Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave tied for the lead in Golden Globe Award nominations, which were announced today, signaling not only the critical success of the brutally honest historical film but also its likely recognition at the Oscars.
The movie nabbed nominations for best picture, best director, best actor in a drama (Chiwetel Ejiofor), best screenplay, best score, best supporting actor (Michael Fassbender) and best supporting actress (Lupita Nyong’o).
Giving 12 Years a run for its money is comedy-drama American Hustle, also grabbing seven nominations: best picture, musical or comedy; best screenplay; best director; and acting nominations for four cast members, including Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the biopic based on the life of Nelson Mandela, has also grabbed a handful of nominations, with British actor Idris Elba—who stars as Mandela—joining Ejiofor as a best actor nominee.
Surprisingly, Lee Daniels’ The Butler did not receive any nominations, even though many critics considered Oprah Winfrey a lock for a best supporting actress nomination.