12 Years A Slave, directed by Britain’s Steve McQueen, and starringm Chiwetel Ejiofor is leading the nominations at this year’s Golden Globe Awards.
The movie about a man forced to live as a slave picked up seven nominations, including best film drama. McQueen will go head-to-head for the best director trophy with American Hustle’s David O Russell, whose film also received seven nods.Ejiofor will vie with fellow Brit Idris Elba for best actor in a film drama. Elba was nominated for his role as Nelson Mandela in Long Walk to Freedom. The British pair face stiff competition from Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club, Hollywood royalty Robert Redford in All is Lost and Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips. Ejiofor and Elba are also rivals for the best actor in a TV movie or mini-series category for their respective performances in Dancing on the Edge and Luther. They will be competing against Behind the Candelabra leads Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, and Al Pacino as the eponymous Phil Spector. 12 Years A Slave is joined by Captain Phillips, Gravity, Formula One drama Rush and Philomena in the best film drama category. It also picked up nominations for Ireland’s Michael Fassbender in the best supporting actor category, Lupita Nyong’o for supporting actress, best screenplay and best score. Mafia caper American Hustle is shortlisted in the best film comedy or musical category, alongside Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street.
Nebraska’s Alexander Payne joins Russell on the best director shortlist, alongside Gravity’s Alfonso Cuaron, McQueen and fellow Briton Paul Greengrass for Captain Phillips. American Hustle, about a New Jersey con-man inadvertently caught up with the Mafia, also received nominations in all four acting
categories for a film comedy or musical – echoing Russell’s previous success with last year’s Silver Linings Playbook. Jennifer Lawrence is once again nominated, this time in the best supporting actress category. Rivals include Kenyan actress Nyong’o, Julia Roberts in August: Osage County, Britain’s Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine and June Squibb in Nebraska. Fellow Silver Linings star Bradley Cooper also returns to the awards race for his supporting role in American Hustle alongside Fassbender, German actor Daniel Bruhl for Rush, Dallas Buyers Club’s Jared Leto and Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips. Hustle’s leading lady Amy Adams battles Julie Delphy (Before Midnight), Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha) Julia Dreyfus (Enough Said) and Meryl Streep (August: Osage County) for the title of best actress in a comedy or musical. Her co-star, Britain’s Christian Bale, will take on Her’s Joaquin Phoenix, Nebraska’s Bruce Dern, Inside Llewyn Davis star Oscar Isaac and Wolf of Wall Street’s Leonardo DiCaprio for the title of best actor in a comedy or musical. British women dominate in the best actress in a film drama category, with nominations for Dame Judi Dench in Philomena, Emma Thompson in Saving Mr Banks and Kate Winslet in Labor Day. They vie with two more Oscar winners in the form of Gravity’s Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett – who has long been tipped as this year’s Academy favourite for her role in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine. The award ceremony takes place on 12 January in Los Angeles. – BBC Entertainment
