studio won no Oscars that year. The success during awards season did not extend into 2008. The company had only three films released during the year (Every Little Step, Pressure Cooker, and Standard Operating Procedure), and none of them was nominated for an award from a major arts organization. However, on November 19, 2008, the Producers Guild of America gave Participant founder Jeff Skoll its Visionary Award. In 2009, it saw the company continue to aggressively produce both feature films and documentaries. In January, it announced that it would produce Paul Dinello's Mr. Burnout (about a burned out teacher seeking to rekindle his love of teaching) and Furry Vengeance (a comedy starring Brendan Fraser about an Oregon real estate developer who is opposed by animals).Fleming, Michael (January 27, 2009). "Fraser Letting Fur Fly For Pic". Daily Variety. But only Furry Vengeance was produced. That same month Participant signed a five-year production and distribution deal with Summit Entertainment. The agreement, which covered titles financed by Participant's $250 million production agreement with Imagination Media, was nonexclusive (meaning Participant could seek distribution of films by other companies) and was limited to four projects a year. The agreement allowed Summit to charge a distribution fee, and to co-finance titles if it wished. The pact covered home video and pay-television distribution as well. Furry Vengeance was the first picture produced under the agreement. In April, the company hired screenwriter Miles Chapman to pen an untitled environmentally themed action-adventure script about the hunt for a mystical gem in the heart of Africa. The script went into development hell. The same month, the company agreed to co-finance (with Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment) a biographical drama titled History on Trial—which was intended to document the true story of Deborah Lipstadt, a professor of Jewish studies who was sued by Holocaust deniers David Irving for libel.Freedland, Jonathan (February 5, 2000). "Court 73 – Where History Is on Trial". The Guardian.Lyall, Sarah (January 12, 2000). "London Trial Opens Dispute on Rewriting the Holocaust". The New York Times.Lyall, Sarah (April 12, 2000). "Critic of a Holocaust Denier Is Cleared in British Libel Suit". The New York Times.Reid, T.R. (April 6, 2000). "Historians Fight Battle of the Books". The Washington Post.Reid, T.R. (April 12, 2000). "U.S. Scholar Is Victorious in Holocaust Libel Trial". The Washington Post. The film was not produced, but the company did go on to make Denial, starring Rachel Weisz, about