PGA and SAG Announce Winners

Two major film guilds have recognized some of the best films of 2009 at their annual awards ceremonies over the weekend. The Producers Guild of America (PGA)—which hands out a modest three awards for films—gave the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures to critical success The Hurt Locker. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker beat out nine other nominees—including Avatar and Inglourious Basterds—as is refusing to give up the dream of a Best Picture Oscar. The Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures went to The Cove, while Pixar’s Up received the award for Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures, winning over such animated features as Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Princess and the Frog.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) gave the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds; Christoph Waltz won the award for Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in the same film. Waltz, who won the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe and Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for playing Col. Hans Landa, is the front-runner for the Supporting Actor Oscar in March. Jeff Bridges won the Male Actor in a Leading Role award for his work in Crazy Heart, with Sandra Bullock winning the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for The Blind Side. Mo’Nique won the award for Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her turn as an abusive mother in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. With nominations a little over a week away, these four Oscar favorites (Waltz, Bridges, Bullock and Mo’Nique) just keep on gathering momentum.