FOREST WHITAKER - SAG LETS SUNSHINE IN

Little Miss Sunshine was increasingly looking like the 'little film that could" Sunday as it received the Screen Actors Guild's top trophy at the union's awards ceremonies in Los Angeles. The independent film, snatched up by Fox Searchlight at last year's Sundance Film Festival for $10 million, won the award for best ensemble performance, SAG's equivalent to the best film prize, beating out rival nominees Babel, Bobby, The Departed and Dreamgirls. Since SAG members make up the largest group of voters for the Oscars, their selection puts Sunshine in the pole position for best-picture honors at the Feb. 25 awards ceremony. A week earlier it received the best picture award from the Producers Guild of America. Forest Whitaker was honored by his peers as best leading actor for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, sharing honors with Helen Mirren, who was voted best leading actress for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. (Mirren also won the leading actress award in the TV movie or miniseries category for playing the first Queen Elizabeth in the HBO drama Elizabeth I.) Supporting actor/actress trophies went to Dreamgirls' Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson.

29/01/2007