Los Angeles

SHOW business satire Birdman took the lead in what promises to be a competitive race for the best picture Oscar by winning the top award from Hollywood producers.

Birdman beat nine other films, including Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel, to take the Producers Guild of America award on Saturday for outstanding producer of a motion picture. PGA winners have gone on to win the Academy Award for best picture, the film industry's highest honour, for the past seven years. Birdman, the first comedy from Mexican director and producer Alejandro Inarritu, has won critical acclaim for its story of a washed-up former superhero actor trying to make a comeback. The lead is played by Michael Keaton, who has real-life parallels with his character.