Many awards ceremonies champion themselves as stepping stones to the Oscars, but the Producers Guild of America Awards have a strong track record to support this claim. The winner of the PGA's top prize, the Darryl F. Zanuck Award, has matched the Oscar winner for best picture for 15 of the last 20 years and 24 of the 33 years since the first ceremony in 1990.
This year, the 10 Zanuck nominees are a 100% match for those on the Oscar ballot for best picture, adding to the anticipation surrounding the pre-Oscar event. The quality and scope of the films nominated, ranging from big blockbusters to international entries, are crucial to the PGA leadership.
Besides the best picture award, the PGA also presents prizes for animated features, documentary features, episodic TV, limited series, and an Innovation Award recognizing impactful emerging media programs. Career achievement honors this year will go to Martin Scorsese, Gail Berman, and Charles D. King.
The PGA Awards aim to raise the public profiles and reputations of producers, who have often been misunderstood. The guild works to clarify the various producer titles that appear in credits through initiatives like the Producers Mark certification program launched in 2012.
The awards are chaired by individuals from Funny or Die but are not telecast to maintain a sense of freedom and spontaneity in the room. The PGA Awards serve not only to honor good work but also to educate and promote understanding of the role of producers in the industry.
