Bleecker Street to Submit Mike Leigh's 'Tender Loving Care' as Comedy at Golden Globes

Bleecker Street will submit Mike Leigh's film Tender Loving Care in the musical or comedy categories at the 84th Golden Globes, the studio said. Marion Bailey will be put forward for best actress in a musical or comedy, while Kate O'Flynn, Alice Bailey Johnson and Paul Jesson will be submitted in the supporting acting races.

The distributor will release Tender Loving Care in theaters on December 4. Nominations for the 84th Golden Globes will be announced on Monday, December 7, and the ceremony, hosted by Nikki Glaser, is set for Sunday, January 10.

The film has already drawn awards attention this season. In September, Kate O'Flynn won the Silver Shell for best leading performance at the San Sebastian Film Festival, where Tender Loving Care also took the Golden Shell and the best screenplay prize, according to Variety.

A familiar category for Leigh

Eighteen years ago, the Golden Globes classified a Mike Leigh film as a comedy: Happy-Go-Lucky, for which Sally Hawkins won best actress. A 21-year-old Kate O'Flynn had a small role in that film. Marion Bailey previously played Sophia Booth in Leigh's 2014 film Mr. Turner.

Leigh's films have earned six Golden Globe nominations across three titles. Brenda Blethyn won best actress in a drama for Secrets & Lies, and Imelda Staunton earned a nomination for Vera Drake. Leigh has never been nominated at the Globes for directing or screenwriting despite seven Oscar nominations; Topsy-Turvy, Another Year, Mr. Turner and Hard Truths came up empty.