Originally, when I asked to cover the Golden Globes, it was because I had known someone who had been part of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. By the time I began covering it, he has passed away. I have no personal connection with any of the members. I do not know any of the members. I received no special treatment. I will admit that I do ask to pet the dogs on the bomb-check security squad and have taken a photo of the dog. I am dog crazy. People who know me know this. I have never hugged a human at the Golden Globes. 

However, I have been a fact-checker before (Pasadena Weekly) and I find it appalling that the organization and the ceremonies are being slammed for false charges of racism. Why? Simply because the Korean American film “Minari” was not in the Best Motion Picture – Drama category. 

According to the HFPA PR firm, Sunshine Sachs, the film was submitted in the category of Foreign Language in November and had not been moved from that category. The category of submission was a choice made by the “Minari” production. 

Now, someone has brought to my attention that there are claims that HFPA nomination for this 78th awards ceremony year lack diversity. Proof of this are:

1. “Minari” was in the foreign language film category.
2. Steven Yuen was not nominated for his performance.
3. The HBO Original British drama “I May Destroy You” was not nominated but “Emily in Paris” was.

I have already covered the reason that “Minari” is not proof of this. For further explanations on this read my blog entries:

1. Foreign Film versus Foreign Language and the HFPA
2. What Is a Foreign Language in the US and at the Golden Globes?

The article that was published on the supposed lack of diversity did not depend upon research. Research is easy online. Someone got paid for a lazy writing exercise. There is a problem of diversity, but not as outlined by the outcries. 

Let me point out that while it is true that Steven Yuen did not receive a nomination for his performance in “Minari,” neither did any other actor in the films also in that category. One might venture that these people lack name recognition in the US and Yuen should have a higher profile, but one of the actors is Sophia Loren. A nomination for Loren and Yuen would have given the Golden Globe nominations added diversity: Loren for age, Yuen for ethnicity. 

Last year, “The Farewell” was also submitted and nominated for Best Foreign Language Motion Picture and Awkwafina was not only nominated for an award, she won it. That year, another actor from the Foreign Language category was also nominated: Antonio Banderas from “Pain and Glory.” He did not win, but he won other awards. 

Further, comparing a drama to a comedy in a Golden Globes discussion is like comparing apples or oranges. The nominations of “Emily in Paris” does not preclude or eliminate the spot for the drama “I May Destroy You.” If that series had been nominated, it would have been in the Best Television Series – Drama. 

For these reasons, articles like “I’m a Writer on ‘Emily in Paris.’ ‘I May Destroy You’ Deserved a Golden Globe Nomination” makes little sense. Further, the lead actress in “Emily in Paris” represents diversity; she is part Jewish. 

The Michaela Coel BBC One production of “I May Destroy You” was a British production set in London with a predominately Black British cast and is about a woman who was raped and how she recovers. The HFPA did nominate another predominately Black British production: “Small Axe” (Amazon Studios/BBC) under Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. In the category of Best Television Series – Drama all of the productions were US productions and there is one with a predominately Black American cast: “Lovecraft Country” (HBO Max). 

In the past, HFPA did nominated a true crime limited television series about rape: “Unbelievable.”  The miniseries was nominated in Best Limited Series or Television Film, Best Actress – Limited Series or Television Film (for Kaitlyn Dever and Merrit Wever) and Best Supporting Actress – Series, Limited Series or Television Film (Toni Collette). This series, which I have seen, was much nominated, but only won a Peabody Award. 

I have not seen the “I May Destroy You” but I generally feel that Amazon and Netflix do a better job of outreach to all critics than the networks and cable. The teams for Amazon and Netflix have the advantage of a dedicate streaming platform and teams that look for every possible person to invite. The now cancelled “I May Destroy You” may have suffered in comparison with the Netflix true story limited series that was the result of an incredible investigation on the part of journalists and police detectives as well as very sensitive writing. 

On the matter of diversity, we need to first define what diversity is. Merriam-Webster defined diversity as:1: the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : VARIETY especially : the inclusion of of people of different races (see RACE entry 1 sense 1a), cultures, etc. in a group or organization //programs intended to promote diversity in schools2: an instance of being composed of differing elements or qualities : an instance of being diverse //diversity of opinion

Nielsen did a study on diversity on television that was published last year: “Being Seen On Screen: Diverse Representation and Inclusion on TV.”  If you don’t want to read the full study, this is how NPR summarized it: 

Researchers at Nielsen, the company which also provides TV viewership ratings, looked at the top 100 TV shows each in broadcast, cable and streaming, excluding sports, movies and animated shows.

