The PGA, no not the Pro Golf Association but the Producers Guild of America has nominated 3 sci fi movies (Avatar, Star Trek, and District 9) for the top honors. The PGA Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year film award has become a litmus test to what the Academy Awards may do for the best picture award. To put the numbers in perspective in the last 20 years 13 films nominated by the PGA had won the best Academy Award picture of the year including last years winner Slumdog Millionaire . What is unusual about this is that the PGA usually looks the other way with sci fi films so seeing these three on the list really caught the industries eye. Well sci fi films in the past with some exceptions were always considered a low brow type of film not worthy of any recognition. This thankfully has been changing in the last couple of years as films like Star Trek and others become more and more main stream.
Well we will see come Feb 2nd when the Academy will announce their list. You know Avatar and Star Trek will have to be on that list and do not be surprised to see those films dominate the Academy’s list in several categories including the previous mentioned best picture award. District 9 even if it does not make the best picture list one would assume it will be on the best independent film list. This should be interesting to see how these nominees effect the film industry in the future. And it should be fun tuning in to those awards and seeing if this is the year that sci fi over comes its unceremonious and undeserving past.
The Movies including the 3 Sci Fi block busters that will be voted on are
Avatar
Star Trek
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Precious
Up
Up in the Air