Son of Saul director Laszlo Nemes , (R).
Son of Saul director Laszlo Nemes , (R).Reuters

Hungarian Holocaust movie “Son of Saul" won the Golden Globe award for best foreign film Sunday night.

Rachel Bloom, star of the show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” was named best actress in a television series, musical or comedy, and Aaron Sorkin won in the best screenplay category for the film “Steve Jobs.”

Both Bloom and Sorkin are Jewish, noted JTA, and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" revolves around the protagonist's Jewishness.

The televised ceremony included host Ricky Gervais needling actor-director Mel Gibson, who is infamous for anti-Semitic remarks he has made in years past. These include comments made to a sheriff’s officer who arrested him for drunk driving in 2006, during which he said, "the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

Gibson went onstage to present the best picture nominee, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” alongside Gervais, when Gervais said: “A few years ago on this show I made a joke about Mel Gibson getting a bit drunk and saying a few unsavory things. We’ve all done it. I wasn’t judging him, but now I find myself in the awkward position of having to introduce him again. Listen, I’m sure it’s embarrassing for both of us, and I blame NBC for this terrible situation. And Mel blames…well, we know who Mel blames.”

As Gervais noted, this was not the first time he roasted Gibson at the same venue. At the 2010 Golden Globe Awards ceremony, he said: "I like a drink as much as the next man, unless the next man is Mel Gibson."

Gervais ended the show by saying: “From myself and Mel Gibson, shalom.”

In 2014, Hollywood screenwriter Joe Eszterhas accused Gibson of sabotaging the production of a film based on the story of the Jewish Maccabees. Eszterhas wrote a long letter accusing Gibson, who was expected to direct the film, of anti-Semitism. "I've come to the conclusion that the reason you won't make The Maccabees is the ugliest possible one. You hate Jews," he wrote.

The letter went on to say that Gibson called Jews “Hebes,” “oven-dodgers” and “Jewboys.” Eszterhas also stated that Gibson used the Maccabees project in order "to deflect continuing charges of antisemitism which have dogged you, charges which have crippled your career."  Gibson denied he was trying to "burnish" his "tarnished" reputation and stated: "I absolutely want to make this movie; it's just that neither Warner Brothers nor I want to make this movie based on your script.”

In 2004, Gibson directed a highly successful film, The Passion of the Christ, which some saw as demonizing the Jews.