The 77th Golden Globe Awards took place on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2019 and ended up with many unexpected upsets that took viewers by surprise.
Most notably, Netflix, who was leading over all other networks/platforms with 34 nominations, only came home with two awards—Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Laura Dern in “Marriage Story” and Best Actress in a Television Drama for Olivia Colman in “The Crown.”
But with Hulu and Amazon Prime only taking home two awards each as well, and Apple TV Plus not winning anything, one has to wonder if the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)—or even just Hollywood in general—is still hesitant to accept these platforms as legitimate hosts for outstanding works of film and television. They are more than just passing fads trying to encroach on the territory of traditional media, but they are not being treated as such.
Sam Mendes, director of the movie “1917” that won for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director, also took a jab at Netflix and other streaming platforms by stating in his speech, “I hope this means that people will turn up and see this [movie] on the big screen, the way it was intended.”
“1917” winning Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director also caused upset because at the time of the awards show, it hadn’t even released in theatres and the public had yet to be given a chance to form their own opinion of the movie. This makes Mendes’ statement particularly unfair, as it seems he was saying even a movie not yet released in theatres to the public is somehow more deserving of the award than a movie on a streaming platform, like Netflix’s “The Irishman” which was the favorite to win for Best Picture (Drama).
While movies like Netflix’s “The Irishman” or “Marriage Story” aren’t necessarily groundbreaking from a representational perspective, there are other works on streaming platforms that tell stories that push boundaries, and give voice to the voiceless. “Unbelievable,” a Netflix show based on a true story of a rape victim who was coerced into saying she lied about her statement by the police, was nominated for four awards and didn’t win any of them, and the amazing “When They See Us” about the Central Park Five didn’t receive any nominations. Streaming platforms are consistently creating representation through movies and television shows that would have a hard time getting a place on a traditional media network or in theatres.
The question also has to be asked whether or not Hollywood is willing to accept any sort of change in general. “Parasite,” the South Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho, was also up for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director, and was a favorite to win for the latter. In fact, “Parasite” has won the most awards of any other movie during this awards season, an unprecedented feat for a film almost entirely in Korean.
Yet the HFPA was content with awarding it Best Foreign Language Film and giving Best Director and Best Picture (Drama) to a war movie from a western perspective instead, something that viewers get to see during almost every awards season. “Parasite” is something fresh, new and has captivated audiences and won favor from critics, but the HFPA doesn’t seem to want to stray from the status quo any more than it has to.
While streaming platforms and “Parasite” have gotten recognition from other awards shows, it means nothing if no one knows about it. The Golden Globes are one of the more well-known award shows and are broadcasted on television, so when specific movies or television shows win, they catch the attention of the public and thus draw even more people to them.
The landscape of movies and television is changing yet some in Hollywood seem to refuse to accept it. The old guard is refusing to budge from its principles. Hopefully as the demographics of the HFPA shift and new people are put in place to decide what is and isn’t award-worthy, we will start to see a change from what always seems to happen during the awards season—the giving away of awards to the blandest, least challenging or noteworthy movies and television shows.
