Golden Globes 2019: Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma' clinches two trophies

Alfonso Cuaron's critically-loved "Roma" took home two trophies -- Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director -- at the Golden Globe Awards. The Academy award-winning director, who is widely expected to win major nominations at the Oscars again with the semi-autobiographical black-and-white drama, said "cinema at its best tears down walls and builds bridges to other cultures."

Inspired by his childhood memories of growing up in the Mexico City in the first two years of the 1970s, "Roma" follows a domestic worker employed by a middle-class family. The title refers to a neighbourhood in Mexico City, Colonia Rom. Cuaron said "as we cross these bridges" and experience new shapes and faces, "we begin to realise that while they may be strange, they are not unfamiliar.

We begin to understand exactly how much we have in common." "Roma" made its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival where it took home the Golden Lion, the festival’s top honor. The film received a limited theatrical run before its release on Netflix. The other nominees in the category included "Capernaum" (Lebanon), "Girl " (Belgium), "Never Look Away" (Germany) and "Shoplifters" (Japan). Cuaron thanked his leading ladies -- Yaltiza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira -- for "all of what they did in this film" as well as Ted Sarandos and "all the Netflix team that really made an amazing effort to bring this film all around the world."

In the Best Director- Motion Picture category the Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker was nominated alongside Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara( "The Favourite"), Barry Jenkins ("If Beale Street Could Talk"), Adam McKay ("Vice) and Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie ("Green Book"). The film was also nominated in the Best Screenplay-Motion Picture category, but "Green Book" took home the prize. "Roma" was ineligible for a best picture nod because the category is reserved "exclusively for English-language motion pictures".

(With inputs from agencies.)