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BIRDMAN, LIFE ITSELF, THE LEGO MOVIE Among 2015 Producers Guild Awards Winners
On Saturday evening the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture, television, and new media productions at the 26th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
In what’s become a most interesting awards season, BIRDMAN took home the big award of the night. The Oscars look to be a two horse race between BOYHOOD and BIRDMAN from all appearances.
The other PGA nominees were AMERICAN SNIPER, BOYHOOD, FOXCATCHER, GONE GIRL, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, THE IMITATION GAME, NIGHTCRAWLER, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING and WHIPLASH.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony is Sunday, while the Directors Guild will announce it’s winners on Saturday, February 7.
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:
Birdman (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:
Life Itself (Magnolia Pictures)
Producers: Garrett Basch, Steve James, Zak Piper
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:
The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producer: Dan Lin, p.g.a.
Christopher Miller, from left, Dan Lin, and Chris McKay
On the TV side, the Jerry Seinfeld-created web series, “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee” won the Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series.
The television program “Breaking Bad” and its producers Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, and Moira Walley-Beckett won the Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama.
In addition to its competitive awards, the PGA presented special honors to Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer with the Milestone Award; producer Mark Gordon (“Ray Donovan,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) with the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television; producer Gale Anne Hurd (THE INCREDIBLE HULK, the TERMINATOR trilogy) with the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures; the HBO television motion picture THE NORMAL HEART with the Stanley Kramer Award; and the production company Plan B Entertainment (SELMA, 12 YEARS A SLAVE), represented by its principal executives Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner, with the Visionary Award.
The first-ever Producers Guild Awards were held in 1990. Richard Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck took home the award for Best Produced Motion Picture for DRIVING MISS DAISY, establishing the Guild awards as a bellwether for the Oscars.
18 of the last 25 Best Picture winners have matched the Academy Awards. Last year’s PGA Awards winners were GRAVITY and 12 YEARS A SLAVE – the first tie in the PGA’s 25-year history.
The television winners are:
The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television:
The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series.
- Fargo (FX)
Producers: Adam Bernstein, John Cameron, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Michael Frislev, Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield, Chad Oakes, Kim Todd
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:
- Breaking Bad (AMC)
Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett
The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:
- Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)
Producers: Mark A. Burley, Sara Hess, Jenji Kohan, Gary Lennon, Neri Tannenbaum, Michael Trim, Lisa I. Vinnecour
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:
- COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey (FOX/NatGeo)
Producers: Brannon Braga, Mitchell Cannold, Jason Clark, Ann Druyan, Livia Hanich, Steve Holtzman, Seth MacFarlane
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television:
- The Voice (NBC)
Producers: Stijn Bakkers, Mark Burnett, John De Mol, Chad Hines, Lee Metzger, Audrey Morrissey, Jim Roush, Kyra Thompson, Mike Yurchuk, Amanda Zucker
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Producers: Rob Crabbe, Jamie Granet Bederman, Katie Hockmeyer, Jim Juvonen, Josh Lieb, Brian McDonald, Lorne Michaels, Gavin Purcell
The Award for Outstanding Sports Program:
- Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program:
- Sesame Street (PBS)
The digital winner is:
The Award for Outstanding Digital Series:
- Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee (http://www.crackle.com/c/comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee)
Photos by Jordan Strauss/Invision for Producers Guild of America/AP Images
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