Believe it or not, the Golden Globe will have even more influence than usual this year. With the Oscar vote for nominees scheduled for March 5-10, the Globo ceremony on February 28 takes place just five days before Academy members receive their ballots.
The Globes will have more weight because normal industry groups that say everything – like the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild, the American Society of Cinematographers and the BAFTA – will announce their nominations in the middle of the Oscar voting window. And American Cinema Editors, always a strong indicator of the nominees and winners of the best film, will announce their nominees after the end of the voting period on March 11.
Whatever the films and performances, Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. the selections will have an impact on voters at the Academy, as they will not have the ballots in their possession, and the Globes will be the last televised industry event to take place before receiving them. A win in that ceremony for an underdog movie could prompt Oscar voters to check out the screener before making their choices.
Here are my final predictions for the 78th Golden Globe winners. You can see the complete rankings on the individual Golden Globe prediction pages.
Film (Drama) – “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Nomadland” can make history as the first film directed by a woman to win the award for best dramatic film.
Film (comedy or musical) – “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)
It would be the first comedy sequence to win in the category since the animated “Toy Story 2”, and the first film on a streaming platform to win the same.
Film (animated) – “Soul” (Pixar)
Disney Plus will celebrate its first victory on the Globe.
Film (Foreign Language) – “Another Round” (Denmark)
It would be Denmark’s fourth victory, after “Ordet” (1955), “Pelle the Conqueror” (1987) and “In a Better World” (2010).
Actor (Drama) – Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix)
The late actor would be the second posthumous winner as a lead actor in a drama after Peter Finch for “Network” (1976).
Actor (comedy or musical) – Sacha Baron Cohen, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)
Cohen would be the first actor to win for a sequel, playing the same character.
Actress (Drama) – Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman” (Resources in Focus)
Mulligan would be the first British actress to win this award since Kate Winslet for “Revolutionary Road” (2008).
Actress (Comedy or Musical) – Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)
She would be the third person to win the award for a debut performance after Barbra Streisand in “Funny Girl” (1968) and Julie Andrews in “Mary Poppins” (1964).
Supporting actor (film) – Sacha Baron Cohen, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
If Cohen managed to win the category – and for “Borat 2” – he would be the first male actor to win two acting awards on the same night. Four women achieved the feat: Sigourney Weaver in 1983, Joan Plowright in 1993, Helen Mirren in 2007 and Kate Winslet in 2008.
Supporting actress (film) – Olivia Colman, “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
If she wins here and for her performance in “The Crown”, she will do five out of five at the Golden Globes.
Director – Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)
Zhao would be the second woman as a director after Barbra Streisand for “Yentl” 1983 (Streisand did not receive an Oscar nomination).
Screenplay – Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
Sorkin is already the most indicated screenwriter in the history of this category; if he wins, he will join Robert Bolt and Quentin Tarantino as the most awarded, with three victories.
Original score – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, “Mank” (Netflix)
The former winners of “The Social Network” (2010), if they win “Mank”, will be the first composers honored by a black and white film since “The Artist” of 2011.
Original song – “Tigress & Tweed”, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday ”(Hulu)
Andra Day would be the first winner in this category for a streamer, and would mark the third time that a team of black composers who won the Globe failed to get an Oscar nomination, as she failed to make the list.
Golden Globe forecasts for 2021 (film)