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‘The Shape of Water’ wins top Producers Guild Award
Women and inclusivity continued to dominate the awards season conversation Saturday at the Producers Guild Awards, where Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical romance “The Shape of Water” won the top award and honorees like Jordan Peele and Ava DuVernay gave rousing speeches to the room of entertainment industry leaders.
The untelevised dinner and ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
, is closely watched for its capacity to predict the eventual Oscar best picture winner, but this year the “awards race” seemed to be the secondary show to the more urgent questions facing the industry, including the crisis of representation and *** misconduct.
The Producers Guild on Friday ratified guidelines for combating *** harassment in the entertainment industry, and everyone from DuVernay to Universal Chair Donna Langley and television mogul Ryan Murphy made mention of the changing times and the work that still needs to be done.
“If we want more brilliant films like ‘Get Out’ …we need to have many different perspectives including equal numbers of women, people of color, people of all faiths and *** orientation involved in every stage of filmmaking,” Langley said in accepting the Milestone Award — noting that she was only the third woman to do so.
It was not the only time “Get Out” got a special mention, despite not winning the top award. Peele also won the Stanley Kramer Award.
Del Toro was not present to accept the PGA’s Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, due to the health of his father.
His film was up against 10 others this year, including “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” which won big at the Golden Globes earlier this month, “Lady Bird,” ″Get Out,” ″Dunkirk,” ″The Post,” ″Call Me By Your Name,” ″The Big Sick,” ″I, Tonya” ″Wonder Woman” and “Molly’s Game” — many of which were represented by actors and directors in attendance like Timothee Chalamet, Christopher Nolan, Margot Robbie, Patty Jenkins and Greta Gerwig.
Other presenters included the likes of Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Mary J.
Blige, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kerry Washington and Morgan Freeman in the ceremony that saw Disney and Pixar’s “Coco” pick up best animated feature and Brett Morgen’s Jane Goodall film “Jane” win best documentary.
In television, “The Handmaids Tale” picked up best drama series, “The Marvelous Mrs.
Maisel” won best comedy series, “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” won best TV variety series, “Black Mirror” for long-form TV, “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” for nonfiction television, “Sesame Street” for children’s program and “Carpool Karaoke” for best short-form program.
The pre-announced honorees stole most of the show, however. Norman Lear presented the Stanley Kramer Award to Peele invoking the award’s namesake in speaking of “Get Out,” which Lear proudly said he’s seen three times.
Peele said he was proud to call Lear a friend. “I want to say, you can use my body for your brain anytime,” Peele laughed, before taking a more serious turn in his speech.
Peele likened the idea of “the sunken place” in the film to what is happening in the world right now, referencing Haiti, the water crisis in Flint, and President Donald Trump’s criticisms of athletes for protesting on the field.
“What really scares me…is the silencing of voices,” Peele said “‘Get Out’ is my protest against that. Peele ended on a hopeful note, however.
“Finally unique voices are breaking through,” he said. “Diverse and honest storytelling opens eyes and hearts. We can break out of the sunken place together.”.
“Selma” and “A Wrinkle in Time” director Ava DuVernay gave a similarly poignant speech in accepting the Visionary Award,.
“It’s an odd moment, you have a women’s march and you have a country with a government shut down,” DuVernay said. “We’re in the midst of times that will be long remembered.”.
DuVernay said what is important is, “The way we work. The people we actually choose to see. That we choose to amplify in the moments where no one is looking.”.
“Don’t think of diversity as a good thing to do,” she added. “Think of it as a must.
Like many awards shows in the midst of Me Too and Time’s Up, even the men accepting awards devoted large portions of their time on stage to talk about extraordinary women in their lives.
“Wonder Woman” producer Charles Roven used his David O.
Selznick Achievement Award acceptance speech to call out powerful women he’s worked with, from his late wife Dawn Steel, to Langley, Sue Kroll, Amy Pascal and Jenkins, who he said “has reignited this industry.”.
