Bong Joon Ho created history as the first Korean director to receive four Oscars awards simultaneously with his thriller hit “Parasite.” During the 2020 Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood last Sunday, the director won Best Director while his satirical thriller received Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Original Screenplay.
In the 92 years of the Academy Awards, Parasite’s run during the Oscars night marked the first for the South Korean film industry, shattering numerous records. Bong amazingly tied with Walt Disney as the only person to win four awards in one night.
He expressed his glee after receiving the Best Director award, saying, “Thank you. I will drink until the next morning, thank you.”
Yearly, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) recognizes various films for their excellence in cinematic achievements. The Academy Awards, more commonly known as “the Oscars,” are awards for technical and artistic merit in the international film industry assessed by the Academy’s voting membership.
“Parasite” follows Kim Ki Woo, played by Choi Woo Shik, a promising young man who works as a private teacher for the wealthy Park family. With greed and class discrimination, Ki Woo hatches a deceitful plan to secure that his sister, mother, and father are all employed by the Parks. The Kim family work their way into the world of the Parks observing wealth and happily spoiling themselves. Parasite builds into a crescendo, much like many of Bong’s works leading to a dizzying climax.
The Korean director spent his speech thanking his fellow nominees, including Martin Scorsese for “The Irishman,” who was a significant influence in his studies. He also gave a heartwarming shoutout to Quentin Tarantino, director of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” wishing that he had a “Texas chainsaw” so he could divide the statuette into pieces and share them with the other nominees.
It’s official! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/yToYNDV9aL
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 10, 2020
Since winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May last year, Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite has been invited to 57 award events and film festivals around the globe, collecting 55 trophies and recognitions.
The suspense movie won the “Best Foreign Language” film at the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards at the same time in January. The film also nabbed awards for original screenplay and non-English film at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards. Bong also tied with Mendes for “Best Director” during the Critics’ Choice Awards.
Film critics and moviegoers across the world highly acclaimed Parasite, grossing over $165 million (195 billion won) in the worldwide box office.
Bong Joon Ho is also known for directing Snowpiercer, The Host, Memories of Murder, and Okja.
