Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), directed by James Cameron. Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Collection ChristopheL via AFP
Avatar: The Way of Water has been nominated for best drama film at the upcoming Golden Globe awards.
The science-fiction movie, which was filmed in New Zealand and involved many Kiwi actors and crew, will face off against Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis, Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans, and Tar, the story of a manipulative conductor, for the top prize of best drama film.
The Banshees of Inisherin, a nominee for best comedy or musical film, led all movies with eight nominations from members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the group that hands out the Globes and announces the nominations.
'Banshees', a dark comedy about a man trying to repair a friendship, will compete with Everything Everywhere All at Once, Babylon, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and Triangle of Sadness.
The Globes have been known as a star-studded, booze-fuelled ceremony that kicks off Hollywood's awards season and helps propel nominees and winners in their quest for Oscars.
But the Globes were tainted after a 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation probed the association's practices and revealed the organisation had no Black members. Tom Cruise returned his three Golden Globe statues in protest, and longtime broadcaster NBC dropped the 2022 telecast.
The Comcast-owned network agreed to air the Globes again in 2023 after the organisation made reforms. The ceremony will take place 10 January and will also stream on Peacock.
It is unclear if the event will attract the parade of A-list stars that it has in the past. Few nominees commented on the day of the nominations.
On the best drama actor list was The Whale star Brendan Fraser, who has said he will not attend the Globes because he has accused a former HFPA president of groping him in 2003. The ex-official has said he pinched Fraser's buttock as a joke.
Current HFPA president Helen Hoehne told The Hollywood Reporter last week that she respected Fraser's decision but hoped the organisation could "regain Mr. Fraser's trust, along with the trust of the entire entertainment community".
Other Globe-nominated actors included Austin Butler for his portrayal of rock music legend Elvis Presley, Daniel Craig for 'Glass Onion' and Colin Farrell for 'Banshees'.
Cate Blanchett was nominated for best drama actress for the lead role in Tar alongside Viola Davis in The Woman King and Ana de Armas for playing Marilyn Monroe in Blonde.
Jamie Lee Curtis, a supporting actress nominee for Everything Everywhere, thanked audiences and the HFPA for embracing the sci-fi action-adventure film.
"Now YOU and the #HFPA have said that it moved you and made you laugh and made you THINK!" Curtis wrote on Instagram. Her publicist said Curtis would attend the Globes ceremony.
Armas, Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton also posted statements of gratitude for their nominations.
Top Gun: Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer said he was "overjoyed to share this nomination with Paramount, Tom and the entire cast and crew."
Paramount Global distributed 'Maverick', the highest-grossing movie of 2022. A spokesperson for Cruise did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In television categories, comedy Abbott Elementary scored eight nominations, followed by royal family drama The Crown.
Searchlight Pictures, owned by Walt Disney Co, led all movie distributors with 12 nominations. In TV categories, Warner Bros Discovery's HBO Max and Netflix Inc tied with 14 nods each.
-Reuters
