Oppenheimer’s Christopher Nolan Wins Best Director Golden Globe

The Golden Globes are back for another year and all eyes have been on the some of the most prominent films and TV shows from the past year. While the big awards shows don’t always include the popular films or box office successes from a given year, 2023 was unique in that a couple of the top films occupied both categories. Barbie and Oppenheimer have been poised to take home several awards across multiple shows, potentially leaving the season as the two biggest winners. The Golden Globes were no exception, and the directors of both films were nominated for the Best Director award.

It should come as no surprise that the filmmaker behind one of those films took home the Best Director award. Christopher Nolan won the prize for his work on Oppenheimer, marking the first Golden Globe director win of his career.

All six Best Director nominees also saw their films nominated for one of the two Best Motion Picture awards. Those nominated heading into Sunday night were Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Celine Song (Past Lives), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), and Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things).

Barbie and Oppenheimer have been the frontrunners for several awards this year, and the two films have been directly linked since their release. The movies, which seem like polar opposites from a style perspective, hit theaters on the same day and fueled one another to massive box office showings.

Barbie Director Greta Gerwig Teases Unseen Footage

“I mean there’s a million things that got left on the cutting room floor that are incredible moments,” Gerwig told Entertainment Tonight at the 2023 Gotham Awards. “I mean, I would say most of them that I miss are just alternate takes of what we already had in.”

“I mean, you know, I wish the movie could be eight hours long,” Gerwig added. “Every part of the cast was so talented.”

The 81st Golden Globe Awards will be presented live Sunday, Jan. 7 starting at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. on CBS and streaming live on Paramount+.