Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma won the Golden Globe award for best foreign-language film. The black-and-white, autobiographical drama re-creates the story of Cuaron’s youth in 1970s Mexico City.
Accepting the award on behalf of the film, Cuaron implored that “cinema at its best tears down walls and builds bridges to other cultures.”
He continued that “as we cross these bridges” and experience new shapes and faces, “we begin to realize that while they may be strange, they are not unfamiliar. We begin to understand exactly how much we have in common.”
The other nominees in the category included Lebanon’s Capernaum, Belgium’s Girl, Germany’s Never Look Away and Japan’s Shoplifters.
Cuaron also won for best director and was nominated for best screenplay. He thanked his leading ladies Yaltiza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira for “all of what they did in this film” as well as Ted Sarandos and “all the Netflix team that really made an amazing effort to bring this film all around the world.”
Backstage, Cuaron further commended Netflix, sharing his belief that “the discussion between platforms should be over. I think platforms and theatrical should go together. They both together can elevate cinema and more important, they can create diversity in cinema.”
Roma was ineligible for a best picture nod because the category is reserved “exclusively for English-language motion pictures.”
The HFPA rules stipulate that films entered in the foreign-language category cannot be considered in either the best motion picture, drama or best motion picture, musical or comedy categories. Foreign-language films are eligible to compete in other categories like directing, acting, writing and score.
Roma has received widespread acclaim thus far this awards season, including the Golden Lion top prize at the Venice Film Festival, eight Critic’s Choice Awards nominations, an AFI special award, and was listed as one of the year’s top 10 films by the National Board of Review.
Ending his speech, Cuaron reflected on how “this film would have not been possible without the specific colors that made me who I am. Gracias, familia. Gracias, Mexico.”
Cuaron also explained backstage how the win was more meaningful “because it’s a Mexican film and a Spanish drama, black-and-white, and also about a character who has been invisible in cinema but also in society.”
Dick Clark Productions, which produces the Golden Globes, is a division of Valence Media, which owns The Hollywood Reporter.
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