Golden Globes: Kenneth Branagh's Belfast and Ruth Negga lead strong Irish nomination list
(left to right) Sir Kenneth Branagh, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill and Caitriona Balfe arrive for the European premiere of 'Belfast', at the Royal Festival Hall in London during the BFI London Film Festival. Picture date: Tuesday October 12, 2021.
Stars of Kenneth Branagh's Belfast - Jamie Dornan, Ciaran Hinds and Caitriona Balfe - and Passing's Ruth Negga are among the Irish actors in the running for Golden Globe awards, as the organising body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), announced the contenders following a year of controversy and criticism.
The 2022 awards ceremony will not be broadcast on television after US network NBC dropped the show following a backlash over the organisation’s lack of diversity, prompting the HFPA to admit a raft of new members, overhaul their bylaws and implement changes addressing ethics and inclusion.
The winners of the prizes will still be announced next year, but without the usual star-studded, red carpet event.
Nominees for Best Director, Motion Picture:
— Golden Globes (@goldenglobes) December 13, 2021
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story, @westsidemovie
Denis Villeneuve, Dune, @dunemovie
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog, @TPOTD
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast, @BelfastMovie
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter, @thelostdaughter
Branagh is nominated in the best director category for his autobiographical film, Belfast, about his childhood in Northern Ireland, while the film’s supporting stars Jamie Dornan, Ciaran Hinds and Caitriona Balfe are also recognised.
Limerick actress Ruth Negga has also been nominated for Passing.
Elsewhere, Benedict Cumberbatch is in the running for the best actor in a drama prize for his role in Jane Campion’s film, The Power Of The Dog. He is nominated alongside: Mahershala Ali for Swan Song; Will Smith for King Richard; Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth and Javier Bardem for Being The Ricardos.
Olivia Colman is nominated for her role in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, alongside other best actress in a drama contenders: Kristen Stewart, for Spencer; Jessica Chastain, for The Eyes of Tammy Faye; Lady Gaga for House of Gucci and Nicole Kidman for Being The Ricardos.
Other stars getting nods include Andrew Garfield for Tick, Tick… Boom.
Stars are also acknowledged in the television categories, including plaudits for Kate Winslet for her acclaimed turn in Mare Of Easttown; Cynthia Erivo, for her work as Aretha Franklin on limited series Genius; Paul Bettany for Marvel series WandaVision, Ewan McGregor for Halston; Nicholas Hoult for The Great and Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein.
Earlier this year, the HFPA was heavily criticised after it emerged it had no black members.
Its ethics were also called into question over alleged shady practices including accepting inappropriate “freebies” following an investigation by the Los Angeles Times.
NBC, which pays millions of dollars to broadcast the ceremony each year, said it would not do so in 2022.
HFPA president, Helen Hoehne, admitted it has been a “year of change and reflection” as she introduced the nominations for the 2022 ceremony, adding; “For eight months we have worked tirelessly as an organisation to be better.”
The winners will be announced on January 9.
