There are three guild awards that are seen as precursors for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The SAG Awards Ensemble honor, the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film, and the PGA Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. The Producers Guild fired the first real shot across the bow as “Anora” took the organization’s top honor.
For those playing at home, the last four PGA winners, “Nomadland,” “CODA,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and “Oppenheimer” won the Best Picture Oscar. Since 2008, the PGA winner has not lined up with the respective Academy Award winner four times. The last PGA winner not to take the top prize was “1917” in 2020. This puts “Anora” in the driver’s seat to win Best Picture. And taking the DGA Award less than an hour earlier didn’t hurt either.
Notably, “The Wild Robot,” which took the top prize at the Annie Awards in a concurrent ceremony, won the PGA Awards honor as well, a blow to underdog indie “Flow.”
The Television categories were quite predictable with “Hacks,” “Shogun,” and “Baby Reindeer” winning. Two minor surprises were “Saturday Night Live” taking the Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television over “Last Week Tonight” and “The Daily Show” as well as “STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces” winning the Non-Fiction Television honor over Emmy and guild favorite “Welcome to Wrexham.”
And, in a sign that a new supreme has risen, “The Traitors” took the Game & Competition Television category after winning the Reality Competition Emmy in September.
On a night that honored Taika Waititi with the Norman Lear Achievement Award, Chris Meledandri won the David O. Selznick Award, one of the biggest surprises of the night was Disney CEO Bob Iger presenting Dana Walden, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment, with the PGA’s Milestone Award. Especially as she’s up for consideration for his job when he departs next year.
Kate Hudson and Jane Fonda delivered impassioned tributes for Trailblazer Awards Lynda Obst and Paula Weinstein, respectively. Both women were pioneers in the industry and passed away in 2024.
A complete list of this year’s nominees and winners are as follows:
Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
Anora – ***WINNER***
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance
Wicked
Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
Flow
Inside Out 2
Moana 2
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot – ***WINNER***
Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama
Bad Sisters
The Diplomat
Fallout
Shōgun – ***WINNER***
Slow Horses
Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hacks – ***WINNER***
Only Murders in the Building
David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television
Baby Reindeer – ***WINNER***
FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans
The Penguin
Ripley
True Detective: Night Country
Award for Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures
Carry On
The Greatest Night in Pop – ***WINNER***
The Killer
Rebel Ridge
Unfrosted
Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television
30 for 30
Conan O’Brien Must Go
The Jinx – Part Two
STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces – ***WINNER***
Welcome to Wrexham
Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television
Ali Wong: Single Lady
The Daily Show
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live – **WINNER***
Award for Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television
The Amazing Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Traitors – ***WINNER***
The Voice
The following nominees were previously announced.
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Picture
Gaucho Gaucho
Mediha
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
Porcelain War
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – ***WINNER***
We Will Dance Again
The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Sesame Street – ***WINNER***
SpongeBob SquarePants
The Award for Outstanding Short-Form Program
The Crown: Farewell To A Royal Epic
Hacks: Bit By Bit
The Penguin: Inside Gotham
Real Time with Bill Maher: Overtime
Shōgun – The Making of Shōgun – ***WINNER***
The Award for Outstanding Sports Program
Formula 1: Drive to Survive
Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants
Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend
Simone Biles Rising – ***WINNER***
Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics
The PGA Innovation Award
Critterz
Emperor
Impulse: Playing with Reality
Orbital – ***WINNER***
The Pirate Queen with Lucy Liu
What If…? – An Immersive Story
