There is no doubt that 2021 was a full-blown annus horribilis for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and its Golden Globes. The numerous criticisms of the lack of diversity and the malpractice of the organization extended beyond the union to find a speaker in some great stars; determining factor for the cancellation of the broadcast of the ceremony on NBC.
A year later it seems that things have diluted enough — time, they say, heals everything — for the 2023 Golden Globes to be broadcast with apparent normality on January 10; but this is not to say that the dynamics have changed drasticallyand to realize it we only have to take a quick look at the nominations in the category of best direction.
the golden globe to the best direction to the best director
After the mirages of 2021 and 2022, in which Emerald Fennell, Regina King, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Chloe Zhao and Jane Campion were candidates to win the award – with the last two winning for ‘Nomadland’ and ‘The power of the dog’ —, In the imminent edition there will not be a single filmmaker with an option for the precious award.
This fact is especially shocking if we take into account the good functioning and the space in the conversation during the awards season of productions directed by women such as Gina Prince Bythewood —’The King Woman’—, Sarah Polley -‘They speak’-, Maria Schrader —’Uncovered’— or Chinonye Chukwu “‘Till, the crime that changed everything’.”
Without abandoning the award for best director, as far as the racial issue is concerned, we are given one of lime and one of sand with an absolute predominance of white filmmakers. Nevertheless, between Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Baz Luhrmann and Martin McDonagh the Daniels have slippedthe duo responsible for ‘Everything at once everywhere’ made up of Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan.
With his candidacy, Kwan has become the fifth director of Asian descent in the history of the Golden Globes to compete for the statuette; an achievement worthy of celebration that fails to disguise the return to the past of an HFPA for which the saying “renew or die” seems to be more valid than ever.