A History of Violence by director David Cronenberg and Muse Entertainment’s Human Trafficking received two nominations each when the contenders for the 63rd Golden Globe Awards were announced on Dec. 12.
History, which has also been named film of the year by the Toronto Film Critics Association and writers for Rolling Stone, Us Weekly and New York magazine, snagged Globe noms for best dramatic feature and best leading actress for Maria Bello.
Montreal-based Muse scored two nominations in the miniseries and MOW performance categories for the Lifetime Television mini Human Trafficking, with Donald Sutherland up for best actor and Mira Sorvino for best actress.
Conspicuous by its absence in the foreign-language film category is Jean-Marc Vallée’s hit C.R.A.Z.Y. According to its producer, Pierre Even of Montreal’s Cirrus Communications, it was entered for consideration to organizers at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, but failed to receive a spot among the five nominated films. Two of the spots were claimed by The Promise and Kung-Fu Hustle, both from China. A nod for C.R.A.Z.Y. could have helped get the film a U.S. distributor.
‘We were told the members liked it and we may have scored the sixth place,’ says Even, who adds that the Globes’ snub has not dashed his hopes for an Oscar nomination. ‘At first we were disappointed, but… people who have run for the Oscars before have told us not to worry and just focus on what we have to do for the Oscars. We’re still going for it.’
The Golden Globes, generally considered a harbinger of the Academy Awards, will be handed out on Jan. 16 in Los Angeles. The Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 31.
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