Golden Globe nominations announced in year clouded by controversy

The nominees for the 79th annual Golden Globe film awards have been announced, with dramas, The Power of the Dog, and, Belfast, leading the pack in a year marked by controversy and a scaled-down ceremony.

Belfast, set in 1970s Northern Ireland, and director Jane Campion’s western, The Power of the Dog, got seven nods each, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced on Monday.

They were followed by global-warming satire, Don’t Look Up; King Richard, about the father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams; director Steven Spielberg’s new version of the classic musical, West Side Story, and coming-of-age tale, Licorice Pizza, with four nominations each. Netflix movies had a leading 17 nods.

The format of the ceremony, however, remains unclear after broadcaster NBC earlier this year dropped plans to televise the awards dinner in Beverly Hills, California following criticism of the HFPA, the group that votes on them.

At the HFPA, we know our record on transparency and inclusion has not been what it should be. That’s why we’re writing a new script — one that includes ethical accountability, inclusion, diversity, honest governance and transparency. #GoldenGlobes #HFPA pic.twitter.com/pypWS9GEOX

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) December 8, 2021

Critics objected to the HFPA having no Black members and raised longstanding ethical questions about whether close relationships with Hollywood studios influenced the choice of nominees and winners. Actor Tom Cruise returned the three Golden Globe statuettes that he won.

The HFPA has since added 21 new members, six of whom are Black, banned gifts and favours, and implemented diversity and sexual harassment training, it said. The group now has 105 members total.

Jason Nichols, a senior lecturer in the African American Studies Department at the University of Maryland College Park, said industry pressure is what pushed the Golden Globes to try and address the problem.

“We’ll see how it moves forward and how the Golden Globes actually do, but up until this point, it required the industry to come in and correct these issues,” Nichols told Al Jazeera after the nominations were announced. “They made no changes until powerful industry entities like Netflix and Tom Cruise and people with names started saying that this was unacceptable.”

Despite the changes, it is unclear whether any of the actors, directors and musicians nominated for Golden Globes will attend the 2022 ceremony, which had been one of the biggest Hollywood awards shows in the run-up to the Oscars.

Rapper Snoop Dogg was the only celebrity on hand on Monday to announce the nominations for the awards, which will be announced on January 9.

Thanks to @SnoopDogg for helping us announce the 79th annual #GoldenGlobes nominations! pic.twitter.com/xmuYTIhRIS

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) December 13, 2021

Meanwhile, Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos), Will Smith (King Richard), Kristen Stewart (Spencer) and Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth) were among the actors nominated for best drama performances.

The HFPA said it had made its choices this year by watching films in movie theatres, at screenings and on streaming platforms in what it called “a fair and equitable voting process”.

“While the Golden Globes will not be televised in January 2022, we will continue our 78-year tradition,” the HFPA said in an open letter released before Monday’s nominations. “The last eight months have been difficult, but we are proud of the changes we have achieved so far.”