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Golden Globes 2025: France’s 'Emilia Pérez' wins big, as 'The Brutalist' nabs major awards

France’s 'Emilia Pérez' and the American epic 'The Brutalist' dominate in the Film categories, while favourites Shogun and Baby Reindeer win big in the TV awards. Here’s the complete lowdown on this year’s Golden Globes and what it all means for the awards season ahead.

The Golden Globes was the first major awards ceremony of the year and officially kicked off awards season.

It has been a hard-to-predict awards season, with the likes of Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist, Anora and Conclave aiming to emerge as a favourite, even if there has been no clear frontrunner – especially compared to last year’s critical darling and box office juggernaut Oppenheimer.

However, with four wins, including Best Film (Comedy or Musical), Best Motion Picture (Non-English Language), Best Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña) and Best Song, there doesn't seem to be any stopping French director Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez. His Mexico-set gangster trans musical featuring gender transitioning, cartels, gorgeous choreographies and songs about vaginoplasty is as unexpected as it is unmissable.

“In these troubled times, I hope that Emilia Perez will be a beacon of light for those of us not lucky enough to count among their friends a woman as powerful and passionate as Karla Sofia Gascón,” said Audiard, accepting the Golden Globe. He dedicated the prize to those worried about the future and what 2025 is going to look like, urging them to keep fighting for their rights.

Lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón echoed this sentiment: “You can put us in jail, beat us up, but you can’t take our soul. Raise your voice and say: ‘I am who I am.’”

Going into the ceremony, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez had 10 nominations, representing quite the win for streamer Netflix – where you can (and should) watch this stunning film.

Check out our review of Emilia Pérez here.

Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist won in three major categories - Best Film (Drama), Best Director and Best Actor (Adrian Brody). Corbet beat favourites Jacques Audiard, Sean Baker and Coralie Fargeat in the Best Director category for his epic, textured and mannered historical drama that wowed in Venice last year and stands as a favourite for the upcoming Oscars.

Our review of The Brutalist can be found here.

Other notable wins include Demi Moore’s win for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) for her barnstorming turn in Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance - her first win (“This is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actress!”); and Fernanda Torres becoming the first Brazilian performer to win in the Best Actress Drama category, for her performance in Walter Salles’ deeply impactful I’m Still Here.

Check out our review of The Substancehere and our interview with Coralie Fargeat here. Our interview with Walter Salles is here and last plug for now: our review of I’m Still Here can be read here.

Elsewhere, Sebastian Stan won for A Different Man, which also nabbed him the Golden Bear for Best Actor at last year’s Berlinale. “Our ignorance and discomfort around disability has to end now,” said Stan, as the film concerns physical disfigurement. “These are tough subject matters, but these films are real and their subjects matter.”

Check out our review of A Different Man here.

On the TV side, it was a pretty predictable evening, as the stunning Japan-set historical drama Shōgun swept the board with a total of four wins, including Best TV Series (Drama) and a great many acting awards. More on that in a bit...

Scroll down for the full list of this year’s winners.

Was it a good edition of the Golden Globes?

Yes and no.

There were plenty of positives, as after trying to resuscitate their reputation following racism scandals and controversies regarding voting integrity, the show returned with an expanded voting body for its 82nd edition.

This led to a more diverse set of nominees, with 76 countries represented, and an evening of firsts – from the off, as comedian Nikki Glaser became the first solo female host ever at the Globes.

Glaser, who is known for her celebrity roasts and out-there humour, did a decent job – a significantly better one that last year’s MC Jo Koy. Which wasn’t hard to beat, granted. Her opening monologue was somewhat underwhelming and it lacked some of the risqué beats fans are used to from Glazer. Still, it was self-aware and sturdy enough to satisfy.

Other firsts included the aforementioned historic win for Fernanda Torres (a sign that voters are looking outside of the instantly familiar), as well as the historic nomination for Karla Sofía Gascón – who became the first out trans performer to get a film acting nod. Her loss in the Best Actress category to Demi Moore is a shame, but you can be sure both performers will be the acting frontrunners at the Oscars in March.

