Steven Spielberg Leads Producers Guild Award Nominations

The Artist, considered by many to be a frontrunner for awards season supremacy come this February’s Oscar telecast, is still going strong after being named the year’s best film by multiple critics organizations. The silent French film, along with awards season favorites The Descendants and War Horse, is among the films nominated by the Producers Guild of American (PGA) for its 23rd annual Producers Guild Awards, taking place on January 21, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

The PGA was clearly feeling the Spielberg love this year as well, as the legendary moviemaker and co-producer Kathleen Kennedy both received dual nominations for Spielberg’s War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin (Peter Jackson was also nominated for his role as co-producer of the latter). Spielberg is also set to receive the David O. Selznick Achievement Award.

Other special award recipients will include Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee, who will be honored with the PGA’s Vanguard Award, and the upcoming film In the Land of Blood and Honey, the directorial debut of Angelina Jolie, which will receive the Stanley Kramer Award.

The nominees in the film categories of the Producers Guild Awards (including its documentary category, nominees for which were announced last month), are listed below. For more information on the awards show and to check out the nominees in the television categories, visit www.producersguild.org.

Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures
The Artist, Thomas Langmann
Bridesmaids, Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend
The Descendants, Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin
The Help, Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green
Hugo, Graham King, Martin Scorsese
The Ides of March, George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver
Midnight in Paris, Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
Moneyball, Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt
War Horse, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

The Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
The Adventures of Tintin, Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
Cars 2, Denise Ream
Kung Fu Panda 2, Melissa Cobb
Puss in Boots, Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou
Rango, John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski

The Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, Michael Rapaport, Edward Parks
Bill Cunningham New York, Philip Gefter
Project Nim, Simon Chinn
Senna, James Gay-Rees
The Union, Cameron Crowe, Michelle Panek