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NEW YORK 鈥� Chlo茅 Zhao's 鈥淣omadland" cemented its Oscar front-runner status Wednesday, winning the top award at the 32nd annual Producers Guild of America Awards.

鈥淣omadland," Zhao's recession-era portrait of itinerant people in the American West, is only the second film directed by a woman to win the producers' Darryl F. Zanuck award for outstanding producer of a motion picture. The other was Kathryn Bigelow's 鈥淭he Hurt Locker鈥� in 2010.

In a delayed, virtual and very long awards season that has marched along during the pandemic with little of the usual pomp, declaring a clear front-runner has been challenging. But if any film could claim that mantle, it's 鈥淣omadland,鈥� winner of the Golden Globe best picture award for drama. Zhao, too, is considered the favourite for best director. If she does win, she would only the second female director to do so, again after Bigelow.

鈥淣omadland,鈥� made for less than $5 million and with many nonprofessional actors, is an unusually low-budget winner for the PGA honour, which has traditionally gone to larger-scale productions.

"In a year where we have been all been leading such isolated lives and movies felt so vital, we are proud to have produced a film about community and what connects us," said producer Peter Spears, accepting the award in a taped message.

The PGA Awards are watched especially closely as an Oscar bellwether. The producers use the same preferential ballot as the film academy, and their best-picture fields often nearly mirror each other. This year, the producers nominated a few movies the academy passed over for best picture ("Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," "One Night in Miami," 鈥淢a Rainey's Black Bottom") while skipping one that landed the Oscar nomination: 鈥淭he Father.鈥�

In the 11 years since the Oscars expanded the best-picture category, the two groups have picked the same winner eight times. They differed last year, when the guild chose 鈥�1917鈥� and the academy crowned 鈥淧arasite鈥�; in 2017, when 鈥淟a La Land鈥� triumphed with the PGA and 鈥淢oonlight鈥� won the Oscar; and in 2016, when the 鈥淭he Big Short鈥� topped the producers' awards and 鈥淪potlight鈥� won the Academy Award.

Other awards went to Pixar's 鈥淪oul" for animated film and 鈥淢y Octopus Teacher鈥� for documentary.

The awards Wednesday were held virtually and pre-taped for an invite-only audience. Opening the ceremony, 鈥淏lack-ish鈥� actor Tracee Ellis Ross said of the show: 鈥淭his, in and of itself, is an experiment in producing."

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press