On Thursday (Dec. 7), the Golden Globes released the nominees for its upcoming awards ceremony. Notably missing from the list is Boots Riley, who directed the fantasy-comedy film Sorry to Bother You. The movie was absent from the Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) list while Riley wasn’t considered for Best Director.
Shortly after the nominations were announced, the 47-year-old director tweeted, “F**k it. I’m not going to act like I’m not disappointed. But I do realize that to have been in a position to get my hopes up and be let down is what I call a good problem.”
Fuck it. I’m not going to act like I’m not disappointed.
But I do realize that to have been in a position to get my hopes up and be let down is what I call a good problem.
— Boots Riley (@BootsRiley) December 6, 2018
The film’s stars, Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson, also failed to receive nominations for their roles.
On a positive note, other notable cinema awards outlets honored Sorry to Bother You with a slew of nominations.
The film, which garnered a 93 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, was nominated in October for three Gotham Awards: Audience Award, Best Actor (Stanfield) and the Bingham Ray Award for Breakthrough Director (Riley). Sorry to Bother You was also nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards (Feb. 23, 2019) for Best First Feature and Best Screenplay.
Fans of the dark comedy flick swiftly took to Twitter in solidarity with Riley.
When A Star Is Born gets a ton of Golden Globe noms but Sorry to Bother You gets zilch. pic.twitter.com/jmYhmNJOHz
— Jason McGonzoAsDickens 🌹 (@JMill1120) December 7, 2018
I don’t get why sorry to bother you didn’t get any noms for golden globe but blackkklans did…. why?
— oh god here we go again (@damourhaine) December 6, 2018
Still don’t understand why, Sorry To Bother You got snubbed by the Golden Globe Awards.
— Mike Brodie (@410LaidBack) December 6, 2018
Despite the snub, the Golden Globes slowly showcased its goal to become more inclusive of black Hollywood. Seven black actors were nominated, plus Spike Lee and Barry Jenkins earned nods for their directing and screenwriting roles, respectively. Projects including Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, If Beale Street Could Talk and television series Pose were also nominated.
Watch Riley’s explanation about his film below.
READ MORE: ‘Black Panther,’ Spike Lee, Regina King Among 2019 Golden Globe Nominees