British stars have had a golden night at a Golden Globes, where Australia’s bushfires were the main talking point.
The newly knighted Sir Sam Mendes received two awards for his World War One epic 1917 – the same number won by Elton John biopic Rocketman.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s sitcom Fleabag won two prizes, while Olivia Colman won for playing The Queen in The Crown.
Once Upon a Time In Hollywood was the biggest winner overall, with Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino both recognised.
The revisionist Tinseltown fable was named best musical or comedy, saw Tarantino win best screenplay and earned Pitt his second Golden Globe for best supporting actor.
The event saw multiple mentions of the deadly fires in Australia, which have claimed at least 24 lives since they began in September.
Mendes was named best director for 1917, which went on to be crowned best film drama at the end of the Los Angeles ceremony.
“I really hoped this means people will turn up and see it on the big screen as intended,” he said as he took to the stage with his film’s cast and crew.
Welsh star Taron Egerton, named best actor in a musical or comedy for playing Sir Elton in Rocketman, said the film had been “the best experience of my life”.There was also success for Sir Elton and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, who won best film song for their Rocketman
composition I’m Gonna Love Me Again.
Joaquin Phoenix was named best actor in a film drama for Joker, while Renee Zellweger won the female equivalent for playing Judy Garland in Judy.
The actress, who won her last Golden Globe in 2004, thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for “inviting me back to the family reunion”.
Phoenix used his own acceptance speech to exhort his fellow stars to “take responsibility and make changes”.
“Contrary to popular belief I don’t want to rock the boat, but the boat is [doomed],” said the actor.
“We don’t have to take private jets to Palm Springs to the awards sometimes.”
Awkwafina was the other winner in the main film acting categories, winning best actress in a musical or comedy for The Farewell.
The actress and rapper – whose real name is Nora Lum – is the first woman of Asian heritage to win the award.
Earlier in the evening, there were two awards for Fleabag as Waller-Bridge was named best actress in a TV series (musical or comedy).
As she collected her award, Waller-Bridge thanked her Irish co-star Andrew Scott for bringing “so much fire” to his role as the show’s “Hot Priest”.
Fleabag went on to be named best TV series (musical or comedy) at the star-studded ceremony.
Waller-Bridge used her second acceptance speech to thank former US president Barack Obama for recommending the BBC comedy in a recent tweet.
