Saul Zaentz, who struggled for years to bring The English Patient to the screen, was given the Producers Guild's Darryl F. Zanuck award as producer of the year, its Eastman Kodak Vision Award for his "special cinematic vision" and took home a Golden Laurel marking his movie as the best drama of the year.
Although only eight years old, the guild's awards have a near perfect record for predicting the best-picture Oscar. In 1992, the producers picked The Crying Game over Unforgiven, which went on to win the Academy Award.
In last night's ceremony, Patient beat Fargo, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Shine and Hamlet.
Golden Laurels also went to TV's Law & Order in the episodic category and Prime Suspect in longform.
Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner were recognized with a Nova Award as new producers for Mission: Impossible and so was Martha Williamson for CBS' Touched by an Angel.