Golden Globes actually goes global

When it comes to the Golden Globes, the best motion picture race may take in a broader swath of world cinema due to a change in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association rules.

The group announced Wednesday that it is revising its best foreign language film rules for the 2009 Golden Globe Awards.

For next year's race, films with more than 51-percent non-English dialogue that have the United States as their country of origin will no longer qualify for the Best Foreign Language award, but rather compete in the Best Motion Picture race.

"Since US-based directors and producers are now making films in a foreign language with increasing frequency, the membership felt it was more equitable that these movies should compete in the Best Motion Picture categories," said HFPA president Jorge Camara in a statement. "The HFPA will continue to evaluate each film's qualification on a picture by picture basis."

Last year the Clint Eastwood-directed "Letters From Iwo Jima" won the Best Foreign Language award, against fellow nominee "Apocalypto," directed by Mel Gibson.

This year potential nominees in the foreign language category include "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "Lust, Caution" and "The Kite Runner."

The new rule could help make way for a more expansive group of foreign language nominees, taking in a broader swath of world cinema, and no longer exclude those US-affiliated non-English films from the Best Picture race.