Why this year’s Golden Globes race feels so unpredictable

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Updated 09 January 2026
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Why this year’s Golden Globes race feels so unpredictable

  • No dominant frontrunner and openness among voters
  • ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Sinners,’ ‘Sentimental Value’ in contention

LOS ANGELES: With the Golden Globes approaching, this awards season has taken on an unusually fluid shape. Instead of a single dominant frontrunner, the race is being defined by range, taste, and a noticeable openness among voters.

Prestige dramas are sharing space with ambitious studio films, while several contenders have built momentum quietly rather than through aggressive campaigns. The result is a season that feels unpredictable — in the best possible way.




Recently announced presenters include a wide cross section of film, television, and music figures. (Supplied)

That sense of openness is reflected not only in the awards race itself, but also in the broader tone surrounding this year’s ceremony. The 83rd Annual Golden Globes will air live on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, with comedian and actress Nikki Glaser returning as host.

Recently announced presenters include a wide cross section of film, television, and music figures.

Among them are Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Hart, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Amanda Seyfried, Ana de Armas, Ayo Edebiri, Colman Domingo, Dakota Fanning, Kathryn Hahn, Queen Latifah, Zoe Kravitz, and Pamela Anderson.




The 83rd Annual Golden Globes will air live on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, with comedian and actress Nikki Glaser returning as host. (Supplied)

The diversity and generational range of the presenter lineup mirrors the season itself, blending established icons with contemporary voices and signaling a ceremony that leans into variety rather than predictability.

In the drama categories, “Hamnet” has emerged as a serious presence, earning steady respect across critics’ groups and industry conversations. Its restrained approach and emotional weight have resonated with audiences and awards watchers who value craft over spectacle.

At the same time, “Sinners” and “Sentimental Value” remain firmly in contention, particularly if voters gravitate toward character-driven storytelling rather than formal experimentation.




Among them are Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Hart, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Amanda Seyfried, Ana de Armas, Ayo Edebiri, Colman Domingo, Dakota Fanning, Kathryn Hahn, Queen Latifah, Zoe Kravitz, and Pamela Anderson. (Supplied)

On the musical or comedy side, “One Battle After Another” appears especially well-positioned, carried by strong ensemble work and a level of sustained buzz that has followed it throughout the season.

The acting races are no less competitive. Wagner Moura has placed himself near the front of the Best Actor, Drama conversation for his performance in “The Secret Agent,” a role widely praised for its restraint and complexity.

Michael B. Jordan continues to generate strong support for “Sinners,” reinforcing his position as a consistent awards presence.

In the musical or comedy field, Timothee Chalamet has become a frequent prediction for “Marty Supreme,” a performance many see as both charismatic and strategically timed.

The actress races are equally open, with Jessie Buckley and Rose Byrne widely cited as leading figures, while the supporting categories continue to spotlight standout work from Stellan Skarsgard and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas.

In directing, momentum appears to favor Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another,” reflecting both critical admiration and industry confidence.

Screenplay and score conversations have included “Sinners” and “KPop Demon Hunters,” underscoring a year that balances artistic ambition with broader appeal.

However the night ultimately unfolds, this year’s Golden Globes feels less about safe consensus choices and more about recognizing work that lingered long after the credits rolled.

From the nominees to the presenters taking the stage, the ceremony reflects a film year defined by confidence, creative risk, and a refreshing absence of certainty.


‘One in a Million’: Syrian refugee tale wows Sundance

Updated 24 January 2026
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‘One in a Million’: Syrian refugee tale wows Sundance

PARK CITY: As a million Syrians fled their country's devastating civil war in 2015, directors Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes headed to Turkey where they would meet a young girl who encapsulated the contradictions of this enormous migration.

In Ismir, they met Isra'a, a then-11-year-old girl whose family had left Aleppo as bombs rained down on the city, and who would become the subject of their documentary "One In A Million," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday.

For the next ten years, they followed her and her family's travels through Europe, towards Germany and a new life, where the opportunities and the challenges would almost tear her family apart.

The film is by directors Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes. (Supplied)

There was "something about Isra'a that sort of felt to us like it encapsulated everything about what was happening there," MacInnes told an audience at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Friday.

"The obvious vulnerability of her situation, especially as being a child going through this, but that at the same time, she was an agent.

"She wasn't sitting back, waiting for other people to save her. She was trying to fight, make her own way there."

The documentary mixes fly-on-the-wall footage with sit-down interviews that reveal Isra'a's changing relationship with Germany, with her religion, and with her father.

It is this evolution between father and daughter that provides the emotional backbone to the film, and through which tensions play out over their new-found freedoms in Europe -- something her father struggles to adjust to.

Isra'a, who by the end of the film is a married mother living in Germany, said watching her life on film in the Park City theatre was "beautiful."

And having documentarists follow her every step of the way as she grew had its upsides.

"I felt like this was something very special," she told the audience after the screening. "My friends thought I was famous; it made making friends easier and faster."