Eye For Film >> News >> 1917 is surprise Golden Globes winner

1917 is surprise Golden Globes winner

Awkwafina becomes first ever Asian woman to win a Globe

by Jennie Kermode

1917 was named Best Motion Picture - Drama

Guests gathered at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles tonight for the 77th Golden Globes awards ceremony, the biggest event of the season prior to the Oscars.

The first film award of the night went to Parasite, named Best Foreign Language Film. Receiving the award, director Bong Joon Ho urged viewers to try more subtitled films. It's the first time a Golden Globe has ever been awarded to a South Korean film.

It was a night full of surprises. Sam Mendes was an unexpected winner, taking Best Director for war story 1917. Accepting, he paid tribute to fellow contender Martin Scorsese, who looked deeply moved. Mendes clearly never expected the film to win the Best Motion Picture - Drama award as well.

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy winner Awkwafina Photo: Casi Moss

Awkwafina won Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy for The Farewell, a real breakthrough given the rarity of ethnically Asian actresses winning awards in Hollywood, especially as much of the film is in Mandarin. Dedicating the award to her father, she said proudly "I told you I'd get a job!"

The Best Actor award for Drama went to Joaquin Phoenix for Joker, prompting a heavily bleeped-out acceptance speech which was the first of the night to be cut off by the music.

Laura Dern's Best Supporting Actress win for Marriage Story has secured her place as favourite to win in the same category at the Oscars next month.

There was big news for a little film as underdog Missing Link beat contenders with budgets several times the size of its to win Best Motion Picture - Animated.

There were some stunning costumes on the red carpet outside the Beverly Hilton tonight as guests arrived. Knives Out star Ana de Armas stole the show in a a sequinned navy blue dress but Billy Porter wowed the crowd in a white suit with a spectacular feathered train which an attendants helped to carry. Young Roman Griffin, nominated for his starring role in Jojo Rabbit, made an impression in an orange velvet suit and Harriet star Cynthia Erivo looked elegant in classic black with a white trim.

Noah Baumbach spoke on the red carpet about the lack of nominations for female directors this year and said that several of his personal favourite films of the year were directed by women, including his partner Greta Gerwig's Little Women, Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir and Lulu Wang's The Farewell.

The most poignant speech of the night was delivered remotely by Russell Crowe, who couldn't be present to pick up a TV award because he was needed in Australia, where he's trying to protect his home and family from the country's devastating forest fires.

Taron Egerton, who plays Elton John in Rocketman, was joined by the singer himself, who kept it uncharacteristically simple in a black suit with a small rocketship brooch attached to the lapel.

Those film awards in full:-

Best Motion Picture – Drama