King’s Speech wins best film at producers’ awards

Colin Firth plays a stammering King George VI in the film

The King’s Speech has won the best film accolade at the Producers Guild of America Awards, beating off competition from Oscars favourite the Social Network.

The British film about King George VI also beat other strong Academy Awards contenders including Black Swan, 127 Hours, Inception, The Kids Are All Right and The Fighter.

The ceremony on Saturday was just one of a steady stream heading up to the Oscars on 27 February.

The King’s Speech has already notched up a best actor Golden Globe for its star Colin Firth.

The film, directed by Tom Hooper, has also been nominated for 14 Bafta Film Awards, which will be held on 13 February in London.

The drama also has four nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, to be held in LA on 30 January.

The film tells the story of King George’s VI battle to overcome a debilitating stammer with the help of an unorthodox speech therapist, played by Geoffrey Rush.

The film also stars Helena Bonham Carter as the king’s wife, Queen Elizabeth, to be known later as the Queen Mother.

Saturday’s win further boosts The King’s Speech’s chances of success at the Academy Awards, for which the nominations will be announced on Tuesday.

But while Firth is expected to lead the way in the best actor category, The Social Network is tipped to take the top prize of best film.

Other winners at the Producers Guild awards included Toy Story 3, which was named best animated feature, while Waiting for Superman won best documentary.

In television, Mad Men won best drama series for the third consecutive year, and Modern Family won best comedy. The Pacific won in the best TV movie or mini-series category.

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