The lobby supporting Israel did not succeed in imposing its will on the artists at the 81st Golden Globe Awards, which took place in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, early on Monday morning. The lobby's call, which was exercised through the media, to wear yellow badges as a symbol of demanding the release of Israeli prisoners in Gaza, went unheeded. Instead, the management of the awards successfully kept the winners' speeches focused on gratitude and thanks.
Nevertheless, the presentation of the "Stand Up Comedy" award included an allusion to the recent Jeffrey Epstein scandal involving child abuse. Notably, several individuals linked to the infamous island and its owner were present among the audience, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and famed media personality Oprah Winfrey.
This year, the Golden Globe Awards administration excluded Egyptian critic Howaida Hamdi from the judging panel over a tweet from 2013 that was deemed inappropriate according to the award's policy. Hamdi had posted a tweet on her Twitter account criticizing Israeli policies.
Photo Description: Kieran Culkin receiving the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series for his role in "Succession." (AFP/Getty Images)
The award winners demonstrated a modest attempt to distance the event from years of racial and ethnic discrimination, which had prompted a boycott by stars in 2021. Actors of African and Asian descent won several awards.
The film "Oppenheimer" clinched the highest number of awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, in addition to two acting awards and those for the small screen. Meanwhile, "Barbie" took home the Golden Globe for Best Box Office Achievement, honoring films that combine box office success with cinematic accomplishments.
Historic Moments
The ceremony, organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, made history by honoring actress Lily Gladstone with the award for Best Performance by an Actress in the film "Killers of the Flower Moon," making her the first Indigenous person to win. Gladstone opened her speech in the Blackfeet language, which is spoken by Native Americans in the northern United States. She described the win as "historic" and dedicated it to "every little kid in the suburbs, every little kid in the urban areas, and every little native kid who has a dream and sees themselves acting, and our stories told in our own words."
Actress Ali Wong and actor Steven Yeun made history by winning their respective categories for the series "Beef," becoming the first Asian individuals to achieve this feat.
"Oppenheimer" Dominates
"Oppenheimer" received eight nominations and won five. The film, a biographical account written by director Christopher Nolan, narratesthe life of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the American atomic bomb project. The film was acclaimed for its dramatic portrayal, although it sparked controversy among critics, with some praising it as a masterpiece, while others found it unbearably dull. Many commented on the film's unfair presentation of history, which lacked the voice of the victims.
After director Christopher Nolan accepted the awards for Best Drama Picture and Best Director, Irish actor Cillian Murphy took the stage minutes later to receive the award for Best Actor. He was followed by Robert Downey Jr., who won Best Supporting Actor in Any Motion Picture for his role in the film, and Ludvig Göransson for Best Original Score.
