Campion scoops major awards at Golden Globes

6:08 pm on 10 January 2022

New Zealand film director Jane Campion has added the two major Golden Globe awards to other film festival successes for her broody western, The Power of the Dog.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 18, 2021 New Zealand director Jane Campion poses during a photocall ahead of the premiere screening of her movie "The power of the dog" in Paris.

Photo: AFP

The Golden Globes have been handed out in Los Angeles today but the event was not televised and there was no audience or red carpet.

Instead, winners were announced to the public via social media and on the Golden Globes website.

Campion was named best director of a motion picture - drama ahead of Kenneth Branagh for Belfast, Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter, Steven Spielberg, West Side Story (2021) and Denis Villeneuve, Dune.

The Power of the Dog - which starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst - then scooped best picture to cap off the event, which is considered a guide to which movies will be favoured at the Oscars.

The film has been critically acclaimed - and Kodi Smit-McPhee has also been honoured for his performance winning for best supporting actor in a movie today.

The screenplay which Campion also wrote is based on Thomas Savage's 1967 book of the same name and is Campion's first film with a male protagonist.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil in The Power of the Dog.

Benedict Cumberbatch is among stars of The Power of the Dog. Photo: Supplied / Screenshot

The film was partly shot in Central Otago.

Every year we see films that make us laugh, cry, think. Films that will be remembered. Congratulations The Power of the Dog for taking home Best Picture — Drama. pic.twitter.com/8cUgB4t0UD
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 10, 2022

New Zealand Film Commission chief executive David Strong said it was a wonderful accolade for Campion, and for everyone who worked on the production.

"New Zealanders can be proud of what Dame Jane has created. It is also testament to the highly skilled Kiwis who worked alongside her on the film."

He said the film commission had backed the film which was shot entirely in New Zealand.

"... the award highlights the diversity of our landscapes, with New Zealand standing in for 1920s Montana, and further demonstrates that we continue to be a world leading film making destination."

Hundreds of New Zealanders worked on The Power of the Dog throughout the 17 weeks of pre-production and 50 days of filming, providing a huge economic boost to the New Zealand economy, especially the Otago and Auckland regions, Strong said.

"This is another example of the value of the screen industry to New Zealand. It also shows the world we have a large pool of talented and skilled creatives, producing high quality movies."

Last year Campion won the Silver Lion prize for best director at the Venice Film Festival and one of France's top cinema honours, the Lumière Prize for the same film.

Earlier at the Golden Globes, Branagh pipped Campion in the other category for which they were both nominated, best screenplay.

The awards have been scaled down due to the current surge in Covid-19 cases in the US but the event has also been shrouded in controversy surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) over its membership and lack of diversity.

Critics had objected to the HFPA not having any Black members and raised questions over whether close relationships with Hollywood studios influenced the choice of nominees and winners. Last May, Tom Cruise returned the three Golden Globe statuettes he had won.

The HFPA responded by adding 21 new members, six of whom are Black, banning gifts and favours, and implementing diversity and sexual harassment training. The group now has 105 members and plans to expand this year.

Netflix, which released Power of the Dog, led all studios with four film awards. HBO and HBO Max took the most television honours, with six.

Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story was named best musical or comedy film while two its stars, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose won the best actress and best supporting actress awards respectively.

Australia's Sarah Snook was named best supporting actress in a TV series drama for Succession, while her co-star Jeremy Strong won best actor in a TV series drama.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 05: Actor Jeremy Strong attends Netflix's "Don't Look Up" World Premiere on December 05, 2021 in New York City.

Jeremy Strong Photo: 2021 Getty Images

Other winners include Nicole Kidman for best actress in a movie - drama for Being the Ricardos), in which she plays the actress Lucille Ball, while the men's award went to Will Smith for his role as Serena and Venus Williams' dad in King Richard.

Kate Winslet won a Golden Globe for the best actress in a TV series for Mare of Easttown.

The major winners:

Movies: