The annual film awards season has now officially started, with Tuesday's Golden Globes starting the run up to Hollywood's Academy Awards (aka the Oscars) on 12 March 2023.
In between, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards take place on 19 February. Also, other major festivals hold awards, including the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, USA (19-29 January 2023), the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany from 16 - 26 February 2023 (at which the Golden Bear is awarded to the Best Film), the Cannes International Film Festival in France from 16-27 May 2023 (at which the Palme D’Or is awarded, amongst others), and the European Film Awards held each December.
In Luxembourg, the Film Akademie awards the Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis every second year, with the next awards scheduled for later this year, in autumn 2023.
The first of these, the Golden Globes, are awarded each year in January by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which came under fire last year for its lack of diversity / inclusivity. Despite a number of black winners in the past (Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Chadwick Boseman, Will Smith), the association was found (in 2021) to have no black members, prompting boycotts and even some previous winners returning their awards. This year, the association confirmed a number of black members, with stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael as MC for this year's awards; while some in the film business stayed away from the ceremony, many decided to attend. The association had also been criticised for its members receiving substantial gifts, perceived by many as bribes in return for favourable recognition and improving certain films' chances of picking up awards.
Business as Usual?
While some would argue that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Golden Globes have still some way to go (regarding diversity/inclusivity), others were looking forward to find out who had won in the different categories, in the lead-up to the Oscars, the most coveted of them all.
Going into the awards season, some of the top films have included Avatar: The Way of Water (James Caremon's long-awaited sequel), The Fabelmans (by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on his early years), Corsage (starring Luxembourg's Vicky Krieps), The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh reunites with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson following the dark comedy In Bruges), Top Gun: Maverick (another long-awaited sequel, featuring Tom Cruise), Elvis (by Baz Luhrmann) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (and adventure comedy featuring Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis).
Traditionally, the "Big Five" awards are those for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay.
Golden Globes 2023 Winners (excluding TV Awards)
- Best Picture, Drama: The Fabelmans
- Best Actress, Drama: Cate Blanchett, Tár
- Best Actor, Drama: Austin Butler, Elvis
- Best Picture, Musical or Comedy: The Banshees of Inisherin
- Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
- Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Best Supporting Actress: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Best Director: Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
- Best Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
- Best Original Score: Justin Hurwitz, Babylon
- Best Original Song: “Naatu Naatu,” RRR
- Best Animated Feature: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
- Best Non-English-Language Film: Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Luxembourg interest
While not winning at the Golden Globes, the Austria - Luxembourg - Germany - France co-production "Corsage" has picked up a number of awards, including:
- Vicky Krieps (actress, from Luxembourg): Un Certain Regard - Best Performance at the Cannes Film Festival 2022
- Vicky Krieps: Best Performance (Silver Hugo) at the Chicago International Film Festival 2022
- Vicky Krieps: European Actress at the European Film Awards 2022
- Vicky Krieps: Montclair Film Festival 2022
- Vicky Krieps: Best Actress (Heart of Sarajevo) at the Sarajevo Film Festival 2022
- Marie Kreutzer (director): Acting (Narrative Feature Competition - Special Jury Prize) Best Film (Official Competition) at the London Film Festival 2022
- Marie Kreutzer: RTVE-Otra Mirada Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival 2022
The Oscars
For the Oscars, Luxembourg has two films short-listed, the first being Corsage (International Feature Film category) and The Red Suitcase directed by Cyrus Neshvad (Live Action Short Film category). The formal nominations (cut from the short-lists) are set to be announced on Tuesday 24 January 2023.
