Golden Globes Reinvented: Surprise Nominations Rewrite Awards Season

The 83rd Golden Globe Awards nominations arrived Monday morning, and while many expected frontrunner films and actors secured their spots, the biggest headline is clear: the Globes have gone truly global.

This year’s nominees showcase a dramatic rise in international cinema, marking a sharp departure from the event’s Hollywood-centric past. It is also the clearest sign yet that the Golden Globes — now voted on by 399 international film critics — have reshaped their identity after dismantling the scandal-plagued Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

A Predictable List — With Big International Surprises

In the Best Motion Picture – Drama category, expected contenders such as Frankenstein, Hamnet, It Was Just an Accident, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, and Sinners all made the list. The acting categories also largely matched industry expectations, led by nominees Michael B. Jordan, Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Stellan Skarsgård, and Benicio del Toro.

But the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy lineup delivered the most unexpected results. Missing were anticipated titles including Wicked: For Good, Jay Kelly, and Wake Up: Dead Man. Instead, voters selected two Richard Linklater films — Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague — with the latter entirely in French and styled as a tribute to Jean-Luc Godard.

Half of Top Film Nominees Are Not in English

International voices now dominate the ceremony:

• Sentimental Value – Norwegian (with some English)

• It Was Just an Accident – Iranian

• The Secret Agent – Brazilian

• Nouvelle Vague – French

• No Other Choice – Korean

Meanwhile, five acting nominees earned recognition for performances in languages other than English, a milestone for the award show historically criticized for chasing celebrity visibility over authentic artistic merit.

Even major studios took a backseat to independent distributors like Neon, which received more nominations than Warner Bros. or Netflix.

A Reinvention Born Out of Necessity

The dramatic shift follows years of public backlash, boycotts, and restructuring aimed at restoring trust after controversy over lack of diversity and ethical concerns. While the Oscars gradually diversified to address #OscarsSoWhite, the Globes were forced into a rapid overhaul to salvage legitimacy.

The result is now evident: instead of rewarding Hollywood blockbusters for popularity, large-scale titles such as Avatar: Fire and Ash, F1, KPop Demon Hunters and Wicked: For Good appeared primarily in the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category.

Television Still Dominated by U.S. Titles

Unlike the film categories, TV nominations largely reflected traditional American and U.K. dominance, with shows such as The White Lotus, The Studio, The Pitt, and Only Murders in the Building leading the field. Only a handful of newcomers — including Pluribus and All Her Fault — broke through.

A New Era for the Globes

Whether this global approach will restore credibility remains to be seen. Yet one thing is certain: the Golden Globes no longer simply reward Hollywood — they’re redefining what global entertainment looks like.