‘CODA’ wins Producers and Writers Guild Awards ahead of Oscars

‘CODA’ emerged as the big winner at this weekend’s Producers and Writers Guild award ceremonies, a week ahead of the Oscars.

The coming-of-age comedy-drama, written and directed by Sian Heder, scooped the prize for Best Theatrical Motion Picture at the 33rd Producers Guild Film Awards on Saturday (March 19), as well as picking up the award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday (March 20).

Having already won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in February, the film is now well-placed to win the prestigious Academy Award for Best Picture next Sunday (March 27). Bookmakers have ‘CODA’ neck-and-neck with Jane Campion’s slow-burn western ‘The Power of the Dog’ for the prize; the latter had previously been considered to be in a two-horse race with Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’.

However, ‘CODA’s impressive awards season to date has seen it rise in prominence. Starring Emilia Jones as the eponymous CODA (child of deaf adults), it is an English-language remake of the 2014 French film ‘La Famille Bélier’ and follows her character, Ruby, as she pursues her musical dreams. It is streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. Troy Kotsur has already won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his turn in the film, becoming the first deaf actor to take home the prize, and is favourite to repeat the success at the Oscars.

Elsewhere, ‘Encanto’ won the Producers Guild’s award for best animation, with Questlove’s ‘Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)’ taking the equivalent prize for best documentary. At the Writers Guild Awards, Adam McKay won Best Original Screenplay for his climate catastrophe satire ‘Don’t Look Up’.

The 94th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, with Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosting. Jane Campion, Will Smith and Ariana DeBose are considered shoe-ins to follow up their BAFTA wins in the categories of Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively; meanwhile, the Best Actress category appears too close to call, with Jessica Chastain and Nicole Kidman the frontrunners.