Nominees picked for producer's best film awards

The Producers Guild of America has picked nominees for 2006's best film from both ends of the budget spectrum.

Star-studded blockbusters including musical Dreamgirls and thriller The Departed are alongside smaller movies The Queen and Little Miss Sunshine. Multi-layered cultural drama Babel is also in the running.

Announced on the 20th of January, the awards are highly regarded in Hollywood and nominations are seen as a boost in the Oscars race.

One notable absentee was Clint Eastwood's World War II drama Letters from Iwo Jima, which has drawn glowing reviews since its US release and has already picked up two top critics' prizes.