'Birdman,' 'Boyhood,' small films vie for Producers Guild Award

[January 06, 2015]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Birdman" and "Boyhood," two of the front-runners for Hollywood's film honors this year, were nominated along with a slew of small movies on Monday for the top Producers Guild Award, a reliable predictor of the best picture Oscar.

Among the 10 films nominated for outstanding producer in the a motion picture were noir L.A. drama "Nightcrawler" and the tale of a drummer's obsession in "Whiplash," both small independent films with Oscar chances.

The notable exclusions were two films that opened Dec. 25, Angelina Jolie's second film as director, the World War Two survival story "Unbroken," and the civil rights drama "Selma."

Clint Eastwood's portrayal of an Iraq war hero in "American Sniper" made the list, as did two British biopics, "The Imitation Game" and "The Theory of Everything."

Rounding out the nominations were the film adaptation of the best-selling novel "Gone Girl," the American wrestling tragedy "Foxcatcher" and the offbeat period comedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel."

"Birdman," a satire of show business, and "Boyhood," a coming-of-age drama filmed over 12 years with the same actors, are the favorites going into the awards season that kicks off next Sunday with the Golden Globe Awards.

The Producers Guild of America has 6,700 members, and in its 25 years handing out its top award has managed to choose the eventual winner of the Academy Award for best picture for the last seven years.

The PGA hands out its awards on Jan. 24, while the Oscars are held on Feb. 22.

Sony Pictures Classics and Fox Searchlight Pictures, the art-house units of Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox, each had two films in the 10 nominations. Among the big studios, only Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox had nominees, with one each.

In the animated motion picture category, the PGA nominated blockbusters "Big Hero 6," "How to Train Your Dragon 2" and "The LEGO Movie," and smaller films "The Book of Life" and "The Boxtrolls."

(Reporting by Mary Milliken; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Richard Chang)

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