden Globe winning film, so all in all that $10 million seems pretty well-spent.
Amazon and Netflix win their first BAFTA film awards
Last October, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced that streaming-only titles would be considered for the first time at the 2017 film awards. A wise decision, it seems, because both Netflix and Amazon scooped up accolades last night. Netflix won the best documentary category with Ava DuVernay's 13th, a piece investigating race in the US criminal justice system. Amazon, meanwhile, won big with Manchester by the Sea, picking up two awards for best original screenplay and best leading actor. The film has been shown in theaters, however, so it's possible it would have been nominated regardless of the rule change.
Amazon gets seven Oscar nominations for 'Manchester by the Sea'
As awards watchers expected, Manchester by the Sea ended up being a major Oscar magnet for its co-distributor Amazon. The film, which was also Amazon's first Golden Globe winner, nabbed seven Academy Award nominations this morning: including best picture, actor (Casey Affleck), actress (Michelle Williams), supporting actor (Lucas Hedges), director (Kenneth Lonargan) and original screenplay. It's particularly notable as the first-ever Best Picture nominated film for a streaming service.
Amazon wins first Golden Globe film award for 'Manchester'
Casey Affleck won a best-actor Golden Globe for his performance in Manchester by the Sea, marking the first time Amazon Studios has received a major film category award. It picked up rights to the film, directed by Kenneth Lognergan and produced by Matt Damon, last year at Sundance for $10 million. Amazon has a pretty good chance of snagging an Oscar next month too, as Affleck is the front-runner for best actor in that competition
