BY LALIT VERMA
The Producers Guild of America's (PGA) Darryl F. Zanuck Award is a key precursor for the Best Picture Oscar race, with a track record closely aligning with the Academy's choices.
While their nominations often overlap, divergences highlight distinct preferences. The PGA leans towards big studio projects,
while the Academy favors low-budget indies, non-English language films, and late-year releases.
Despite occasional differences, the PGA and the Academy often align on the ultimate winner. Notable disparities in the past include the PGA nominating blockbusters like "Deadpool" and "Crazy Rich Asians,"
while the Academy opts for indies like "Room" and foreign-language films like "Drive My Car." Shoo-ins for this year's nominations include "American Fiction," "Barbie,"
"The Holdovers," "Killers of the Flower Moon," "Maestro," "Oppenheimer," "Past Lives," and "Poor Things." The PGA may lean towards recognizing animated film "Spider-Man:
Across the Spider-Verse" and blockbuster "The Color Purple," while the Academy may favor the French film
"Anatomy of a Fall" or the German-language U.K. film "The Zone of Interest." The final nominations will be unveiled by the PGA on Jan. 12 and the Academy on Jan. 23.