Riz Ahmed and Dev Patel nominated for Golden Globes 2017

December 12 2016

• Both Riz Ahmed and Dev Patel nominated in different categories in 2017 Golden Globes
• ‘Night of’ starring Riz Ahmed is nominated in Best TV movie or limited series category
• Dev Patel nomination is best film supporting actor category
• Dev Patel ‘Lion’ film nominated in movie section of awards

AWARDS season has begun and there are two very bright spots for what many see as among the very best of British acting talent.

Earlier this afternoon, from Hollywood itself, both Riz Ahmed and Dev Patel were announced as contenders for a Golden Globe 2017.

Ahmed was nominated for the best actor category in a TV Movie or Limited Series section.

Patel was named in the Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture category.

Both “Night of” and “Lion” received a nomination in the Best TV Movie or Limited Series section, and Best Motion Picture – Drama segment, respectively.

Riz Ahmed’s performance in the TV series “The Night of” was critically acclaimed and was shown in the UK on Sky Atlantic in the early autumn.

A tight, taut psychological drama set in New York, it dealt with the aftermath of a chance encounter between Ahmed as ‘Naz Khan’ a Queens-raised Pakistani America and ‘Andrea Cornish’ (played by Sofia Black-D’Elia), a mysterious, beautiful all-American girl.

Naz has taken his Dad’s taxi without permission and intends to socialise at a hip party, but on route, picks up Cornish.

What transpires during the progress of a single night isn’t wholly clear, but Cornish ends up stabbed to death and Naz is the prime suspect. World-weary lawyer John Stone (played by John Turturro) is the only person who stands between Naz and a long prison sentence and a whole splurge of Islamophobia.

The US eight-part series, made by HBO, is originally developed from a BBC “Criminal Justice” episode.

Dev Patel discusses 'Lion' with fellow co-star Nicole Kidman and Clare Stewart, LFF festival director

Patel’s performance has been widely praised too – his film premiered in the UK at the London Film Festival (LFF) in October.

He and fellow co-star Nicole Kidman appeared at a special British Film Institute (BFI) LFF screen talk and Patel told the audience that he felt much closer to Saroo Brierley (who is the main character in one part of the film and whose real story the film is based on) than any other character he has played in the past.

Brierley was born in India and spent the early part of his childhood there, before becoming lost and ending up as street child. He was put up for adoption and was taken in by an Australian family and settles into Aussie life with little reflection or memory of his previous existence.

The film charts Saroo’s life from his early days in India to adulthood in Australia, and one that leads him back to his home in India and his biological family. It is a stirring, emotional tale and was for many, the pick of LFF’s big releases this year. (See links below for more).

“Lion” is already on general release in the US and comes to the UK on January 19, 2017.

Among the other interesting nominations in the film drama section is “Moonlight”, a coming of age tale of a young black man looking for his place in the world among the badlands of Miami. It has a lot of festival buzz and there is some talk of some special screenings in the UK early next year.

“Hell or High Water” a film we saw in Cannes and were impressed by, also features in the Best Motion Picture – Drama category.

The film section of the Golden Globes is often seen as a pointer towards the Oscars – which take place a few weeks after the Golden Globes.

This 2017 74th Golden Globes Awards will take place on January 8 at the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills.

The Golden Globes were created by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which has journalists from some 55 different countries and it first formed under a different guise in the 1940s. One of its early mottos was ‘Unity Without Discrimination of Religion or Race’.

Previously
http://asianculturevulture.com/portfolios/night-riz-ahmed-sizzles-pakistani-american-accused-crime-drama-coming-uk/
http://asianculturevulture.com/portfolios/dev-patel-lion-close/

Hell or High Water review

* For the full list of award nominees in TV and film, see http://www.goldenglobes.com/