Awards Season 2024: Golden Globes Winners

Last night (Sunday 7th January 2024), the winners of the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, for both television and film. were announced, in a ceremony hosted by comedian Jo Koy (Haunted Mansion, Don't Make Him Angry, The Monkey King). It was broadcast on CBS in the US, after the group ended a longstanding relationship with broadcaster NBC. 

This is the first ceremony since Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries took control of the Golden Globes, following the disbanding of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) in June 2023. A group of voters consisting of 300 journalists representing 76 countries selected the nominees and eventual winners. 

Here is the full list of film winners.

Best Motion Picture (Drama): Oppenheimer

Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy): Poor Things

Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

Best Actor (Drama): Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

Best Actor (Comedy or Musical): Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)

Best Actress (Drama): Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

Best Actress (Comedy or Musical): Emma Stone (Poor Things)

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Best Screenplay: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari (Anatomy Of A Fall)

Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson (Oppenheimer)

Best Original Song: "What Was I Made For?" (Barbie)

Best Foreign Language Film: Anatomy Of A Fall

Best Animated Feature Film: The Boy And The Heron

Cinematic And Box Office Achievement: Barbie


Oppenheimer was the runaway winner of the evening, picking up five awards (having been nominated for eight), with French courtroom drama Anatomy Of A Fall, Barbie, Alexander Payne's The Holdovers, and Poor Things tying with two awards apiece. 

Despite multiple nominations, Past Lives, Maestro. May December, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Zone Of Interest went away emptyhanded. 

Lily Gladstone made history as the first Indigenous actor to win a Golden Globe, taking home the Best Actress (Drama) award for Killers Of The Flower Moon (the film's only award, despite being nominated for seven); she is of Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage, and spoke Blackfeet at the start of her powerful acceptance speech.

The "Cinematic And Box Office Achievement" award is for films that grossed at least $100 million domestically and $150 million worldwide, hence its rather eclectic nominations list (with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Oppenheimer, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour all included along with the eventual winner, Barbie). Does smack a little bit of the Oscars' botched attempt for a "Most Popular Film" category, but it seems they've at least given it a bit more thought. 

But perhaps they should have given a bit more thought to their choice of host. Jo Koy's opening monologue has been variously described by other media outlets as "cringeworthy", "painful", "unfunny", "awkward", and "distasteful". I watched some of it online and decided that there were better things I could be doing with my time, like alphabetising my spice rack. Koy's stand-up specials are well thought of; however, I don't think many people will be going to seek them out if this hosting gig is their first exposure to him. 

No lifetime achievement awards this time round (so no Cecil B. DeMille or Carol Burnett Awards) but they may be reinstated in coming years. Fair enough. 

Congratulations to all winners!

Coming up for awards season, Wednesday (10th January) sees the announcement of this years' Director's Guild Awards.