Saturday night brought with it a swinging change to the 2014 awards season as the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced their choices for the best movies of the year.  The critics have already spoken– now it’s the industry’s time to plant their flag.  The PGA planted swiftly by naming Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) the best film of the year.  The dark comedy starring Michael Keaton has already been one of the stalwarts of the awards circuit, and last week earned 9 Academy Award nominations.  Still the film faced stiff competition from Golden Globe winners Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel, as well as lofty competitors like The Imitation Game, and current box office phenom, American Sniper.

Now we must wonder if Birdman can take its PGA win all the way to Oscars; history shows that it certainly has a chance.  Throughout the PGA’s 26-year history, their top pick has coincided withthe  Oscars more than half the time.  Further evidence lies in that both groups have matched perfectly in the last seven years (with the caveat that last year the PGA had a tie vote for Gravity and eventual Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave.)   The next phase in the race will occur on Sunday, January 25th as the actors unveil their favorites at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Birdman is up for the Best Ensemble Award (the group’s Best Picture equivalent) though it faces strong competition from the likes of Boyhood and the massively populated The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Other picks from the PGA won’t have any correlation with the Academy Awards as the branch chose The LEGO Movie as Best Animated Feature and Life Itself as Best Documentary Feature; neither film earned Oscar nominations.  The PGA Awards are voted on by members of the Producers Guild of America, which consists of over 6,500 members working in film, television, and other forms of media.

Check out the full list of film awards below:

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURE

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)– Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole

ANIMATED THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURE

The LEGO Movie– Dan Zin

DOCUMENTARY THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURE

Life Itself– Garrett Basch, Steve James, Zak Piper