'Nomadland' wins top award at 2021 Producers Guild Awards

LOS ANGELES: Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland" received a major boost ahead of the Oscars as the movie bagged the top prize at the 2021 Producers Guild Awards.

The winners for the awards were announced during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday.

"Nomadland", a frontrunner for the best picture Oscar, took home the trophy for Darryl F Zanuck award for outstanding producer of theatrical motion pictures.

The movie edged out fellow nominees "Promising Young Woman", "Minari", "Mank", "Judas and the Black Messiah", "Sound of Metal" and "The Trial of the Chicago 7".

"Nomadland" features Academy Award winner Frances McDormand as a woman who leaves home to travel around the American West after losing her job.

The winner of the PGA Awards' top prize has historically been a strong indicator of which film will go on to win the best picture Oscar.

However, last year saw "1917", which won at the PGAs, losing out the coveted honour at the Oscars to Bong Joon-Ho's "Parasite".

The PGAs also saw Pixar's "Soul" won the award for animated theatrical motion pictures, while Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" bag the award for best televised or streamed motion pictures.

Oscar-nominated "My Octopus Teacher", which reinforces the importance of staying in touch with nature, was named the best documentary.

In the television segment, Pop TV's acclaimed hit show "Schitt's Creek" won comedy award for its final season while Netflix's royal series "The Crown" took the trophy for the best drama series.

The streamer's another hit offering "The Queen's Gambit", starring Anya Taylor-Joy, won the award for best limited series.