Films led by Asian talent made a strong showing at the Golden Globes on Sunday night in the United States (yesterday morning Singapore time) when the drama Nomadland, directed by Chinese film-maker Chloe Zhao, and the immigrant story Minari, written and directed by Korean-American Lee Isaac Chung, won major awards.

Nomadland won Best Motion Picture, Drama and Best Director for Zhao while Minari won Best Foreign Language Film.

Zhao, 38, in winning the Best Director Golden Globe, became the second woman in the Globe's 78-year history to win that award. Barbra Streisand had won for the romantic drama Yentl in 1983.

Born and raised in Beijing, she moved to the United Kingdom and the US to attend school while in her teens.

After directing a string of critically acclaimed festival films, she has moved on to blockbusters, having helmed the Marvel superhero movie Eternals, to be released later this year.

Nomadland will be released in cinemas in Singapore on March 18. Minari will open on March 11.

The Golden Globes voting panel was called tone-deaf for placing Minari, a work produced in and with a story set in America, from an American film-maker, in the Best Foreign Language Picture category. It was denied a spot in the Best Picture race because more than 50 per cent of its dialogue is in Korean.

The film stars Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri as a Korean couple who, with two children in tow, move to a small town in Arkansas to start a farm.

If Lee's film, based on his own experiences of growing up in an immigrant family, had been entered in the Best Picture category, it would have been up against Zhao's Nomadland, a film about a woman, played by Frances McDormand, who gives up her home to live with an itinerant community.

Zhao adapted the screenplay from a 2017 non-fiction book, Nomadland: Surviving America In The Twenty-First Century by journalist Jessica Bruder.

Nomadland, with its two wins, came out on top on the film side together with Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which won for Best Musical or Comedy and Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Sacha Baron Cohen.

The Netflix biographical drama series about British royalty, The Crown, was the show that won the most awards.

Its fourth season, set in the Princess Diana years, took home four prizes, one for Best Drama and three acting prizes for Emma Corrin, Josh O'Connor and Gillian Anderson.

It was also a night when black acting talent came to the fore, with artistes such as the late Chadwick Boseman, Andra Day, John Boyega and Daniel Kaluuya winning in their categories.

While some of the wins were expected - the Nomadland and Minari wins were no surprise, for example - others came as a surprise.

Day's win for Best Actress (Motion Picture, Drama) for the title role in the biopic The United States Vs Billie Holiday came as an upset. British actress Cary Mulligan was tipped to win for playing the vengeance-seeking Cassie in the thriller Promising Young Woman, which opens in cinemas here on March 18.

The Golden Globes have always been seen as the less sober, more trivial cousin of the Academy Awards, but its reputation for frivolity has not made it immune to criticism.

It received more than its usual amount of flak for not having black voters on its 90-person panel, leading to nomination omissions for black-led works such as the critically acclaimed drama series I May Destroy You.

Highlights from coast to coast

Glamorous gowns over Zoom, hosts on the two coasts of the United States, technical glitches, kid and pet cameos, history-making wins - the Golden Globes went remote this year due to the Covid-19 crisis, but still gave film and television lovers plenty to talk about.

Here are five highlights of the awards, which took place on Sunday night in the US (Monday morning Singapore time).

1 HOODIE IT UP

While most stars showed up in spiffy suits and floor-length ball gowns for a traditionally glamorous Hollywood night, there were some who opted for more casual fare.

Most notably, Jason Sudeikis picked up best actor for his sports comedy series Ted Lasso in a tie-dye hoodie. In a post-win interview, he explained that the hoodie came from his sister's dance studio and workout space in New York City and he wore it to show support for her.

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture winner Jodie Foster channelled pyjama-chic lounging at home with her wife and their dog, while John Boyega, who won for his television supporting role in Small Axe, revealed during his speech that he was wearing track pants with his suit jacket.

2 "I PRAYED, I PRAYED"

Hearts were warmed at the sight of Lee Isaac Chung's seven-year-old daughter jumping for joy, wrapping her arms around her father's neck when his directorial feature Minari won best foreign language film.

She told him excitedly: "I prayed, I prayed," in response to his triumph.

Chung hugged his daughter tightly, thanked her and said he had made the film for her.

3 BOSEMAN'S POSTHUMOUS WIN

In the most emotional moment of the night, Taylor Simone Ledward - the wife of actor Chadwick Boseman, whose death last year at the age of 43 from colon cancer shocked his fans and peers - accepted his trophy for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama. He won for the film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Choking back tears, she said: "He would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices."

She added that her husband would have said "something beautiful" and continued: "I don't have his words, but we have to take all the moments to celebrate those we love."

4 COMEBACK KID KALUUYA

In the biggest technical glitch of the night, Daniel Kaluuya, who won Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Judas And The Black Messiah, had his stream muted when he began his speech.

Just when it seemed like the show was about to cut off his stream entirely and move on, he came back on and pointed to his screen, repeating, "You're doing me dirty" four times and asking: "Am I on? Is this on?"

He then continued his speech in full and honoured the character who won him the award - American activist Fred Hampton.

5 ZERO BLACK MEMBERS

An earlier report by Los Angeles Times found that there were no black members in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is the voting body behind the Golden Globes.

Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler roasted the body in their opening monologue, calling awards shows "stupid", but added that "even with stupid things, inclusivity is important".

Members of the HFPA made appearances during the show and promised to change their organisation from within.

When Borat Subsequent Moviefilm leading man Sacha Baron Cohen picked up the movie's award for best comedy or musical, he said without skipping a beat: "Thank you to the all-white Hollywood Foreign Press."