33rd Producers Guild Awards (PGA): ‘CODA’ wins feature film; ‘Succession,’ ‘Mare of Easttown’ top television kudos

The winners of the 33rd Producers Guild of America (PGA) awards have been announced and CODA, the Sundance hit from early 2021 emerged as the winner of the night’s top prize, the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. The film about a deaf fishing family in New England and their hearing daughter and sister with big dreams outside of her small town was bought by Apple for a record-setting $25M and in the last month has won the SAG Cast award, the BAFTA for adapted screenplay and is working its way to frontrunner status at the Oscars and in doing so is all stats and history in the process. Even its PGA win is historic.

There hadn’t been a PGA winner without a DGA nomination since the first year of their awards, 33 years ago (1989’s Driving Miss Daisy). The five PGA winners that missed directing at the Oscars (Apollo 13, Moulin Rouge!, Little Miss Sunshine, Argo, Green Book) all still had DGA. CODA is nominated for just three Oscars: Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actor and was not nominated for the DGA.

Since the expansion of Best Picture and PGA in 2009, the two have matched up nine out of 13 years (including one tie). Most recently, 1917 won PGA and DGA then lost both to Parasite at the Oscars.

Encanto and Summer of Soul won for animated and documentary, respectively, and in television, few surprises arose as Succession, Ted Lasso, Mare of Easttown and RuPaul’s Drag Race were among the winners.

Film producer, Mary Parent, was honored with the 2022 David O. Selznick Achievement Award. The Producers Guild of America’s Selznick Achievement Award recognizes producers for their outstanding body of work in motion pictures. The honor has a rich and distinguished history with past recipients including such legendary producers as Steven Spielberg, Barbara Broccoli, Gale Anne Hurd, Brian Grazer, David Heyman, Kevin Feige, as well as Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner of Plan B.

Actor and producer Issa Rae was honored with the 2022 Visionary Award. The Visionary Award honors producers across television, film or new media who share inspiring, uplifting stories that add unique value to society and culture. Past recipients include: Octavia Spencer, Kenya Barris, Ava DuVernay, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner’s Plan B Entertainment, Illumination Entertainment’s Chis Meledandri, Laura Ziskin, and Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll.

Producer, writer, director Greg Berlanti was honored with the Guild’s Norman Lear Achievement Award. The Norman Lear Award celebrates powerhouse producers who have made a remarkable impact on the art and craft of television. Previous honorees include Marta Kauffman, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhymes, Dick Wolf, Jerry Bruckheimer, Lorne Michaels, Aaron Spelling, Carsey/Werner/Mandabach, Steven Bochco, David E. Kelley, and Norman Lear himself.

EGOT-winning actress and singer, Rita Moreno, was honored with the 2022 Stanley Kramer Award. The Stanley Kramer Award honors a production, producer or other individuals whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues. Producer and director Stanley Kramer created some of the most powerful work in the history of American motion pictures, including such classics as Inherit the Wind, On the Beach, The Defiant Ones, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Past recipients of the Stanley Kramer Award include: Jane Fonda, Get Out, Loving, Fruitvale Station, The Normal Heart, Bombshell, The Hunting Ground, An Inconvenient Truth, and Hotel Rwanda.

“I am not a person of religious faith. For me, film has often been a sacred text  to spur me to follow what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature,” Moreno said. “Thankfully, filmmakers keep on preaching and never stop advocating for matters of equity and justice.”

Film producers George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy were honored with the 2022 Milestone Award for their unparalleled contributions to the film industry both individually and collaboratively through Lucasfilm. The Milestone Award is the PGA’s most prestigious honor, recognizing an individual or team who has made historic contributions to the entertainment industry. The Guild’s 2020 honoree was Ted Sarandos. Early recipients of this award include Louis B. Mayer, Walt Disney, and Alfred Hitchcock, and continue into the modern era with Steven Spielberg, Bob Iger, Sherry Lansing, Clint Eastwood, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, James Cameron, Donna Langley, and more. 

Here is the complete list of winners for motion picture, television and more at the 33rd PGA Awards.

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

Being the Ricardos
Producer: Todd Black, p.g.a.

Belfast
Producers: Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik, Tamar Thomas

CODA – WINNER
Producers: Philippe Rousselet, p.g.a., Fabrice Gianfermi, p.g.a., Patrick Wachsberger, p.g.a.

Don’t Look Up
Producers: Adam McKay, p.g.a., Kevin Messick, p.g.a.

Dune
Producers: Mary Parent, p.g.a., Cale Boyter, p.g.a., Denis Villeneuve, p.g.a.

King Richard
Producers: Tim White, p.g.a., Trevor White, p.g.a., Will Smith, p.g.a.

Licorice Pizza
Producers: Sara Murphy, Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner

The Power of the Dog
Producers: Jane Campion, p.g.a., Tanya Seghatchian, p.g.a., Emile Sherman, p.g.a. & Iain Canning, p.g.a., Roger Frappier, p.g.a.

tick, tick…BOOM!
Producers: Julie Oh, p.g.a., Lin-Manuel Miranda, p.g.a.

West Side Story
Producers: Steven Spielberg, p.g.a., Kristie Macosko Krieger, p.g.a.

Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

Encanto – WINNER
Producers: Yvett Merino, p.g.a., Clark Spencer, p.g.a.

Luca
Producers: Andrea Warren, p.g.a.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Producers: Phil Lord, p.g.a. & Christopher Miller, p.g.a., Kurt Albrecht, p.g.a.

Raya and the Last Dragon
Producers: Osnat Shurer, p.g.a., Peter Del Vecho, p.g.a.

Sing 2
Producers: Chris Meledandri, p.g.a., Janet Healy, p.g.a.

Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures

Ascension
Producers: Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy, Nathan Truesdell

The First Wave
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

Flee
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

In The Same Breath
Producers: Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, Julie Goldman & Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn

The Rescue
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

Simple As Water
Producers: Robin Hessman, Megan Mylan

Summer Of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – WINNER
Producers: Joseph Patel, p.g.a., David Dinerstein, p.g.a., Robert Fyvolent, p.g.a.

Writing With Fire
Producers: Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh

Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama

The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 4)
The Morning Show (Season 2)
Squid Game (Season 1)
Succession (Season 3) – WINNER
Yellowstone (Season 4)

Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy

Cobra Kai (Seasons 3 & 4)
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 11)
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

Hacks (Season 1)
Producers: Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, Michael Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett, Joanna Calo, Andrew Law, David Hyman, Joe Mande, Jessica Chaffin

Only Murders in the Building (Season 1)
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

Ted Lasso (Season 2) – WINNER
Producers: Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Jeff Ingold, Bill Wrubel, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee, Liza Katzer, Kip Kroeger, Declan Lowney, Leann Bowen, Ashley Nicole Black

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

Dopesick
Mare of Easttown – WINNER
The Underground Railroad
WandaVision
The White Lotus

Award for Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures

8-Bit Christmas
Producers: Tim White, p.g.a. & Trevor White, p.g.a., Allan Mandelbaum, p.g.a.

Come From Away
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

Oslo
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

Single All The Way
Producer: Joel S. Rice, p.g.a.

Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers – WINNER
*Eligibility Determination Pending*

Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television

60 Minutes (Season 54)
Allen v. Farrow (Season 1)
The Beatles: Get Back (Season 1) – WINNER
Queer Eye (Season 6)
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (Season 1)

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

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Season 27)
Dave Chappelle: The Closer
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Season 8) – WINNER
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Season 7)
Saturday Night Live (Season 47)

Award for Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television

America’s Got Talent (Season 16)
Nailed It! (Seasons 5 & 6)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 13) – WINNER
Top Chef (Season 18)
The Voice (Season 20)