Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet wins Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama

People reports that Chloé Zhao’s film Hamnet won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama at the 2026 ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

George Clooney and Don Cheadle presented the award, and producer Steven Spielberg thanked the team while calling Zhao "the one filmmaker on the face of the planet who could tell this story." In her acceptance speech Zhao said Paul Mescal had told her "the most important thing of being an artist is learning to be vulnerable enough to allow ourselves to be seen for who we are and not who we ought to be," and she praised fellow nominees for their "bravery" and "dedication."

Hamnet is adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel and follows the Shakespeare family as they grapple with the death of their son Hamnet, played by Jacobi Jupe; Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley portray William Shakespeare and Agnes. The film received six Golden Globe nominations, including Best Screenplay and Best Original Score; Buckley and Mescal were considered for their performances and Zhao was nominated for Best Director. Other nominees in the Best Motion Picture Drama category were Frankenstein, It Was Just an Accident, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value and Sinners.

Key Topics

Culture, Hamnet, Chloé Zhao, Golden Globes, Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley