South Koreans Celebrate Parasite's Historic 'Best Picture' Win
South Koreans are celebrating "Parasite’s" big victory at the 92nd Academy Awards after director Bong Joon-ho took home one of the ceremony’s most prestigious accolades — the Oscar for Best Picture.
After winning three other Academy Awards - Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay - Bong took the stage in Hollywood to accept his fourth and final award - Best Picture on Feb. 9.
His acceptance speech, although short, included at least one good quip: “I thought I was done for the day and was ready to relax,” Bong said. “I will drink until the next morning.”
In Seoul, South Koreans took to Twitter and other social media to rave about the film’s historic wins. Parasite is the first-ever foreign language film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, and the first South Korean film to win anything at the Oscars at all. Bong’s name quickly started trending on Korean Twitter while theaters around Seoul hastily announced that they will begin screening "Parasite" once again, nearly nine months after it first premiered.
“Personally, as a Korean, I’m very proud that 'Parasite' won this award,” Woo Ye-jin, a 25-year-old university student working in a cafe, told VOA News. “The movie seems to have really caught the hearts of Koreans and foreigners abroad.”
South Korean President Moon Jae-in tweeted his congratulations shortly after Bong’s speech, stating, “I am proud of director Bong Joonho, the actors and crew. I am especially grateful to them for instilling pride and courage in our people as we come together to weather difficulties.”
OSCAR WINNERS 2020: THE COMPLETE LIST
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Toy Story 4
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Parasite
BEST ANIMATED SHORT Hair Love
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
BEST DOCUMENTARY
American Factory
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Laura Dern, Marriage Story
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 1917 – WINNER
BEST SOUND EDITING Ford v Ferrari
BEST SOUND MIXING
1917 – WINNER
BEST FILM EDITING Ford v Ferrari
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Parasite – WINNER
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Joker – WINNER
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
I’m Gonna Love Me Again, Rocketman – WINNER
BEST ACTOR Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
BEST ACTRESS
Renée Zellweger, Judy – WINNER
BEST DIRECTOR Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
BEST PICTURE Parasite – WINNER