Mired in a stubborn controversy and in the grip of a boycott of the entertainment industry, the organizers of the Golden Globes have decided to maintain their awards ceremony scheduled for Sunday, January 9, but it will not have an audience or television broadcast.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is the jury for these awards, has been the target for months of accusations of racism, sexism, harassment and corruption. The Golden Globes gala evening traditionally opened the film awards season and was catered for by Hollywood greats. But this year, the stars are absent subscribers and the NBC television channel has given up broadcasting the ceremony.
This will not prevent the HFPA from proceeding as if nothing had happened with the presentation of its awards, Sunday in the usual Beverly Hills Hotel, to highlight “Philanthropic works” from the Association. “Over the past 25 years, the HFPA has donated over $ 50 million” to various charities, underline the organizers in a press release. No audience is planned for this 79e edition of the Golden Globes, adds the association, citing the health situation and the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Belfast by Kenneth Branagh and The Power of the Dog by Jane Campion topped the nominations this year.
Tom Cruise returned his trophies
The future of Golden Globes appears uncertain. More than a hundred publicists wrote to the HFPA last March asking it to end the “Discriminatory and unprofessional behavior, ethical breaches and accusations of corruption”.
Amid the scandal, the organization quickly announced a series of reforms, including an unprecedented recruitment of new members to improve the representation of minorities within it. But critics, like those of stars Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo, have publicly denounced the reforms deemed insufficient, while Tom Cruise returned the organization to its three Golden Globes in protest.
Major studios like Warner Bros, Netflix and Amazon have made it known that they will no longer work with the HFPA until significant changes are implemented.