At the 83rd Golden Globe Awards on January 11, 2026, 43-year-old Chinese-born director Chloe Zhao once again made headlines. Her film Hamnet pulled off a stunning upset by winning Best Motion Picture – Drama, adding another milestone to Zhao’s already illustrious career.
The moment the presenter announced Hamnet as the winner, Zhao’s reaction went viral: a split-second “shocked” expression captured on camera quickly became a sensation on social media, with fans dubbing it the ultimate Golden Globes reaction meme.
Zhao, who first rose to international fame with Nomadland, for which she became the first Chinese woman to win an Oscar for Best Director, brought the tragic literary adaptation to life, telling the story of Shakespeare and his wife as they grappled with the death of their young son.
"I want to dedicate this award to the Hamnet cast and crew, especially those who lost loved ones while we were making this film," Zhao said, visibly moved. She also acknowledged Ryan Coogler, her fellow filmmaker and Sundance Film Lab alum, highlighting the collaborative spirit that guided the film’s production.
Hamnet faced stiff competition, including Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, but Zhao’s delicate yet powerful direction won over the Hollywood Foreign Press. Jessie Buckley, portraying Shakespeare’s grief-stricken wife Agnes, also took home Best Drama Actress.
With this win, Zhao is widely seen as a strong contender for the upcoming Oscars, poised to lead Hamnet in its bid for Hollywood’s highest honors.
Meanwhile, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the comedy/musical categories, with Anderson winning Best Director and Best Screenplay, and Teyana Taylor taking Best Supporting Actress. Leonardo DiCaprio was passed over in the lead actor category, which went to Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme.
Other notable winners included Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) for Best Comedy Actress, Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, which won Best Song and Best Animated Film, and the Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent, which won Best Non-English Language Film and Best Actor for Wagner Moura.
Television accolades went to Adolescence (four wins), The Pitt (Best Drama Series), and The Studio (Best Comedy Series). On the red carpet, stars including Mark Ruffalo, Natasha Lyonne, and Wanda Sykes wore pins reading “BE GOOD”, in tribute to Renee Good, a U.S. woman whose fatal shooting sparked renewed protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
(AFP and staff)
