Sweeps and surprises at Hollywood awards night

One Battle After Another and Hamnet win big at the gala, a key marker in the Oscars race

- 

(From left) Hamnet cast and crew Nicolas Gonda, Maggie O'Farrell, Pippa Harris, Joe Alwyn, Chloe Zhao, Steven Spielberg, Max Richter, Liza Marshall, Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal with their award for best motion picture drama.

(PHOTO: AFP)

One Battle After Another reigned supreme at the Golden Globes on Jan 11, winning best comedy, while Hamnet sprung a surprise by taking best drama film at the splashy Hollywood ceremony.

American filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson's screwball thriller One Battle, which centres on an ageing revolutionary played by Leonardo DiCaprio, led the night by winning four of its nine nominations.

It also collected awards for best director, best screenplay and best supporting actress for Teyana Taylor at the Globes gala, which is a key stepping stone on the road to the Oscars in March.

"You guys are being so generous with this affection for me and this film - and I'll take it," said Anderson, 55, with a beam.

His film - a rollicking ride featuring violent leftist radicals, immigration raids and white supremacists - has connected with audiences and critics at a time when the United States is deeply polarised.

But in the closely watched lead-actor category, DiCaprio was passed over in favour of Timothee Chalamet's performance as an ambitious 1950s table-tennis player in Marty Supreme.

"I look up to all of you," said Chalamet, 30, who also bested George Clooney (Jay Kelly) and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon).

The American-French actor said his four previous Globes losses "make this moment that much sweeter".