The Golden Globes proved to be a big night for Alfonso Cuaron. The famed Mexican director won for Best Director, and his labor of love “Roma” was selected as Best Foreign Film.  The black-and-white family drama is destined to be a front-runner at this year’s Academy Awards.

The film stars Yalitza Aparicio as a domestic worker named Cleo who lives with her employer’s family, tapping into the filmmaker’s own childhood, going back to his 1970’s Mexico City neighborhood of Roma. In his acceptance speech, Cuarón thanked the real-life people who inspired “Roma,” including his childhood nanny Libo Rodriguez.

Cuaron said, “In reality, this film was directed Libo, by my mother, and my family and maybe even more importantly by this place, this very complex lab that shaped and created me. So muchas gracias, Mexico.” He continued, “I feel a little bit like cheating with this thing of accepting this award, because most of what I was doing was just to witness and enjoy the amazing Marina de Tavira and Yalitza Aparicio just exist on the screen.”

The Mexican auteur previously won Best Director for “Gravity” in 2014, and his “Y Tu Mamá También” was nominated for Best Motion Picture — Foreign Language in 2002. “Roma” also earned a nomination for Best Screenplay. The other nominees in the Best Director category were Adam McKay (“Vice”), Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”), Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”), and Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”).

Cuarón’s Golden Globes win is the latest in a string of accolades for his personal black-and-white odyssey. “Roma” has won the Golden Lion at last year’s Venice Film Festival, and top prizes at the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. “Roma,” which is now available on Netflix, is widely expected to become the streaming giant’s first Best Picture nominee when the Academy Award nominations are announced later this month.