Producers Guild Nominations Solidify Oscar Finalists (AWARDS 2019)

Jeff Huston
Producers Guild of America logo

Producers go big, kicking low budget to the curb.

The nominations for the 31st Annual Producers Guild of America awards — honoring the best produced movies of 2019 — have been announced. The omissions and the snubs were predictable.

An equivalent to the Academy Awards’ Best Picture category, the PGA nominations are generally a good sign of where industry heads are at and what movies they’re gravitating towards. As expected, they trend in favor of industry veterans and studio hopefuls (The Irishman, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Joker, 1917, etc.) while ignoring lauded indie fare (Uncut Gems and The Farewell, to name two).

Even South Korean juggernaut Parasite fits the role of “contender” more than “dark horse”, given its status as the year’s most critically-acclaimed movie. Meanwhile, outsiders like Bombshell, Richard Jewell, and The Two Popes have likely seen their faint Best Picture Oscar hopes officially extinguished.

Really no surprises here (other than perhaps no nod for Avengers: Endgame), and if the Academy were to nominate the full potential of 10 films that their Best Picture category allows, the PGA’s list would look like my predictions.

The winners will be announced during the Producers Guild Awards ceremony on Saturday January 18, 2020, five days after Oscar nominations are announced on January 13 and roughly three weeks before the Academy Awards on Sunday February 9.

Producers Guild of America
Darryl F. Zanuck Award 2019 Nominees

Best Film

Best Animated Film

Best Documentary Film

  • Advocate
  • American Factory
  • Apollo 11
  • The Cave
  • For Sama
  • Honeyland
  • One Child Nation

2020 PGA Honorees

  • Milestone Award (recognizing an individual or team who has made historic contributions to the entertainment industry):
    • Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix
  • David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Motion Pictures:
    • Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner – Plan B Entertainment
  • Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television:
    • Marta Kauffman, TV writer/producer (including Friends)
  • Visionary Award (recognizing unique or uplifting contributions to our culture through inspiring storytelling or performance):
    • Octavia Spencer
  • Stanley Kramer Award (an achievement or contribution that illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues):

Click on links below for other Critics Group Awards and Guild Nominees that have been announced so far for the 2019 / 20 season:

Screen Actors Guild Award Winners
Producers Guild of America Winners
Academy Award Nominations
Critics’ Choice Awards Winners
Directors Guild of America Nominations
Writers Guild of America Nominations
Golden Globe Winners
National Society of Film Critics
Dallas/Fort-Worth Film Critics Association
Boston Society of Film Critics
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
AFI American Film Institute Awards
New York Film Critics Circle
National Board of Review
Atlanta Film Critics Circle

Leave a comment