Sam Mendes wins Best Director – Motion Picture at the 77th Golden Globe Awards for his World War 1 drama 1917, that also won Best Motion Picture – Drama beating critically acclaimed directors Martin Scorsese for The Irishman, Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Todd Phillips for Joker and Bong Joon Ho for Parasite.
Mendes last won Best Director more than 2 decades ago in 1999 for “American Beauty”. During his acceptance speech, Mendes humbly said, “There’s not one director in the world who is not in the shadow of Martin Scorsese, I just had to say that.” His speech warmed the hearts of everyone present in the room.
Talking about the future of theatrical films Mendes said, “I am optimistic, but I think it’s in the hands of the filmmakers more than anything else, to make movies that audiences feel like they need to see on a big screen or else they’re missing out, guaranteed theatrical release is no longer the case, but millions of people can see [content] on their TV screens. I don’t think I would’ve been that disappointed if the way we had gone was to be a two-week theatrical release and then go on TV screens.”
Congratulations are in order to Sam Mendes for not one but TWO epic wins of the night!