LOS ANGELES • The Big Short won top honours last Saturday at the annual awards ceremony held by the Producers Guild of America (PGA), seen as a reliable bellwether of Oscars glory.

The movie, set on the eve of the 2008 global financial meltdown, beat a number of highly-touted rivals for best movie including The Revenant, Spotlight and The Martian. Its cast includes Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt.

The PGA has an impressive track record of giving top honours to movies that go on to earn the Best Picture honours at the Academy Awards - including last year's Birdman.

The non-profit PGA is a trade group representing United States film and TV producers. The awards are chosen by its 7,000 voting members.

The group also voted to honour the documentary Amy about troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011 after years of substance abuse.

Pixar's animated movie Inside Out won the award for best animated feature. The Oscars ceremony will be on Feb 28.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE