Victory for French film Emilia Pérez at Golden Globes
The ‘musical crime comedy’ won big at the prestigious US event at the weekend
The film’s winners included Best actress in a musical or comedy for Karla Sofía Gascón; best supporting actress, for Selena Gomez; and best director, for Jacques Audiard (seen here at the film’s premiere in LA in 2024)
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French musical film Emilia Pérez won big at the Golden Globes awards in Los Angeles at the weekend, with four gongs including Best non-English language film after having been nominated in 10 categories.
The film by director Jacques Audiard won:
Best non-English language film
Best film - musical or comedy
Best supporting actress, for Zoe Saldaña
Best original song, for El Mal.
The film was nominated in 10 categories, including several in which it received two nominations (e.g. two of the film’s songs were nominated for Best original song). In addition to its wins, it was also nominated for:
Best actress - musical or comedy, for Karla Sofía Gascón
Best supporting actress, for Selena Gomez
Best director, for Jacques Audiard
Best screenplay, for Jacques Audiard
Best original song, for Mi Camino
Best original film score
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati was among those to congratulate the film’s success in France. Writing on X (Twitter), she said:
“Immense pride for Emilia Pérez and Jacques Audiard! Congratulations to the whole film team on their Golden Globes awards! This musical, shot almost entirely in the Bry-sur-Marne studios and already an award-winner at Cannes, embodies French talent and creativity on the world stage!
Congratulations also to Coralie Fargeat, the director of The Substance - shot entirely in France, in the studio in the Île-de-France region and on location on the Côte d'Azur - which won Demi Moore the Golden Globe for Best Actress.”
Crime comedy success
Emilia Pérez is a Spanish-language musical, set in Mexico, which has also been described as a ‘crime comedy’. It tells the story of a Mexican cartel leader who works with a lawyer to transition from male to female.
It stars Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, and Édgar Ramírez; and was mainly filmed in Ile-de-France in 2023.
Read also: France puts forward ‘Emilia Pérez’ for 2025 US Oscars
In 2024, it premiered at the Cannes film festival, and won the festival’s Palme d'Or Jury Prize, as well as receiving a standing ovation from the audience. Its female actresses collectively won the Cannes Best Actress award.
At Cannes, the Spanish trans actress Ms Gascón dedicated her win to “all the trans people who are suffering”, and added: “Being trans is unimportant. A trans person is someone going through a transition. Once they have transitioned, that’s it. They are what they are.”
The film was released in France in August 2024, and in the US in November 2024, and is now available to watch on Netflix in the US, UK, and Canada after the streaming giant won a bidding war to acquire the rights for $8 million (€7.7 million).
Its success comes after a strong and successful year for cinema in France. In 2024, it was the only country in the world in which cinema attendance increased, with 181 million seats sold; and three of the five top films in the country coming from France itself.
Read also: French cinema’s 2024 performance makes it unique in world
Other big winners
The 82nd annual Golden Globes event took place at the Los Angeles Beverly Hilton hotel on Sunday, January 5, and was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser.
Post-war architect biopic The Brutalist was among the big winners of the night, taking home three gongs.
The event’s major winners included:
Best film - drama: The Brutalist
Cinematic and box office achievement: Wicked
Best actress - drama: Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Here
Best actor - drama: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Best actress - musical or comedy: Demi Moore, The Substance (also shot in France, and by French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat)
Best director: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Best original film score: Challengers
Best TV series - drama: Shōgun
The controversial UK Netflix show Baby Reindeer also did well, winning Best limited TV series, and Best supporting actress - TV for its star Jessica Gunning. It was also nominated for Best TV actor - limited series for its star and writer Richard Gadd.
