Golden Globes: German film wins, ceremony marked by protest
January 8, 2018
Many women arrived on the red carpet dressed in black to show solidarity with victims of sexual abuse and harassment. In the awards, German director Fatih Akin's "In the Fade" was named best foreign language film.
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Golden Globes 2018: And the award goes to...
An American drama on rape and murder, a story about a woman and a mysterious creature, but also a German crime film dealing with revenge were honored at the 75th Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
A German success: Fatih Akin's 'In the Fade'
When Katja's husband and six-year-old son are killed in a bomb attack by two neo-Nazis, her life collapses. But the woman, portrayed by the German actress Diane Kruger, seeks revenge in Fatih Akin's "In the Fade." The German director received the prize for best motion picture in a foreign language. "This is yours, this is ours," said Akin when he received the award from Kruger.
Image: Reuters/NBC/P. Drinkwater
The winner of the evening: Martin McDonagh
The Irish playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker Martin McDonagh was undoubtedly the winner of the evening, as his film "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" picked up four awards. He wrote, produced and directed the drama and received the awards for best screenplay and best motion picture.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/NBC/P. Drinkwater
Best actress in a drama: Frances McDormand
In "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," Frances McDormand plays Mildred Hayes, a mother whose daughter was raped and murdered. When the police fail to find a suspect, Hayes calls the public's attention to the unsolved crime with billboards. McDormand received the award for best actress and Sam Rockwell (both pictured above) won in the category of best supporting actor.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Morton
Best comedy: 'Lady Bird' by Greta Gerwig
Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes grant two prizes in the best film category: one for best drama and another for best comedy or musical. While "Billboards" dominated the drama category, filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig (third from left) clenched the best musical or comedy award for "Lady Bird," along with main actress Saoirse Ronan (right).
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. J. Brown
Saoirse Ronan's first Golden Globe
Gerwig's film is a coming-of-age tragicomedy in which a young, unconventional woman, portrayed by Saoirse Ronan (above), seeks her way into life. She can't cope with her mother's expectations and learns that her father has recently lost his job and battles depression. Ronan won her first Golden Globe ever for her performance in the movie.
The front-runner of the evening: Guillermo del Toro
Was the Mexican film director really as enthusiastic after the Globes as seen in this picture? With seven nominations, his film "The Shape of Water" was the front-runner of this year's ceremony, but the story of the relationship between Elisa, a mute woman, and a mysterious creature in a classified lab received "only" two awards: for best direction and best original score.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Best actor in a drama: Gary Oldman
British actor Gary Oldman won the Golden Globe in the category best actor in a drama, for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour." The war film follows the early days of the Prime Minister, as Hitler closes in on Britain during World War II.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Best actor in a comedy: James Franco
James Franco won the Golden Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy for his role of the infamous Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau in "The Disaster Artist." Wiseau's film "The Room" (2003) was called "the worst movie ever," but has gained cult following since then.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com/New Line Cinema
The Harvey Weinstein effect continues
Beyond the awards, the campaigns triggered by the Harvey Weinstein case were on everybody's lips during the evening: the #metoo and "Time's Up" movements inspired many speeches during the ceremony and were a ubiquitous element of the gala.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
...and the stars wore black
The many sexual scandals of the last few months had an impact on the red carpet, too, which turned black this year, as many guests of the ceremony chose to wear all-black attires. Their aim was to show solidarity with all victims of sexual harassment.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. J. Brown
Honorary prize for Oprah Winfrey
The famous American entertainer also appeared in black at this year's Golden Globes as she went to accept the Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. Winfrey said in her speech, "For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up!"
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
TV gets Golden Globes too
The Golden Globes do not focus exclusively on the silver screen, but acknowledge great achievements on TV as well, which is another difference between the Globes and the Oscars. This year, the US series "The Handmaid's Tale" was honored with the award for best drama series, and its lead actress Elisabeth Moss also received the award for best actress.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Kirk Douglas receives a standing ovation
When the now 101-year-old Kirk Douglas turned up on stage, it was one of the highlights of the gala. The film veteran took to the stage accompanied by his daughter-in-law, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, to present an award. The audience rose to a standing ovation and celebrated the career of the Hollywood maestro for several minutes.
Image: Reuters/NBC/P. Drinkwater
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The seventy-fifth Golden Globes awards ceremony got underway in Los Angeles on Sunday, the first Hollywood awards show to take place in the post-Harvey Weinstein era.
"For the male nominees in the room tonight, this is the first time in three months it won't be terrifying to hear your name read out loud," said host Seth Meyers at the opening of his monologue.
The entertainment industry has been flooded with sexual misconduct allegations since dozens of women accused former publisher Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse in October 2017.
The post-Weinstein era was on full display ahead of the ceremony as many female attendees arrived dressed in black to show their solidarity with victims of sexual abuse.
"I think that people are aware now of a power imbalance and it's something that leads to abuse," eight-time Globe winner Meryl Streep told E! News. "We feel sort of emboldened in this particular moment to stand together in a thick black line dividing then from now."
Streep was one of hundreds of actresses who on Monday helped start the "Time's Up" initiative that aims to support women across different industries.
Michelle Williams, who was nominated for best actress in "All The Money In The World," arrived alongside Tarana Burke, the founder of the "#MeToo" movement.
"We're here because Tarana started a movement and she planted a seed years ago and it's grown and caught fire. She started the #MeToo movement," Williams said.
Many women used the hashtag following the Weinstein revelations to raise awareness about sexual misconduct by speaking about their own experiences.
'In the Fade' ('Aus dem Nichts') claims best foreign-language film
German-Turkish director Fatih Akin's drama concerns a family with a criminal past and Turkish roots who are the victims of a far-right bomb attack. The authorities wrongly assume a drug-related motive, leaving the surviving victim, Katja, to investigate her husband and son's murder on her own and seek retribution outside the law.
The plot has close parallels to the investigative errors that took place after the series of far-right murders carried out by the National Socialist Underground (NSU) between 2000 and 2007 in Germany. Police assumed organized crime links among migrant communities, only stumbling upon the real culprits by chance after they botched a bank robbery.