In an analysis of diversity and inclusion among those 300 programs in 2019, Nielsen found women, Native Americans and Latinx people were among the most underrepresented groups relative to their numbers in the general population.

For example, women make up 52 percent of the U.S. population, but they show up onscreen 37.9 percent of the time, according to Nielsen’s study. It uses a metric called “share of screen” –the percentage of time members of specific groups appear as recurring cast members – to measure how often TV viewers actually see these types of people.

The numbers get worse for women over age 50. This group is 20 percent of the population, but only gets 8 percent of screen time. Men over age 50, who are 17 percent of the population, get a 14 percent share of screen time – closer to their actual numbers in real life.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is based in Los Angeles County. The racial demographics of Los Angeles County are:

• 48.7 percent White
• 44.6 percent Latino/Hispanic
• 11 percent African American
• 10 percent Asian
• 0.3 percent Pacific Islander

The demographics for the US are:

• 59.7 percent White 
• 18.7 percent Latino/Hispanic
• 13 percent Black
• 6 percent Asian
• 0.8 percent Native American or Native Alaskan
• 0.2 percent. Pacific Islander

People from Western Asia and Northern Africa are currently considered White. There was an attempt to recognize these ethnic groups which have faced prejudice periodically, (e.g. Persian Gulf War and post-9/11), but MENA (Middle East North Africa) as a census designation initiative failed. 

The Jewish population in the US is estimated to be: 1.7 percent. Remember that people were chanting, “Jews will not replace us” recently if you question whether or not they are a minority and perhaps feel that prejudice against Jewish people died after the European Holocaust. 

The Muslim population in the US is estimated at: 1.1 percent of the total US population. 

For the purposes of this essay, women in categories where either men or women can compete will count for diversity, women over 50 will count for diversity, actors who are ethnic minorities, including MENA will be included and religious minorities will also be included. 

Let’s look at a breakdown in diversity of the Golden Globe nominations. 

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

“Emily in Paris” (Netflix)

Besides, the star Lily Collins, this series also includes Glendale-born Korean American Ashely Park. Collins, daughter of Phil Collins and wife Tavelman, suffered from an eating disorder and is part Jewish.  

“The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max)

While this stars, Kaley Cuoco, the cast also includes Puerto Rican-born Rosie Perez. Other cast members include Michiel Hulsman, who is Dutch and of Jewish heritage, T.R. Knight who is gay, Scottish born Michelle Gomez who is of Portuguese descent, and Japan-born Korean and Black American Merle Dandridge.

“The Great” (Hulu)

Elle Fanning stars but the main cast also included Goan Indian British actor Sebastian De Souza and Indian British actor Sacha Dhawan. 

“Schitt’s Creek” (CBC)

Jewish Canadian Eugene Levy stars and his son, Dan Levy, plays his son. 

“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus):

Star Jason Sudeikis does have a disability. He has no sense of smell according to Wikipedia. The cast includes Nick Mohammed, for whom there is scanty information, but he does not appear to be White. 

Two of the five shows are led by people who are of Jewish descent.  Some of the shows include diversity in the cast as noted. 

Three of the shows have female leads. 

Four out of five count for diversity. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)

Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”)

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)

Al Pacino (“Hunters”)

Matthew Rhys (“Perry Mason”)

Al Pacino is 80, which might make him a minority by age, and he did grow up during a time when Italian Americans were considered a minority. However, this category is probably the least diversified. 

In the past, however, in the last 30 years, winners have included Sterling K. Brown, Damian Lewish (part Jewish), Martin Sheen (Latino) and Jimmy Smits (Latino). 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”)

Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”)

Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”)

Nicole Kidman (“The Undoing”)

Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”)

Shira Haas is Israeli and Jewish. She is also kidney cancer survivor. Anya Taylor-Joy is part Spanish and Argentinian so would be considered Latina. Nicole Kidman is over 50 and would by Nielsen standards be part of an underserved minority. 

Three of the five would count as diversity nominations. 

