Local TV has decided against showing the Academy Awards, a regular fixture on Hong Kong screens since 1969. Content concerns mean Hollywood's top awards may also not be seen on mainland China.
This year's Oscar Awards ceremony won't be aired in Hong Kong for the first time since 1969Image: picture alliance/dpa/R. Hirschberger
Advertisement
Hollywood's top awards ceremony had been broadcast in Hong Kong for over 50 years by free-to-air TVB on its English language channel. But this year, no channel will carry the show.
As Beijing cracks down further on artistic expression, doubts remain over whether the Oscars will air in mainland China either.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, which has previously shown the awards, has yet to confirm if it will carry this year's event.
Chinese-born film director, Chloe Zhao's feature film "Nomadland" is favored to win big at this year's Oscars; past remarks of hers have upset Chinese censorsImage: Peter Kramer/NBC/Zumapress/picture alliance
Why not show the Oscars?
Nominally, TVB said that its decision was a "purely commercial" one. But the decision not to broadcast the awards ceremony comes after Bloomberg News reported earlier this month that China's Communist Party propaganda department has ordered its state-controlled media to play down the awards and not show the ceremony live.
English language Hong Kong newspaper The Standard suggested that previously made comments critical of mainland China by Chloe Zhao, the Beijing-born American director of the Oscar-nominated film "Nomadland,'' could have prompted the move.
The nomination of a short documentary about the 2019 protests in Hong Kong "Do Not Split" may also have concerned Chinese authorities.
After nearly a year without movie theaters, productions for streaming services dominated the Golden Globes. However, the awards for best drama and best director went to a classic production.
Image: NBC/AP/picture alliance
A digital event
So near and yet so far: Comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the 78th Golden Globes from across the US. Fey was in front of the camera in New York, while Poehler co-hosted from Los Angeles. All award winners were digitally connected from their living rooms or hotels.
Image: NBC/AP/picture alliance
Best drama film
"Nomadland," starring Oscar-winner Frances McDormand, won the award for best drama. The film is a modern road trip story, exploring the lives of modern nomads living out of RVs and vans in the US. It's one of the few movies that was made for the theaters. Its director, Chloe Zhao, became the first woman of Asian descent to win best director.
The top comedy film winner was the Amazon production "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm." In it, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen slipped into the role of Kazakh journalist Borat for the second time, holding a mirror to US society. In addition to the award for best comedy, Cohen also won best actor in a comedy.
Image: Everett Collection/picture alliance
Best film director
Director Chloe Zhao received the Golden Globes award for the best film director category for her work on "Nomadland." In doing so, she became only the second woman to win a Golden Globe in this category, 37 years after the award went to Barbra Streisand for "Yentl." Zhao's film had won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival in 2020.
Is there still room in the trophy case of Emmy and Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Aaron Sorkin? Sorkin (left) won the Golden Globe for best screenplay for the film "The Trial of the Chicago 7," about a lawsuit against pacifists who demonstrated against the Vietnam War in 1968. In it, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (right) plays a serious role, and was also rewarded with a nomination.
Image: Niko Tavernise/Everett Collection/picture alliance
Best actress in a drama film
In a sense, soul singer Andra Day (center) had already won big: She was discovered by Stevie Wonder and has received Grammy nominations for her music. In 2017, she covered a song by jazz legend Billie Holiday, making her the perfect choice to embody the legendary singer in the biopic "The United States vs. Billie Holiday." She won the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama.
The award for Best Actor in a drama film provided one of the evening's most touching moments: Taylor Simone Ledward (right) accepted the award on behalf of her late-husband Chadwick Boseman, who died of cancer last year at age 43. Boseman played the role of Levee Green, a trumpeter in blues singer in "Ma" Rainey's band, in the Netflix jazz drama "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."
In the dark comedy "I Care a Lot," Rosamund Pike (left) plays Marla Grayson, a court-appointed guardian who preys on wealthy seniors and has built up a network of doctors and nursing homes that help her — until she meets her match. Pike won her first Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy.
As in the directing and screenplay categories, the awards for best supporting roles are not divided into drama and comedy. For her portrayal of lawyer Nancy Hollander in "The Mauritanian," Jodie Foster was honored with a Golden Globe. The film is based on the Guantanamo diary of long-time prisoner Mohamedou Ould Slahi. The young German star Helena Zengel went away empty-handed.
With the surprise success of the 2018 "Get Out," Daniel Kaluuya became a familiar name in Hollywood. For his role as civil rights activist and Black Panther member Fred Hampton in "Judas and the Black Messiah," Kaluuya received the award for best supporting actor. Hampton was shot by police officers in his sleep in 1969.
The film "Minari," directed by Lee Isaac Chung, tells the story of a Korean family trying to start a new life farming in rural Arkansas in the 1980s. The film is based on Chung's own childhood, and won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film, although it is a US production.
Image: Christopher Polk/NBC/Zumapress/picture alliance
Best animated film
The Disney production "Soul" won the award for best animated film. It tells the story of a musician whose soul becomes detached from his body. It is the first film by animation company Pixar to feature an African-American protagonist; Jamie Foxx voices the lead role of jazz pianist Joe Gardner. The film also won a Golden Globe for best film score.
Image: Imago Images/Prod.DB
Best limited series
Netflix productions garnered a whopping 42 nominations this year. One of the winners was the series "The Queen's Gambit," which won best limited series. It tells the story of ambitious chess genius Beth Harmon, who aims to become chess world champion in the male-dominated sport in the 1950s. Lead actress Anya-Taylor Joy also received the award for best actress in a limited series.
Image: Phil Bray/Netflix/Everett Collection/picture alliance
Best TV drama
One of the big winners of the evening was Netflix series "The Crown," a historical fiction based on the lives of the British royal family. In addition to taking home the award for best TV drama, Emma Corrin won best actress in a TV drama series for her role as Lady Di — beating out castmate Olivia Colman, who plays Queen Elizabeth II. Josh O'Connor, who plays Prince Charles, also won best actor.
Image: Des Willie/Netflix/picture alliance
Best TV comedy
At the 2020 Emmy Awards, the comedy series "Schitt's Creek" won prizes in all major categories. Now series creator Eugene Levy (right) can also add a Golden Globe to his shelf. The series tells the story of a wealthy family who lose their fortune and move to the small town of Schitt's Creek.
Image: Cinema Publishers Collection/imago images
An award for her life's work
The Cecil B. DeMille Award is an honorary Golden Globe presented by the association for lifetime achievement. This year it went to actress and Oscar winner Jane Fonda, whose speech underscored the lack of diversity and inclusion in Hollywood. This came in light of the revelation that the Golden Globes awarding body had no Black members.
Searches for the film's title were blocked on the Chinese internet, which is heavily censored. Content deemed politically sensitive by the government is routinely filtered and scrubbed.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards, which presents the awards, had no comment.
Advertisement
Is Beijing restricting Hong Kong's art scene?
Though semi-autonomous Hong Kong retains greater cultural freedoms than mainland China, that is quickly changing.
In the last few weeks, cinemas have pulled a protest documentary, a university canceled a press photography exhibition and a yet-to-open contemporary art museum has said it will allow security officials to vet its collection.
Earlier this month, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said authorities were on "full alert'' to ensure that exhibitions in the city did not violate the new rules.
mb/msh (AP, AFP)
A previous version of this article stated that the Oscars will not be shown in Hong Kong for the first time in more than 60 years. It will be the first time in more than 50 years. We apologize for the error.
