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Oscars 2020: An ode to South Korea
The high’s, the low’s & the so-so’s
As the Oscar season arrived, the nervous excitement surrounding Hollywood Boulevard was palpable. Just like every year, this year too, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences has received flak for ignoring representation and inclusivity in its list of nominees. However, that was all about to change once the sea of stars descended upon the glittering red carpet to attend what has become the ‘most awaited’ (and most coveted) televised award ceremony in the history of showbiz.
Taking a cue from last year, the 2020 Academy awards (Oscars) continued the tradition of a ‘hostless ceremony’. For all the backlash against diversity that the academy has received in the past, it certainly made an effort to put up a ‘diverse and inclusive’ show. A spirited performance by Janelle Monae opened the show with the the-me of ‘Tonight we come alive’ (tribute to Black History Mon-th) and certain self-deprecating humor at the academy’s expense (Courtesy: Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Kristen Wig, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus) kept the momentum going.
“Cynthia did such a great job in Harriett hiding black people, that the academy got her to hide all the black nominees!” Chris Rock
The expected so-so’s didn’t disappoint. Joaquin Phoenix and Brad Pitt have had a trailblazing year with Joker and Once Upon a time in Hollywood respectively. After sweeping all the best actor and supporting actor awards this season, including Golden Globes and SAG, it was pretty much expected that both will be walking home with their first Oscars. While Pitt seemed overwhelmed with emotion and thanked his director Quentin Tarantino along with the stuntmen on the film, Phoenix spoke about the systematic animal cruelty that human beings have become complacent towards. Laura Dern won in the supporting actress category for Marriage Story, which was immediately followed by a surprise performance of ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem! (a low, since he was not in his best form). Roger Deakins took home his second cinematography Oscar for 1917 (this was his 15th nomination!) while Rene Zellweger won the best actress for her portrayal of Judy Garland.
However, in a surprise turn of events and a much needed high, Parasite became the first international film featuring an all Asian cast to sweep four major awards (incl: best original screenplay, best international film, best director and best picture) while Taika Waititi won the best adapted screenplay award for his film Jojo Rabbit, becoming the first Maori to win an Oscar in the process. If that wasn’t enough, Hildur Gudnadotter won the best original score for Joker, being the only woman nominee in an all-male roster. Bong Joon-Ho acknowledged his fellow directing nominees and raised a toast to Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.
All in all, it was a historic night in ways more than one! Parasite has indeed created history by becoming not only the first South Korean film to be recognized by the Academy, but also the second in the world to win best picture (Academy) and Palm d’or (Cannes). For a change, #oscarssowhite didn’t trend highly on Twitter and diversity seemed to be the flavor of the show. That’s a thumbs-up!
The writer is a producer, actor and director. He lives in New York.