(Los Angeles) Belfast and West Side Story are among the favorites of the 79e Golden Globes, whose ceremony, largely revised downwards, will see the winners revealed on Twitter on Sunday, without television broadcasting or red carpet, when the institution faces a boycott of Hollywood.
Usually run by all the gratin of the entertainment industry, the Golden Globes, which opens the film awards season, have been deserted this year by Hollywood stars who criticize their lack of diversity and transparency.
The NBC television channel has anyway given up broadcasting the ceremony and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is the jury for these awards, will announce, without stars or glitter, the winners on social networks. from 6 p.m. (2 a.m. GMT Monday).
“This year the Golden Globes are not going to be like any Golden Globes we have seen so far,” commented Marc Malkin, Culture and Events Editor at the trade publication. Variety. “And really, we’re not going to see much.”
Officially, the organizers invoked the pandemic.
But, according to Malkin, “the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has tried to bring in celebrities to announce this year’s Golden Globe winners.” “And no celebrity – none – said yes. ”
Belfast, inspired by the Northern Irish childhood of Kenneth Branagh, and The Power of the Dog, dark western signed by New Zealander Jane Campion, lead with seven nominations each.
The Power of the Dog, which questions male stereotypes in 1920s Montana with Benedict Cumberbatch as a toxic cowboy, could become the second feature film directed by a woman to win the flagship category of “best dramatic film”.
The remake of West Side Story by Steven Spielberg, who flopped at the box office but was critically acclaimed, is up for grabs in the comedies, musical and otherwise category.
It is in competition with Don’t look up, comic satire with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as obscure astronomers trying in vain to alert divided American public opinion to the arrival of a comet that threatens to destroy all life on Earth.
On the television side, the series Succession, a black and creaking work that features a powerful New York family tearing itself apart to take control of a media empire, favorite share with five nominations.
Silence
But the race for the Golden Globes, considered almost as prestigious as the Oscars, is clouded by the many accusations against the HFPA.
The group, made up of around 100 people with links to foreign publications, has long been privately accused in Hollywood circles of a series of failings, ranging from corruption to racism.
The newspaper Los Angeles Times has thus shown that the association did not count any black person among its members, opening the valve of reproaches last year. Tom Cruise returned his awards in a gesture of protest.
Since the outbreak of the scandal, the association has hastened to launch reforms, in particular to diversify its members.
It also prohibited them from accepting luxury gifts or stays in hotels from studios wooing them for their votes.
It remains to be seen whether these changes will be enough to convince Hollywood stars and broadcasters to give the Golden Globes a comeback.
This year one thing is certain, hardly any actor or studios made public mention of his nomination, and many laureates are also expected to remain silent when their victory is announced on Sunday.
“Even if some are declared the winners, no one will publish a press release to say how happy he is to have been distinguished by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” said Marc Malkin.
“If you’re a studio hoping to get a Golden Globe win, and you get your Golden Globes and don’t celebrate, does that really matter? He points out.