The 82nd Golden Globe Awards took place on Sunday 5 January 2025, celebrating excellence in film and television productions of the year 2024. Hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, the first solo female host in the history of the awards, the ceremony unfolded in an atmosphere of heightened viewer interest.
The awards, broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, saw “Emilia Pérez”, a musical about a drug lord who undergoes gender reassignment surgery, and “The Brutalist”, a historical epic about the post-war immigrant experience, take top honours in the film categories.
“Emilia Pérez”, which received a record ten nominations for a musical or comedy film, walked away with four awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The win marks the first time a non-English language film (with some English portions) has won in this category. Not only did “Emilia Pérez” achieve a historic number of nominations, it also made history when Karla Sofía Gascón became the first trans nominee for a Golden Globe in the acting category for a motion picture, in the category of Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
“The Brutalist” won three prizes, including the prestigious award for Best Drama, its director Brady Corbet was named Best Director, and Adrien Brody’s portrayal of László Tóth, a Hungarian Jewish architect, won Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Other victories included “Flow” being named Best Animated Feature Film, becoming the first Latvian film to win in this category, as well as the first remake to win. Fernanda Torres also made history by becoming the first Brazilian actress to win a Golden Globe in an acting category, taking home the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Demi Moore’s win for Best Actress in a Comedy for her role in The Substance marks a career comeback for the 90s box office star. Sebastian Stan won Best Actor in a Comedy for A Different Man and was also nominated for his portrayal of a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice”.
Hiroyuki Sanada was named Best Actor in a TV Drama for his portrayal of an ambitious nobleman in “Shōgun”, while his co-star Anna Sawai won Best Actress in a TV Drama for her role as his character’s trusted translator. Jean Smart won Best Actress in a TV Comedy for her performance in “Hacks”, and Jeremy Allen White was named Best Actor in a TV Comedy for his role as a culinary genius in “The Bear”.
Colin Farrell won Best Actor in a Limited Series for his role as the titular gangster in “The Penguin”, and Jodie Foster was named Best Actress in a Limited Series for her role as a prickly police officer in “True Detective: North Country”. Kieran Culkin picked up the best supporting actor award for his performance in A Real Pain, while Zoe Saldaña was visibly moved as she accepted the best supporting actress award for her performance in “Emilia Pérez”, where she showed off her singing and dancing chops as an idealistic lawyer.
The redesigned Globes included new categories this year, with Ali Wong winning Best Standup Special for “Single Lady” and “Wicked” taking home the award for Best Box Office Achievement.
In this way, the 82nd Golden Globe Awards is one for the history books, highlighting a diverse range of talent and stories, and signalling a continued evolution in Hollywood’s recognition of global narratives and voices.
