But the record-setting for Parasite
We meet again for the movie’s
never stopped. Earlier this month, it
AwardsLine cover shoot on the occasion
became the first film from South Korea
of the SAG Awards, alongside his most
nominated for Oscar’s Best International
frequent collaborator in Parasite’s cast,
Feature Film prize (the category was, until
Song Kang Ho. It is mere hours before
this year, known as ‘Best Foreign Language
his cast will set records again as the first
Film’), one season after Lee Chang-dong’s
ensemble of a non-English language
Burning was the first to make the shortlist.
movie to win SAG’s top prize, bringing
This, perhaps, is the most surprising
the dream just that little bit closer. And
statistic considering the healthy film
while the film’s astonishing players missed
industry of South Korea, which celebrated
out on individual recognition from the
its 100 anniversary in 2019. Filmmakers
Motion Picture Academy—perpetuating
like Park Chan-wook, Hong Sang-soo and
a dispiriting tradition for Asian-fronted,
Im Kwon-taek, to name a few, have been
Oscar-friendly movies like Crouching Tiger,
contributing to a golden age of Korean
Hidden Dragon and Slumdog Millionaire—it
cinema that has run for decades now.
seems fair to say that, no matter what
th
But maybe there’s something to the Academy’s rebranding of this category that suggests barriers like language
happens on February 9th, Parasite’s place in motion picture history is assured. I begin by sounding off Parasite’s
are breaking down in an increasingly
extraordinary achievements, and ask the
globalized filmmaking world. Parasite is
question I am sure Bong and Song have
also the first Korean movie nominated
been chewing over for a while…
for Best Picture, and only the sixth film not in English to take nominations in both
There is something decidedly different
categories. While no foreign language
about the trajectory of this movie,
movie has ever pulled off a Best Picture
making history for Korean cinema.
win, it was only last year that Alfonso
What has changed?
Cuarón’s Roma spent its season as a key
Bong Joon Ho: I never planned this. When
frontrunner for the prize, with Cuarón
I was preparing this movie, there was no
ultimately claiming Best Director and Best
plan. I just wanted to make my seventh
Foreign Language Film. Among Parasite’s
feature film. When I shot the film, I shot it
six-strong haul of Oscar nominations,
as I’ve always done, just hoping it would
Bong is also nominated for Best Director
then lead to my eighth, ninth and tenth
and, along with co-writer Han Jin Won,
features. But then we went to Cannes
Best Original Screenplay.
and we won the Palme d’Or, and that’s
On the day of this year’s
when we found out that it was also the
nominations, Bong told me he felt like
centennial of Korean cinema. When that
he was living inside Inception. “Soon
happened, the U.S. distributor, NEON,
I’m going to wake up and realize this
said, “Parasite is going to be summoned to
was all a dream, I’m still in the middle
awards season regardless of whether you
of Parasite and all the equipment is
want it or not.” We were sort of forced to
malfunctioning. I see the catering truck
begin this whole journey [laughs]. It really
on fire and I’m wailing.”
wasn’t something we were anticipating at all. To be honest, I never plan; I never expect it. It just sort of happened. But it’s not a bad thing, I suppose.
“YOU CAN SAY THAT THIS IS THE EXCEPTION FOR KOREAN CINEMA, OR ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU CAN SAY THAT THE KOREAN INDUSTRY HAS BEEN GRADUALLY PREPARING FOR THIS MOMENT BY MAINTAINING A VERY ROBUST INDUSTRY.” —BONG JOON HO
You can say that this is the exception for Korean cinema, or on the other hand, you can say that the Korean industry has been gradually preparing for this moment by maintaining a very robust industry, so the moment that was meant to come has finally come with Parasite, and maybe this can happen again for Korean cinema. It isn’t so long ago that the government of South Korea held a blacklist that had your name on it, Bong, along with some 10,000 names of filmmakers deemed to be critical of the administration, and those people D E A D L I N E .C O M / AWA R D S L I N E
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