PGA Awards: ‘Oppenheimer’ Takes Top Film Prize

Oppenheimer took the top prize at the 2024 Producers Guild of America Awards on Sunday night.

The film won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for outstanding producer of theatrical motion pictures, a day after taking top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Other big winners were Beef, which also won at the SAG Awards and Sunday’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, along with Succession and The Bear, both of which also won SAG Awards on Saturday.

Oppenheimer producer Emma Thomas accepted the theatrical motion picture award, noting that in a room full of producers, “This means so much coming from you, this room is full of people whose work we admire,” adding, “You know how hard the job can be, you also know how great the job can be; it’s the best job on set.” She also called director Christopher Nolan (who is also her husband) “the best producer you can possibly hope for.” Nolan briefly took the mic and noted they had previously been nominated at the PGA Awards but never won, and “every time we found ourselves invited in this room, we’ve felt such support,” and thanked the film’s cast for their work.

Sarah Silverman kicked off the ceremony, presenting the night’s first category, producer of episodic television – comedy, to The Bear. Danielle Brooks later presented producer of documentary motion pictures to American Symphony; Drew Tarver presented producer of live entertainment, variety, sketch, stand-up and talk television to Last Week Tonight With John Oliver; and Tony Hale presented producer of game and competition television to RuPaul’s Drag Race.

X Mayo presented producer of animated theatrical motion pictures to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, while Maitreyi Ramakrishnan presented producer of nonfiction television to Welcome to Wrexham.

Brie Larson presented producer of televised or streamed motion pictures to Black Mirror: Beyond the Sea; Roy Wood Jr. presented producer of limited or anthology series television to Beef; and Michael Cimino toasted the four previously announced winners. To close out the night, Alex Borstein presented producer of episodic television – drama to Succession, and Colman Domingo handed out the night’s biggest honor to Oppenheimer.

Spouses Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone also took the stage to jokingly present “best not-produced” projects, running through a spoof list of canned films, and Kenneth Branagh led an in memoriam segment.

Each of the outstanding producer of theatrical motion pictures nominees had a special presentation, as Natasha Lyonne introduced The Zone of Interest; Jeremy Kleiner introduced Anatomy of a Fall; Margot Robbie and America Ferrera introduced Barbie; Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa introduced The Holdovers; Lily Gladstone introduced Killers of the Flower Moon; Carey Mulligan and Silverman introduced Maestro; Erika Alexander, Sterling K. Brown, Tracee Ellis Ross and Jeffrey Wright introduced American Fiction; John Magaro introduced Past Lives; Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt introduced Oppenheimer; and Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe introduced Poor Things.

Also during the ceremony, Sarah Michelle Gellar presented the Norman Lear Achievement Award to Gail Berman, as the producer was behind her iconic show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In her acceptance speech, Berman recalled working on the series, saying, “Not a single person on this earth was interested in buying that television show, but I just couldn’t ignore my gut that there was something unique there.” She added that rejection has not been uncommon despite her success in the business, and after watching a reel of the projects she’s been involved in, she was “struck by just how many hurdles had to be jumped. I mean Elvis, 10 years?”

Ryan Coogler presented Charles D. King with the Milestone Award, making King the first Black person to receive the honor. “I stand on the shoulders of all the incredible producers, executives, my parents, our ancestors who kicked down the doors, made sacrifices and blazed the trail for me to be able to do what I’m blessed to do,” he said.

Guillermo del Toro was on hand to present Martin Scorsese with the David O. Selznick Achievement Award, as del Toro recalled a meeting with the director in 1995 that changed his life and noted in an industry fascinated by young talents, how important it is to honor masters like Scorsese. The Killers of the Flower Moon filmmaker paid tribute to his collaborators, including the Osage Nation, in his speech, and recalled his early days in the industry and feeling “full circle” after he was honored at a Producers Guild event in 1965 when he was 22.

Winners of some categories were announced last week.

In addition, the guild announced on Sunday night an initiative aimed at ensuring health insurance benefits for every qualified producer working full-time in the film and TV industry.

The 35th annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony was held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom, Ovation Hollywood at Hollywood and Highland.

A full list of winners follows.

Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer (WINNER)
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (WINNER)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures

20 Days in Mariupol 
American Symphony (WINNER)
Beyond Utopia 
The Disappearance of Shere Hite 
The Mother of All Lies 
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood 
Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)

Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama

The Crown 
The Diplomat 
The Last of Us 
The Morning Show 
Succession (WINNER)

Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy

Barry 
The Bear (WINNER)
Jury Duty 
Only Murders in the Building 
Ted Lasso 

David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television

All the Light We Cannot See 
Beef (WINNER)
Daisy Jones and the Six 
Fargo 
Lessons in Chemistry 

Award for Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures

Black Mirror: Beyond the Sea (WINNER)
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
Quiz Lady
Reality
Red, White & Royal Blue

Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television

60 Minutes 
The 1619 Project 
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
Being Mary Tyler Moore
Welcome to Wrexham (WINNER)

Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television

Carol Burnett: 90 Years Of Laughter + Love 
Chris Rock: Selective Outrage 
Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer 
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (WINNER)
Saturday Night Live 

Award for Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television

The Amazing Race 
RuPaul’s Drag Race (WINNER)
Squid Game: The Challenge 
Top Chef 
The Voice 

Award for Outstanding Sports Program

100 Foot Wave (S2)
Beckham (S1) (WINNER)
Formula 1: Drive to Survive (S5)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the New York Jets (S18)
Shaun White: The Last Run (S1)

Award for Outstanding Children’s Program

Goosebumps (S1)
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (S1)
Sesame Street (S53) (WINNER)
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (S2)
The Velveteen Rabbit

Award for Outstanding Short-Form Program

Carpool Karaoke (S5C)
I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson (S3)
The Last of Us: Inside the Episode (S1)
Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question (S3)
Succession: Controlling the Narrative (S4) (WINNER)

PGA Innovation Award 

Body of Mine (WINNER)
The Eye and I
JFK Memento
Letters From Drancy
MLK: Now Is the Time
Ocean of Light: Dolphins VR
Our Ocean Our Future
Out of Scale, A Kurzgesagt Adventure
Reimagined
Space Explorers: Blue Marble Trilogy
Wallace & Gromit in the Grand Getaway
The World’s Largest Tailgate