Best Director – Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

David Fincher, “Mank” (Netflix)

Regina King, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)

Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Women have been underrepresented in this category, yet this year with three out of five, they are over-represented. Emerald Fennell is British, but as a woman, she does represent diversity. Regina King is Black or African American and 50 years old. Zhao is Chinese-born and if the Chinese are really 20 percent of the world population then she represents a global reality of diversity. For diversity under LA County demographics, this would be over-representation.  

Four of the five would count for diversity. 

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)

Kate Hudson (“Music”)

Michelle Pfeiffer (“French Exit”)

Rosamund Pike (“I Care a Lot”)

Anya Taylor-Joy (“Emma”)

Hudson is part Jewish and was raised Jewish. Michelle Pfeiffer is 62. As noted, Anya Taylor-Joy is part Spanish and part Argentinian. She was raised speaking Spanish. For that reason she should be considered Latina. 

Three of the five count for diversity. 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)

Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)

Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”)

Gary Oldman (“Mank”)

Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”)

Riz Ahmed is British Pakistani. Chadwick Boseman is African American. Anthony Hopkins is 83, but am not sure if that, as in the case of Pacino, represents an underserved minority. Tahar Rahim is French Algerian and would come under MENA. Tahar Rahim has noted that he refuses to play Muslim stereotypes, but does not discuss private matters. Ahmed is Muslim. 

Three, possibly four, of the five would count for diversity. 

Best Television Series – Drama 

“The Crown” (Netflix)- US-UK production

“Lovecraft Country” (HBO Max) – US production

“The Mandalorian” (Disney Plus) – US production

“Ozark” (Netflix)- US production

“Ratched” (Netflix)-US production

For “The Crown,” Helena Bonham Carter (Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon) is 54. Marion Bailey (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother)  is 69. The lead is female since this is about Queen Elizabeth at this point. 

Pedro Pascal is Chilean American so would come under Latino. The Mandalorian cast includes Black American Carl Weathers, Iranian American Omid Abtahi, Cuban-Puerto Rican American Rosario Dawson, Maori New Zealander Temuera Morrison, African American Mercedes Varnado and Chinese American Mercedes Varnado. “Ozark” deals with a Mexican cartel with Nuyorican actor Felix Solix as the leader.

“Ratched” has Cynthia Nixon who is 54. Jon Jon Briones (as Dr. Richard Hanover/Dr. Manuel Bañaga) is Filipino American. Charlie Carver who portrays Huck Finnigan is gay. Judy Davis (Nurse Betsy Bucket) is 65 and Sharon Stone (Lenore Osgood) is 62. This is also a female lead show. 

“Lovecraft Country” stars Jurnee Smollett  and Jonathan Majors , both Black American actors. The main cast is predominately Black and includes Aunjanue Ellis, Courtney B. Vance, Michael K. Williams and Nigerian-born British actress Wunmi Mosaku. Second-generation Korean American Jamie Chung  plays a Korean nurse. 

Four of the five would count toward diversity. Since “Ozark” is about a family running from the Mexican mafia, you could possibly count this as Latino representation. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama 

Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)

Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)

Emma Corrin (“The Crown”)

Laura Linney (“Ozark”)

Sarah Paulson (“Ratched”)

Laura Linney is 57 and represents diversity under ageism. So only one out of five. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

Bryan Cranston (“Your Honor”)

Jeff Daniels (“The Comey Rule”)

Hugh Grant (“The Undoing”)

Ethan Hawke (“The Good Lord Bird”)

Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”)

Mark Ruffalo reported has dyslexia. Otherwise, this seems like one of the least diverse categories. However, in the past Idris Elba has been nominated four times; Chiwetel Ejiofor, three times; Ben Kingsley, three times and Antonio Banderas, twice.

Previously, Guatemalan-born Oscar Isaac won in 2015.   Idris Elba won in 2011.  

This year, I would say no diversity unless we want to include dyslexia under disability. 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)

James Corden (“The Prom”)

Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”)

Dev Patel (“The Personal History of David Copperfield”)

Andy Samberg (“Palm Springs”)

Sacha Baron Cohen is Jewish and fluent in Hebrew.

Dev Patel’s parents were Gujarati Indian Hindus and he was born in the UK. The representation of Hindus is very low. 

Andy Samberg was raised Jewish.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is part Puerto Rican and Mexican.

That means four out of five for diversity. 

