Dave Chappelle's controversial Closer special among Producers Guild of America Awards nominations
King Richard,
Dune,
West Side Story,
Belfast,
The Power of the Dog, and
Squid Game also showed up on the 2022 PGA noms list.
By
Joey NolfiJanuary 27, 2022 at 11:15 AM EST
Hollywood's leading producers have named the best movies and TV shows of the last year, as the
Producers Guild of America announced its annual awards nominations — including Netflix's
Closer stand-up special that features comedian
Dave Chappelle's headline-making
controversial remarks about the transgender community.
Dave Chappelle in 'The Closer'
| CREDIT: MATHIEU BITTON/NETFLIX
The PGA Awards deemed the special as one of the best-produced projects of 2021 among its Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television category after Chappelle drew ire from LGBTQ leaders.
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"Dave stands by his Art. Both sides of the street are talking and Dave is listening," Chappelle's rep previously
told PEOPLE after the star endured intense backlash for his comments, which even prompted several Netflix employees to
stage a walkout. "At some point, when everyone is open, I'm sure our communities will come together."
Other popular TV projects like HBO's
Succession, Netflix's
Squid Game, VH1's
RuPaul's Drag Race, and Disney+'s
WandaVision hit big among the PGA Awards nominations list, while steadfast film contenders in the Oscars race showed up as well, including
Dune,
West Side Story,
Belfast,
The Power of the Dog,
CODA,
Don't Look Up,
Licorice Pizza,
Tick, Tick... Boom!,
King Richard, and surprise nominee
Being the Ricardos.
The 2022 PGA Awards nominations include 'Dune,' 'Succession, and 'West Side Story.'
| CREDIT: CHIABELLA JAMES/WARNER BROS.; MACALL POLAY/HBO; NIKO TAVERNISE/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
As previously announced,
West Side Story actress
Rita Moreno, filmmaker
George Lucas, prolific producer Kathleen Kennedy, and former Universal president Mary Parent will receive individual honors at the 33rd PGA ceremony.
Made up of roughly 7,000 film, TV, and new media producers, the PGA is — next to the Directors Guild of America and the
Screen Actors Guild — considered to be one of the most influential and precursor voting bodies on the awards trail, with many of the PGA's members spilling over into the Academy's ranks.
The two groups' tastes routinely align. Since the PGA's first ceremony recognizing films released in 1989, all of the PGA's Best Theatrical Motion Picture winners have gone on to either win (22 titles,
including last year's Nomadland) or be nominated (the remaining 11) for the Academy Award for Best Picture — including the 2013 Sandra Bullock blockbuster
Gravity, which tied with eventual Best Picture winner
12 Years a Slave in 2014.
On top of sharing membership, the PGA has a similar voting method to the Academy's, as it has adopted the preferential ballot system. Since the Academy and the PGA both expanded their respective number of nomination slots in 2009, the PGA has typically recognized between seven and nine movies each year that end up competing among the Academy's Best Picture set.
Dave Chappelle's controversial 'The Closer' special, 'Dune,' 'Succession,' 'West Side Story,' and more were named the best projects of the year in the 2022 Producers Guild of America Awards nominations. See the full list.
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