There’s also the introduction of a new category this year. Indeed, in addition to the previous categories for the best in film and television, the revamped Globes introduced the “Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement” category this year. Its utterly nonsensical title aside (cinematic and box office are two VERY different things), the new award went to Wicked, the big screen (and overlong) adaptation of the beloved Broadway show of the same name. It’s heartening to see an awards show like the Golden Globes shake things up with new gongs - even if a new Stunt category could have been more judicious. The Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement prize is a worthy new award that feels like a way of namechecking the mainstream blockbuster titles that are often shunned in the Best Motion Picture line-ups. Maybe a title change though?

Elsewhere, the Shōgun team’s energy was infectious; Ali Wong deservedly won in the Best Stand Up Comedy category; Colin Farrell thanking the craft services during his acceptance speech was delightful; Sofia Vergara jokingly heckling Jodie Foster during her 5th Globes win (“You already won!”) was fun – even if it’s a shame she missed out on becoming the first Columbian actress to win Best Actress in a Limited Series for her role in Griselda; Jeremy Strong was wearing a green velvet bucket hat, so that’s something; and Glen Powell was looking dreamy as ever, so congratulations to him and his frustratingly perfect genetic makeup that makes all other men feel like hobbits.

On the flip side, however, there’s no denying that this year’s Globe winners were fairly predictable, especially in the TV categories, with the likes of Baby Reindeer, Shōgun and The Bear dominating the categories. (See below) That being said, as unsurprising as the TV awards were, it was refreshing to see Hacks win Best TV Series (Comedy) and shake things up, as The Bear – as good as it is – has already swept the boards in previous years.

This edition also felt a bit clumsy in its execution – especially having the category presenters doing cringe-worthy bits, often with their backs to the audience. These segments that were made more awkward and stiff this year because they were shot in close up – something which was actually called out by Seth Rogan during his bit, when he called the camera angle “inelegant and strange”. Preach, sir, as it was an odd choice. Even great talent like Kathy Bates, Demi Moore and Harrison Ford couldn’t make their back-and-forths work in this format. In fact, it seemed as if their prompters were malfunctioning.

Other wobbles included pronouncing The Substance director Coralie Fargeat’s name “Farjiiie”; a general sense that the ceremony plodded along without much build-up; and the fact that these award shows seem to be getting longer with every year that passes.

What do the Golden Globe wins mean for the rest of award season?

In a nutshell, it’s still an open race.

Last year was dominated by Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which took home five Globes before going on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. This year’s race has no such frontrunner and remains unpredictable.

Emilia Pérez and The Brutalist do seem to emerge as favourites, and both Conclave and Anora seem to be losing some steam, especially the latter after its Palme d’Or win last year. It’s a shame, as Sean Baker’s biting, kinetic and surprisingly moving drama about a sex worker and how the system is rigged against those not born in privilege deserves more plaudits. It was one of our favourite films of 2024 and it could still make its mark in the coming months.

Here is the full list of the 2025 Golden Globe winners:

FILM

Best Motion Picture – Drama

WINNER: The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune Part Two
Nickel Boys
September 5

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

WINNER: Emilia Pérez
Anora
Challengers
A Real Pain
The Substance
Wicked

Best Director – Motion Picture

WINNER: Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Perez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Payal Kapadia – All We Imagine As Light

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

WINNER: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothee Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical

WINNER: Sebastian Stan – A Different Man
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Gabriel LaBelle – Saturday Night
Jesse Plemons – Kinds of Kindness
Glen Powell – Hit Man

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

WINNER: Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
Pamela Anderson – The Last Showgirl
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Tilda Swinton – The Room Next Door
Kate Winslet – Lee

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical

WINNER: Demi Moore – The Substance
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Zendaya – Challengers

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

WINNER: Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Yura Borisov – Anora
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

WINNER: Zoe Saldaña– Emilia Pérez
Selena Gomez – Emilia Perez
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rosellini – Conclave

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

WINNER: Conclave – Peter Straughan
Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

WINNER: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol, Camille – Emilia Pérez
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

WINNER: ‘El Mal’ – Emilia Pérez, Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
‘Beautiful That Way’ – The Last Showgirl, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li and Andrew Wyatt
‘Compress/Repress’ – Challengers, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Luca Guadagnino
‘Forbidden Road’ – Better Man, Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler & Sacha Skarbek
‘Kiss The Sky’ – The Wild Robot, Delacey, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack & Ali Tamposi
‘Mi Camino’ – Emilia Pérez, Clément Ducol and Camille

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language