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)

Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”)

Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”)

Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”)

Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)

Viola Davis is Black and 55, so she represents diversity on two counts. Andra Day is also Black. Frances McDormand is 63. 

So three out of five. 

Best Motion Picture – Drama 

“The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)

“Mank” (Netflix)

“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

“The Father” has the 83-year-old Anthony Hopkins and as I mentioned above, I’m. not sure if this counts as diversity.  

“Mank” is about German Jewish American Herman Mankiewicz.

“Nomadland” was written and directed by a Chinese-born woman.

“Promising Young Woman” was also written and directed by a woman.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” was written and directed by Jewish American Aaron Sorkin. The film includes Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman. 

I would say four out of five for diversity. 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)

Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)

Jared Leto (“The Little Things”)

Bill Murray (“On the Rocks”)

Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)

Again, Cohen is Jewish. Two Black actors were nominated: British Ugandan Daniel Kaluuya and Queens, NYC-born Leslie Odom, Jr. In this category, three out of five. 

Best Original Score – Motion Picture 

“The Midnight Sky” (Netflix) – Alexandre Desplat (French)

“Tenet” (Warner Bros.) – Ludwig Göransson (Swedish)

“News of the World” (Universal Pictures) – James Newton Howard (Los Angeles-born)

“Mank” (Netflix) – Trent Reznor (New Castle, Pennsylvania), Atticus Ross (Ladbroke Grove, London)

“Soul” (Pixar) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste (Metairie, Louisiana)

Jon Batiste is Black. Otherwise, this is not a particularly diverse set of nominations. One out of five. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 

Lily Collins (“Emily in Paris”)

Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)

Elle Fanning (“The Great”)

Jane Levy (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”)

Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Lily Collins is part Jewish. Jane Levy’s father is Jewish. Catherine O’Hara is 66 or 67. So this gets three out of five. 

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

“Normal People” (Hulu/BBC)

“The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)

“Small Axe” (Amazon Studios/BBC)

“The Undoing” (HBO)

“Unorthodox” (Netflix)

Anya Taylor-Joy who stars in “The Queen’s Gambit” is Latina. “Small Axe” is an anthology of five films about West Indians in London and was written by Steve McQueen (with Courttia Newland and Alastair Siddons) and directed by McQueen. 

“The Undoing” stars Nicole Kidman. Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez is also part of the main cast. The drama was written by a man (David E. Kelley) based on a book by a woman (You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz) and directed by a woman (Susanne Bier), who is Jewish.  

“Unorthodox” is about a Jewish woman running away from an ultra-Orthodox community. The main cast includes Israeli actress Shira Haas, Israeli actor Amit Rahav and Israeli-German actor Jeff Wilbusch. The series was written by women and directed by a woman. 

“Normal People” is based on a book written by a woman Normal People
by Sally Rooney, was written by Rooney with Alice Birch and Mark O’Rowe and directed by  a man and a woman (Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald).

So this category gets five out of five. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

John Boyega (“Small Axe”)

Brendan Gleeson (“The Comey Rule”)

Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Jim Parsons (“Hollywood”)

Donald Sutherland (“The Undoing”)

John Boyega is Black. Levy is Jewish. Parsons is gay. This gets three out of five. 

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)

“Hamilton” (Walt Disney Pictures)

“Palm Springs” (Neon)

“Music” (Vertical Entertainment)

“The Prom” (Netflix)

The star of “Borat” is Jewish as is the lead for “Palm Springs.” 

“Hamilton” has a diversity-centric cast. This gets three out of five. 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture 

Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”)

Olivia Colman (“The Father”)

Jodie Foster (“The Mauritanian”)

Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”)

Helena Zengel (“News of the World”)

Glenn Close is 73; Foster is 58. Zengel is 12. I won’t include Zengel, so this is two out of five. 

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language “Another Round” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

“La Llorona” (Shudder)

“The Life Ahead” (Netflix)

“Minari” (A24)

“Two of Us” (Magnolia Pictures)

Should we count “La Llorona” as Latino representation? “The Life Ahead” has the 86-year-old Sophia Loren. “Minari” as an Asian and Asian American cast.  “Two of Us” is a lesbian love story featuring two actresses above 50. Barbara Sukowa is 71. Martine Chevallier is likely over 50.

Four out of five for this category. 

