Many African-American film fans breathed a sigh of relief when the acclaimed slavery drama 12 Years a Slave took home the best picture prize at the end of last night’s Golden Globes,
Had it not won, black actors and filmmakers would have gone empty handed in what had been an unprecedented year for Hollywood’s minority community.
The Globes, which have never been an accurate predictor of Academy Awards success, had already shut out The Butler and Fruitvale Station. Idris Elba’s Mandela: Long to Freedom managed a couple of nominations, but fell short on awards night. As for Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, it came into the night with 7 nominations but was dogged by reports the Hollywood Foreign Press voters weren’t “sold” on the film.
Actors Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita N’yongo and Michael Fassbender all lost in their respective acting categories, as did the film’s director Steve McQueen. An African-American director has never won the Golden Globe or the Academy Award.
Meanwhile, the predominately-white cast and crew of American Hustle was the biggest winner of the night, taking home awards for best picture (Comedy or Musical), actress (Amy Adams) and supporting actress (Jennifer Lawrence).
Still, the 12 Years a Slave victory suggests you can’t count the epic film out of the awards race just yet. And the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards, which typically have a better track record of predicting future Oscar winners, are just around the corner.
Academy Awards will be announced this Thursday. Stay tuned to theGrio for more coverage of the competition as it unfolds.