For the second year in a row, the recipient of the Producers Guild of America’s special Stanley Kramer Award will be a film distributed by The Weinstein Company. The guild named Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station as the winner of the award, named after the legendary director who also shined a light on social issues in his films.
PGA Awards Co-Chairs Lori McCreary and Michael De Luca said in a statement, posted at Deadline, that Coogler’s first feature film is an “important film that raises awareness about an injustice that we encounter in the news with grim regularity.”
The two said that Coogler “captured the hearts and minds of both audiences and critics with his poignant portrayal of the true story of Oscar Grant.” Grant was a young man shot at an Oakland train station by police officers in 2009 and is portrayed by Michael B. Jordan in the film. Octavia Spencer also stars.
Actor Forest Whitaker, who was a producer on the film, thanked the PGA, calling the award, “a testament to the director, the production team and the incredible efforts of the many talented people in our crew and cast who worked so hard because they believed in the message of this movie.”
Last year, the documentary Bully won the award. That film centered on the dangers of bullying in schools.
The 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards will be held at the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 19.
image: TWC