“Glee” creator Ryan Murphy, who got the Norman Lear Achievement Award, said, “Women were always my champions and mentors for 20 years now and I believe that’s because they deeply related to my struggle — what it’s like to be an outsider.
” He has taken steps to ensure that women occupy at least half of the directing spots in his productions.
In the larger context of awards season “The Shape of Water’s” win Saturday surprised some who expected “Three Billboards” to continue its ascendancy after the Globes.
“The Shape of Water” is also up for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be announced Sunday. The Producers Guild’s choice for top film has eight times in the last 10 years matched the eventual Academy Award best picture winner.
Last year, its nominees predicted all 9 best picture nominees, although the PGA went to “La La Land” which lost out to “Moonlight” at the Academy Awards. Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday in advance of the ceremony on March 4.
Why Wasnt Gal Gadot Nominated For A SAG Award? Wonder Woman Was One Of The Years Most Beloved Movies.
After proving itself as a box office success, a hit among critics and audiences alike, and an unprecedented feminist statement, Wonder Woman wasnt nominated for the 2018 SAGs.
Not only was the film as a whole largely snubbed by awards body, but star Gal Gadot was also left out of the acting nominations.
Wonder Woman (director: Patty Jenkins) did nab a well-deserved nomination in the category for stunt ensembles, but that was its lone acknowledgment. The SAG snubs are disappointing, but, admittedly, not altogether surprising.
High box office turnout and good reviews dont necessarily mean that a film, especially of the action variety, will be honored at awards shows that dont have a dedicated action category.
Weve grown accustomed to superhero movies remaining almost a fringe genre, despite their popularity — one thats not for everybody, and certainly not usually for awards show acclaim.
But Wonder Woman (executive producer: Rebecca Steel Roven) hit a unique note with many people, and the tsunami of reactions to the film might have put it in a better position to win a nomination.
I havent paid money to watch a superhero movie since I fell asleep halfway through the original Avengers at a drive-in theater in high school, and even then, I wasnt happy about it. They just arent my thing.
That didnt stop me from loading my best friend into my car on a Tuesday night and speeding 45 minutes to the nearest Wonder Woman-showing theater. I wasnt alone in that eagerness, either.
It was a film that seemed important to this moment — it satisfied an ache within many of us that we didnt even necessarily know we had.
And on top of all of that, its nomination would have rightly echoed the Times Up movement and the tone of this seasons red carpets.
Gadots acting is moving and rousing even without Diana delivering long monologues or really, much dialogue at all.
But despite the praise she garnered for this breakout role, it seems as though the Screen Actors Guild might have looked at Wonder Woman as simply another action film, rather than the statement piece that it was.
As wonderful as it would have been to see Wonder Woman in a major category, competition was tight — there are even fewer categories at the SAG Awards than there are at the Globes, where the film was also left out of the nominations list.
Fans shouldnt be completely discouraged, though — Wonder Woman will likely have more films to come as a part of the DC Comics franchise, and the film is being honored, even if its not necessarily in all the places wed like to see.
Gadot was awarded the #SeeHer award at the Critics Choice Awards, which honors women who push boundaries on changing stereotypes and recognize the importance of accurately portraying women across the entertainment landscape. In her speech, Gadot acknowledged the importance of her character in the film.
“She’s full of heart, strength, compassion, and forgiveness. She sees wrong that must be made right.
She takes action when everyone around her is idle. She commands the attention of the world, and in doing so, she sets a positive example for humanity,” she said.
According to its IMDB page, Wonder Woman was also nominated for several lower-profile and regional awards as well, such as at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Detroit Film Critic Society, Costume Designers Guild Awards and the AFI Awards.
The movie, no matter its awards show recognition, proved to studios and critics alike that people are willing to swarm theaters to enjoy a film helmed by and starring badass women.
Its refreshing and meaningful to see someone in an epic, heroic, starring role that isnt just another Chris in tights (though we still love you, all the Chrises).
Wonder Woman has proven a point, even if it doesnt have the fancy statues to show for it, and its made the road just a little bit easier for other films to follow suit.