Many Hollywood heavyweights were present in the room, despite the scandals that have tarnished the image of these awards.
The Golden Globes made their big comeback on television on Tuesday and notably rewarded director Steven Spielberg.
The American filmmaker received the Golden Globe for best director for his very intimate "The Fabelmans".
In this feature film largely inspired by his childhood, he portrays a young American Jew who dreams of making films in the 1960s, while his parents watch their couple inexorably fall apart.
An amazing moment for Steven Spielberg!
Congratulations on your WIN for Best Director - Motion Picture for the film @thefabelmans!
🙌
Tune in to the #GoldenGlobes LIVE on NBC and Peacock!
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— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 11, 2023
On stage, the director explained that he “never had the courage to face this story head-on”.
By his own admission, his personal story comes through in fragments in some of his films such as “ET” or “Encounter of the Third Kind”.
But the filmmaker finally waited until he was 75 to truly tell his childhood on screen.
“Nobody really knows who we are until we are brave enough to tell everyone,” insisted Steven Spielberg, whose parents are now deceased and will never see this film.
Shunned by the gratin and deprived of television last year, the Golden Globes tried to turn the page on accusations of racism, sexism and corruption aimed at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which forms their jury and which had no black members in 2021.
After a ceremony without a televised broadcast in 2022, the American network NBC agreed this year to resume broadcasting following a series of reforms to improve the diversity of the HFPA and ban its members from accepting gifts from studios.
Cate Blanchett, absent
Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes split their awards between drama and comedy.
Crowned best actress for her role as a ruthless conductor in "Tar", Cate Blanchett was not present to receive her award.
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Austin Butler was thrilled to take the stage to accept his role as best actor in a dramatic film, after his brilliant incarnation of rock'n'roll legend Elvis Presley in the biopic "Elvis".
"You were an icon and a rebel, and I love you so much," the American actor said, addressing the late singer directly in an emotional speech.
On the comedy side, Irishman Colin Farrell won the best actor award for his role in "The Banshees of Inisherin", a tragicomedy in which he plays an islander disoriented by the abrupt end of his friendship with a longtime friend, who doesn't want to talk to him anymore.
Michelle Yeoh was voted best actress for her portrayal of a laundry owner immersed in parallel universes in “Everything Everywhere All At Once”.
The film also earned Vietnamese actor Ke Huy Quan, who plays her husband, a Best Supporting Actor award.
On the television side, the series "House of the Dragon", "Abbott Elementary" and "The White Lotus" were crowned.
Spikes on diversity
Despite the controversy, many Hollywood heavyweights were present on Tuesday evening: directors James Cameron, nominated for the second part of "Avatar", and Guillermo del Toro, who won the award for best animated film for his "Pinocchio", walked the red carpet.
He joked about the lack of diversity that turned into a drag on the HFPA.
“I'll tell you why I'm here.
I'm here because I'm black," he said, calling himself "the black face of a beleaguered white organization."
"I'm not going to say it's a racist organization, but they didn't have a single black member until George Floyd died.
So do what you want with this information,” he added.
On the other hand, he made fun of the absence of Tom Cruise, who returned his three Golden Globes in 2021 and boycotted the ceremony, despite the nomination of his film “Top Gun: Maverick”.
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In the face of controversy, the producer of "Avatar: the way of the water" defended the return to grace of the Golden Globes.
“I think the HFPA has reacted to the criticisms aimed at it and that it has acted,” Jon Landau told AFP, congratulating the organization for its reforms.
The full list
Best Drama Film: “The Fabelmans”
Best Comedy or Musical: "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Actor in a Drama: Austin Butler in "Elvis"
Best Actress in a Drama: Cate Blanchett in “Tar”
Best Actor in a Comedy: Colin Farrell in "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Actress in a Comedy: Michelle Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best Supporting Actress: Angela Bassett in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Best Director: Steven Spielberg for “The Fabelmans”
Best Animated Film: “Pinocchio” by Guillermo Del Toro
Best Foreign Language Film: “Argentina, 1985”
Best TV Movie or Mini-Series: “The White Lotus”
Best Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Evan Peters in "Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story"
Best Actress in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Amanda Seyfried in “The Dropout”
Best Drama Series: “House of the Dragon”
Best Actor in a Drama Series: Kevin Costner in “Yellowstone”
Best Actress in a Drama Series: Zendaya in “Euphoria”
Best Comedy Series: “Abbott Elementary”
Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Allen White in "The Bear"
Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Quinta Brunson in “Abbott Elementary”