December 13, 2007–The Producers Guild of America will honor “The Great Debaters” with the Stanley Kramer Award, reserved for work that addresses important social issues. The film, produced and helmed by Denzel Washington, highlights the true story of a debate team coach (also played by Washington) who inspires the students at a small African-American college.
“The Great Debaters” is “the embodiment of everything Stanley Kramer stood for in the films he made,” said PGA awards co-chairs Hawk Koch and Mark Gordon. “We are very proud to present this award to the filmmakers that brought this movie to the bigscreen.”
The film’s producers include Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Kate Forte, Todd Black and Joe Roth. Nod will be presented at the PGA’s 19th annual awards ceremony on Feb. 2.
Previous recipients of the Stanley Kramer award include “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Hotel Rwanda,” and “Good Night, and Good Luck.”