US: US road movie "Nomadland" made Golden Globes history Sunday as Chloe Zhao became the first female director to win the awards' top prize for best drama with her film about a generation of marginalised Americans roaming the West in vans, which now motors into Oscars pole position.
Zhao also bagged the best director Globe, making her only the second woman to do so in the history of Hollywood's traditional awards season opener, which was a mainly virtual ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"I especially want to thank the nomads who shared their stories with us," said Beijing-born Zhao, 38.
The late Chadwick Boseman won best actor for 1920s blues drama "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," six months after his death from cancer at age 43, in a night of emotional moments interspersed with technical glitches, awkward jokes and a row over the lack of diversity among event organizers.
Semi-fictional film "Nomadland" stars Oscar winner Frances McDormand alongside a rag-tag bunch of non-actors who truly live on the open road, working mostly menial jobs to scrape by off the grid.
The night's most poignant moment came with Boseman's win.
"He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifice," said his widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepting on his behalf.
"He would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice that tells you you can, that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you are meant to be doing at this moment in history," she added. Comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler -- hosting from opposite coasts -- opened the ceremony making fun of the HFPA, which has been under mounting pressure for its lack of diversity.
Despite that controversy, the Globes remain a coveted prize and a high-profile source of momentum in the run-up to the season-crowning Oscars, which were pushed back this year to April 25.
Jodie Foster won best supporting actress for Guantanamo legal drama "The Mauritanian," while Korean-American immigrant family drama "Minari" won the Globe for best foreign language film.
In the television categories, Netflix's take on the British royal family, "The Crown," reigned over the television categories at the Golden Globes on Sunday, winning four prizes including best drama, while "Schitt's Creek" earned another victory lap after its final season. - AFP
