The Golden Globes (Film Category) Nominations 2025.

The starter’s gun for the 2025 Awards season

So, the Golden Globes have not traditionally been a hallmark for Truth Justice and the American Way. However, they have now claimed to have cleaned up their act and if nothing else the nominations, just announced, give us a glimpse into what Academy voters might be thinking about. The Golden Globes will be announced on January 6th and (at least for US viewers) will be available to view on CBS and Paramount+.

The following are the nominees in the motion picture category. As always, there are some of these we are yet to see released in the UK, marked with an asterisk. Films I have seen have the link to the review included (“Moana 2” seen but yet to be written up).

Best Motion Picture – Drama

• The Brutalist*
• A Complete Unknown*
• Conclave
• Dune: Part Two
• Nickel Boys*
• September 5*

Delighted to see Nickel Boys (which I saw at the LFF) get recognition: that comes out in the UK on January 2nd and is a “must see”. Would be a toss up between Conclave and Nickel Boys for me at the moment.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Angelina Jolie, Maria*
• Nicole Kidman, Babygirl*
• Tilda Swinton, The Room Next Door
• Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here*
• Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl*
• Kate Winslet, Lee*

Pamela Anderson? Best actress? Two phrases that feel odd together, but makes me curious to see the film now.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Adrien Brody, The Brutalist*
• Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown*
• Daniel Craig, Queer
• Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
• Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
• Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Tough category between Craig, Fiennes and Stan but I hear the others are excellent too. My vote would currently go with Fiennes.

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Anora
• Challengers
• Emilia Pérez
• A Real Pain*
• The Substance
• Wicked Part 1

Anora? Challengers? The Substance? A musical or a comedy? I don’t think so! Loved “A Real Pain” but for me I’d have to give it to “The Substance” for a sheer audacity of it.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Amy Adams, Nightbitch
• Cynthia Erivo, Wicked Part 1
• Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
• Mikey Madison, Anora
• Demi Moore, The Substance
• Zendaya, Challengers

Six terrific performances… a very tough category. Really difficult to call, but I could see Cynthia Erivo as being in with a shout.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain*
• Hugh Grant, Heretic
• Gabrielle LaBelle, Saturday Night*
• Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness
• Glen Powell, Hit Man
• Sebastian Stan, A Different Man

How wonderful that Hugh Grant is nominated for Heretic! Would be great if he won! The only one I would quibble with in this list Glen Powell for “Hit Man”. I’m sure his awards day will come… but not for this one.

Best Motion Picture – Animated

• Flow*
• Inside Out 2
• Memoir of a Snail*
• Moana 2
• Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl*
• The Wild Robot

Wow – a tough call. I’d say that this might be a tussle betwen “The Wild Robot” (which has a lot of fans) and “Memoir of a Snail” (which most haven’t seen yet).

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language

• All We Imagine as Light – India
• Emilia Pérez – France
• The Girl With the Needle – Denmark
• I’m Still Here – Brazil
• The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Germany
• Vermiglio – Italy

I’m afraid I’m pretty unsighted on this category.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Motion Picture

• Ariana Grande, Wicked Part 1
• Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
• Felicity Jones, The Brutalist*
• Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez
• Margaret Qualley, The Substance
• Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

I think Ariane Grande stands a good chance of getting this one.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Motion Picture

• Denzel Washington, Gladiator II
• Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain*
• Guy Pearce, The Brutalist*
• Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
• Yura Borisov, Anora
• Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown*

Strong was just brilliant in “The Apprentice”, but my money all day long will be on Denzel Washington who was just perfection.

Best Director – Motion Picture

• Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
• Sean Baker, Anora
• Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
• Edward Berger, Conclave
• Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
• Payal Kapadia, All We Imagine as Light

I’d go with Edward Berger for this, without having seen the other two.

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

• Anora
• The Brutalist
• Conclave
• Emilia Pérez
• A Real Pain
• The Substance

“A Real Pain” was a really clever little script, but again I think I’ll be backing “Conclave” for this one.

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

• The Brutalist
• Challengers
• Conclave
• Dune: Part Two
• Emilia Pérez
• The Wild Robot

Although I found the score rather intrusive to the film, I think this might go to Volker Bertelmann for “Conclave”. Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor might also be well placed with “Challengers”

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

• The Last Showgirl – “Beautiful That Way”
• Challengers – “Compress/Repress”
• Emilia Pérez – “El Mal”
• Better Man – “Forbidden Road”*
• The Wild Robot – “Kiss the Sky”
• Emilia Pérez – “Mi Camino”

A bit surprised that “Beyond” from “Moana 2” didn’t make this cut.