BEVERLY HILLS, Jan 20 ― Hollywood producers injected drama into the competitive race for Oscars by choosing yesterday not one, but two movies as their best films of the year, the space thriller “Gravity” and the slavery drama “12 Years a Slave.”

The Producers Guild of America has correctly chosen the eventual Academy Award winner for best picture for the last six years, including Iranian hostage drama “Argo” a year ago. A tie is rare.

On Saturday, the Screen Actors Guild chose the 1970s-set corruption caper “American Hustle” for its top prize, best ensemble cast. But SAG has a more mixed record on predicting the Oscar.

The Academy Awards, the highest honours of the film industry, will be handed out on March 2. ― Reuters