LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Actor-director Ben Affleck's "Argo" has further consolidated its stature as the top frontrunner for best picture Oscar as it garnered the top feature film honor from the Producers Guild of America (PGA) on Saturday night.
The producing team on the political thriller, including Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov, were named the recipients of the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, beating out their counterparts of other nine contenders including "Lincoln," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Life of Pi,""Les Miserables" and "Silver Linings Playbook" in a spectacular comeback to the mainstream of the frontrunners along the Oscar trail.
The honor has more than made up for the fact that Affleck was overlooked by voters from the directors branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as they unveiled their picks for nominated directors for the 85th Academy Awards earlier this week.
As one of the most reliable precursor awards in the leadup to the Feb. 24 Academy Awards ceremony, which is set to take place at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood & Highland Center, Los Angeles, the recipients of the honor handed out by the producers guild have generally gone on to take the Oscar for best picture.
Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" won in the animated feature category. "Searching for Sugar Man" prevailed in the contest in the documentary field.
On the television front, "Modern Family" and "Homeland" won in the comedy and drama categories respectively.