LOS ANGELES: Netflix’s “Mank,” a black-and-white drama that dives into Hollywood’s Golden Age with the making of “Citizen Kane,” topped the nominations for the pandemic-delayed Golden Globes.
“Mank” earned six nominations, including best drama, followed by fellow Netflix movie “The Trial of the Chicago 7” on five, in an announcement that offered an important, early glimpse into the movies leading this year’s unique awards season.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which has only previously nominated five female film directors in its long history, gave Globes nods to three women in the category this year.
The unveiling of the nominations remotely co-hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker and Taraji P Henson, whittled down the list of films and stars headed for the Globes ceremony later this month.
Netflix thrashed the competition with a whopping 22 film nominations – up from an impressive 17 last year. Rival Amazon Prime earned seven nominations, including three each for civil rights-themed play adaptation “One Night in Miami” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.”
Sacha Baron Cohen starred in the sequel mockumentary about fictional Kazakh journalist Borat and earned a second acting nomination for his supporting work in “Chicago 7” about the city’s 1968 anti-war riots.
A small batch of prestige titles from Tinseltown’s traditional major studios held their own, with Disney’s “Nomadland,” Sony’s “The Father” and Universal’s “Promising Young Woman” each earning four nods.
#MeToo revenge thriller “Promising Young Woman” in particular exceeded expectations, with recognition for best drama, director, screenplay and actress for Carey Mulligan. She will compete with Viola Davis for 1920s blues drama “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” as well as Frances McDormand for “Nomadland”.
In the acting categories, late “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman was also nominated for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. He missed out on a second posthumous nod for “Da 5 Bloods” which failed to snare any nominations.
The fiercely competitive best actor in a drama category will feature heavyweights such as Anthony Hopkins for “The Father,” adapted from a French play about dementia, and Gary Oldman for “Mank.” Meryl Streep missed out on a nomination for Netflix musical “The Prom,” which saw British talk show host James Corden honored instead.
Last year, the HFPA was slammed for its failure to nominate any female directors, but this time Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) and Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) all earned nods.
Only five women had been nominated for best director across 77 previous editions of the Globes, with Barbra Streisand still the only female winner for 1983’s “Yentl.” Zhao becomes the first Asian female recognized in the category.
Disney+’s “Hamilton,” created from multiple performances featuring the original Broadway cast, earned two nominations, including best musical or comedy film, and best actor for creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
In the television categories, Netflix was again dominant, scoring 20 nominations. Closest rival HBO earned seven, plus a further two for its new streaming platform HBO Max with “The Flight Attendant.”
The latest season of British royal family drama “The Crown” had the most recognition with six nominations, ahead of recent Emmys smash hit “Schitt’s Creek” on five. The 78th Golden Globes will be broadcast on February 28 followed by the season-crowning Oscars on April 25.
