Several Canadians leave Golden Globes emptyhanded

Canadians competing for Golden Globe awards came up emptyhanded Sunday, as “Oppenheimer” and “Anatomy of a Fall” claimed multiple wins.

Celine Song’s romantic feature “Past Lives” was nominated in five categories, including best motion picture drama, best director and best screenplay.

It lost to “Oppenheimer” for best film drama and director, and “Anatomy of a Fall” for best screenplay and best non-English language film.

The Korean-Canadian filmmaker’s relationship drama is partly based on Song’s own life, and it tells the story of two childhood sweethearts who contemplate the nature of their relationship after living separate lives for 24 years.

London, Ont.-born Ryan Gosling was nominated for his supporting actor role as Ken in the summer hit “Barbie” but lost to “Oppenheimer”’s Robert Downey Jr.

Hamilton’s Martin Short was in the running for best TV actor in a musical or comedy for his turn as true crime podcast host in “Only Murders in the Building” and lost to Jeremy Allen White of “The Bear.”

Meanwhile, Toronto-born musician Robbie Robertson, who died at age 80 last year, was nominated for best original score for his work on “Killers of the Flower Moon” but lost to Ludwig Goransson from “Oppenheimer.”

“All the Light We Cannot See,” directed by Montreal’s Shawn Levy, was also nominated in the best limited, anthology or motion picture for TV category. It lost to “Beef.”

Hosted by comedian Jo Koy, the 81st Golden Globe Awards were the first major broadcast of the awards season.

The Globes has been trying to forge a comeback after its former broadcast partner NBC backed out of the 2022 show due to controversy over a lack of diversity among the nominees and within its own voting body. Industry pressure led to the dissolution of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association last summer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2024.