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture 

Emerald Fennell – “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

Jack Fincher – “Mank” (Netflix)

Aaron Sorkin – “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton – “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Chloe Zhao – “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

In this category, two are White men (Fincher and Zeller). Fennell and Zhao are both women. Zhao is Asian. Sorkin is Jewish. That means 3 out of five represent diversity. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 

Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”)

Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”)

Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)

Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)

Cheadle is Black. Levy is Jewish. Youssef is MENA and Muslim. This gets three out of five. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”)

Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”)

Julia Garner (“Ozark”)

Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Cynthia Nixon (“Ratched”)

Anderson is 52. Carter is 54.  Nixon is 54. This get three out of five. 

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

“Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros.) – H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas

“Hear My Voice” from “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Daniel Pemberton, Celeste

“Io Si (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead” (Netflix) – Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi

“Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) – Leslie Odom Jr, Sam Ashworth

“Tigress & Tweed” from “The United States vs. Billie Holliday” (Hulu) – Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq

In this category, “Fight for You” has Black and women writers. “Io Si” has women. “Hear My Voice” has a woman. “Speak Now” and “Tigress & Tweed” have Black writers. Each one of these nominations represents diversity: five out five. 

Best Motion Picture – Animated 

“The Croods: A New Age” (Universal Pictures)

“Onward” (Walt Disney Pictures)

“Over the Moon” (Netflix)

“Soul” (Walt Disney Pictures)

“Wolfwalkers” (Cartoon Saloon)

“Over the Moon” is an Asian story with an Asian cast and was written by a woman, Audrey Wells. 

“Soul” is a story about a Black music teacher and features Black voice actors. Kemp Powers is the first African American to co-direct a Disney animated feature. Tina Fey who voices 22 is 50. Also featured are the voices of Phylicia Rashad, 72,  and Angela Bassett, 62.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is part Jewish, and is 60; she voices a major character in “Onward.”

“Wolfwalkers” is written from an Irish Catholic point of view which has a different status in the UK. The listed countries include UK, Ireland, Luxembourg, UK and France. 

To be on the conservative side, I’ll say two out of five. 

Diversity Demographics

From my calculations there are 125 nominations (5 x 25). Seventy nominations represent diversity and that is 58 percent of the nominations. I calculated this per nomination so someone who is a Black woman over 50 did not count for two nor did half of a team count for half a person or three people for a single nomination for a song count for three. 

Out of seven categories that can included men and women, there are 35 nominations and 19 are of women. That is 54 percent of the nominations when women are 51 percent of the population. 

As a reminder, the racial demographics of Los Angeles County are:

• 48.7 percent White
• 44.6 percent Latino/Hispanic
• 11 percent African American
• 10 percent Asian
• 0.3 percent Pacific Islander

The demographics for the US are:

• 59.7 percent White 
• 18.7 percent Latino/Hispanic
• 13 percent Black
• 6 percent Asian
• 0.8 percent Native American or Native Alaskan
• 0.2 percent. Pacific Islander

Of the 125 nominations, 16 have Black people. Thirteen percent of 125 is 16. While 11 percent of 125 is 14. 

There are seven Asian nominees. Ten percent of 125 is 12 while six percent is six. There are seven nominations. 

The Latino/Hispanic population in Los Angeles County is 45 percent and should be at 56 nominations, but only have eight nominations. For the US, at 19 percent, Latino/Hispanic should have 24 (23.75) nominations, but only have eight.

There are 14 Jewish nominations. For two percent, that would be two nominations to reflect the US population. Likewise, for Muslim, for one percent, there should only be one nominee. 

In ten categories (50), that women over 50 were represented by 15 nominations but 20 percent would be 10.

If you find any mistakes in my calculations, please let me know. My conclusions are there is a clear under-representation of Latino/Hispanic people in the nominations, but, over all, the Golden Globes nominations do represent diversity as defined by the Nielsens.  As a woman of color and an Asian American, what I find appalling is the issue of both “Minari” and “I May Destroy You” have taken the spotlight away from “Nomadland,” a film that also counts for diversity via both its director and writer (Zhao) and star (McDormand). 

Diversity among the winners, is a totally different issue and would be a totally different article. 

Related essays:  

• Foreign Film versus Foreign Language and the HFPA
• What Is a Foreign Language in the US and at the Golden Globes?