It’s mid-January and the award-season excitement is palpable. Which is exactly why you must tune in to your television on Saturday Jan. 28 to watch the Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards. Not only do these awards accurately predict the Oscars much of the time, but every film that has won a PGA has also received a Best Picture nomination for the Academy Award.
Here we’ve rounded up a few films that have won both the awards, for your re-viewing pleasure. What better way to get you started in the award season mood?
1. “Birdman” (2014)
Also known as “The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance,” this is a black-comedy drama film that appears to have been filmed in one long single shot. The story focuses on Riggan Thomson, a fading actor who was once a huge name for playing the Birdman superhero and is now trying to reinvent himself as well as his career by directing and acting in a Broadway adaptation of a Raymond Carver short story that eerily reflects his dysfunctional life and relationships as well. With elements of meta-narrative and magic realism blended in, this makes for an intoxicating watch.
2. “Frozen” (2013)
A musical fantasy animated film, this Disney delight blends the old Snow Queen tale in a beautiful story about sibling bonding. Princess Ella has always suppressed her magic after a childhood accident with her sister Anna until the day of her coronation, when she sets off her powers before everyone, without meaning to. Ashamed and fearful of herself, she flees the castle to live a solitary life in an ice palace hidden deep in the mountainous woods. Anna takes it upon herself to rescue her estranged sister. This film also won an Academy Award for the Best Original Song “Let It Go.”
3. “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008)
A drama film set in India, this movie has an extremely interesting plot. Slum-dweller and Muslim, Jamal Malik is a quiz show contestant who is detained and tortured by the sceptical police who refuse to believe how an impoverished boy knew so much to get a place in the show. In a series of flashbacks, each linked to a question that Jamal correctly answers, we come to know the heartbreaking story of his life.
4. “Up” (2009)
A beautiful animated family film, “Up” centres on the adventures of the ageing widower Carl and a young adventurer Russell who set out to explore the wilderness of South America. Using helium balloons, Carl manages to levitate his house and turn it into an airship and meets a variety of creatures that help him along the way and join in their adventures. Packed with humour and warmth, this is one delightful film that is also the second animated film in history to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination (after “Beauty and the Beast” in 1991).
Which is your favourite film to win both the coveted awards? Which films are you rooting for, this time? Let us know in the comments below!