10/12/2015 - The UK-US co-production by Todd Haynes has earned five nods – Son of Saul, Mustang, The Brand New Testament and The Fencer are vying in the Best Foreign-language Film category

The awards season is kicking off on the other side of the Atlantic, and one of the most important events will be the 73^rd Golden Globe Awards, on 10 January next year. Handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the nominations for the awards have this year shone the spotlight on a few titles co-produced by European countries, in addition to the Best Foreign-language Film category.

Leading the overall nominations is Carol [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the melodrama by Todd Haynes (co-produced by UK outfits Number 9 Films and Film4) that has made waves among the critics since its Cannes bow, with its delightfully precious depiction of a love story between two women in 1950s New York. The film has earned five nods, including Best Drama, Best Director, Best Original Score for Carter Burwell and Best Actress Drama for both leads, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara – already the winner of Cannes’ Best Actress Award herself. 

Two other UK-US co-productions come next: Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] and Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl [+see also:
film review
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interview: Paco Delgado
film profile], with four and three nods, respectively. The two biopics, which are very different from one another, have been taken into account for their achievements in acting, writing and music – the portrait of Steve Jobs sees Michael Fassbender vying for Best Actor Drama, Kate Winslet for Best Supporting Actress, Aaron Sorkin for Best Screenplay and Daniel Pemberton for Best Music, while that of transgender artist Lili Elbe is singled out for the work of Eddie Redmayne in the Best Actor Drama category, Alicia Vikander in Best Actress Drama and Alexandre Desplat in Best Music. On a par, with three nominations, we find Lenny Abrahamson’s acclaimed, Toronto-awarded Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile], an Irish-Canadian co-production, which is vying for Best Drama, Best Actress Drama for Brie Larson and Best Screenplay for Emma Donoghue. Also from the British Isles hail three other European films: John Crowley's Irish-British-Canadian co-production Brooklyn [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (with a nod for Saoirse Ronan in Best Actress Drama), Alex Garland's Ex Machina [+see also:
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making of
film profile] (with another nod for Alicia Vikander, this time in Best Supporting Actress) and Nicholas Hytner’s UK-US co-production The Lady in the Van [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (with a nomination for Maggie Smith in Best Actress Comedy or Musical). Lastly, Shaun the Sheep [+see also:
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making of
film profile] by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton is duking it out for Best Animation Film.

In the Best Foreign-language Film category, it is virtually an all-European affair. László Nemes’ ferocious, overwhelming Son of Saul [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: László Nemes
interview: László Rajk
film profile] (Hungary), Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s beautiful tale Mustang [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
film profile] (France-Turkey-Germany), Jaco van Dormael’s surrealistic comedy The Brand New Testament [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaco van Dormael
film profile] (Belgium-France-Luxembourg) and, surprisingly, Klaus Härö’s The Fencer [+see also:
trailer
interview: Ivo Felt
film profile] (Finland-Estonia-Germany), will battle it out against Chilean title The Club for the statuette.

While not featuring in the main categories, it is also worth noting the presence of Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
film profile], which has managed to get a nod for Jane Fonda’s head-turning performance in Best Supporting Actress and the theme Simple Song No 3, by David Lang, in Best Original Song. Sam Smith’s Writing’s on the Wall, the main theme tune to Spectre [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile], is also nominated, as is Ennio Morricone’s work on the soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.

Here is the full list of nominees: 

Best Film - Drama
Carol [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile]
Spotlight

Best Film - Comedy/Musical
The Big Short
Joy
The Martian
Spy
Trainwreck 

Best Director
Todd Haynes - Carol
Alejandro González Iñárritu - The Revenant
Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
George Miller - Mad Max Fury Road
Ridley Scott - The Martian

Best Actor - Drama
Bryan Cranston - Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile]
Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paco Delgado
film profile]
Will Smith - Concussion

Best Actress - Drama
Cate Blanchett - Carol
Brie Larson - Room
Rooney Mara - Carol
Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl

Best Actor - Comedy/Musical
Christian Bale - The Big Short
Steve Carell - The Big Short
Matt Damon - The Martian
Al Pacino - Danny Collins
Mark Ruffalo - Infinitely Polar Bear

Best Actress - Comedy/Musical
Jennifer Lawrence - Joy
Melissa McCarthy - Spy
Amy Schumer - Trainwreck
Maggie Smith - The Lady in the Van [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
Lily Tomlin - Grandma

Best Supporting Actor
Paul Dano - Love & Mercy
Idris Elba - Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon - 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Best Supporting Actress
Jane Fonda - Youth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
film profile]
Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
Helen Mirren - Trumbo
Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile]
Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs

Best Screenplay
Adam McKay & Charles Randolph – The Big Short
Quentin Tarantino - The Hateful Eight
Emma Donoghue - Room
Thomas McCarthy - Spotlight
Aaron Sorkin - Steve Jobs

Best Foreign-language Film
The Brand New Testament [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaco van Dormael
film profile]
The Club
The Fencer [+see also:
trailer
interview: Ivo Felt
film profile]
Mustang [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
film profile]
Son of Saul [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: László Nemes
interview: László Rajk
film profile]

Best Animated Feature
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out
The Peanuts Movie
Shaun the Sheep [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile]

Best Original Song
Love Me Like You Do - 50 Shades Of Grey
One Kind of Love - Love & Mercy
See You Again - Furious 7
Simple Song No 3 - Youth
Writing’s on the Wall - Spectre [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile]

Best Original Score
Carter Burwell - Carol
Alexandre Desplat - The Danish Girl
Ennio Morricone - The Hateful Eight
Daniel Pemberton - Steve Jobs
Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto - The Revenant