[2020 Academy] "Victory of the World" "History of the Oscars" Parasite Wins Praise from Foreign Media

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jong-gil] “A win for the world.” This is how the Associated Press described the news of Parasite’s four Academy Awards. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite won four awards, including Best Picture, at the 92nd Academy Awards held on the 9th (local time) at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. This is the first time in Oscar history that a non-English language film has won Best Picture. It overcame both the barrier of subtitles and the Academy’s conservative traditions in Hollywood, the center of the global film industry.

Foreign media urgently reported this historic achievement as major news. The AP stated, “Parasite is the first non-English language film to win Best Picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards,” calling it “a win for the world.” It added, “As the title suggests, Parasite attached itself to the American film awards season and ultimately to history, captivating Oscar voters (members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, AMPAS). It marked a turning point for the American film awards, which had long been content to undervalue foreign films.”

The AP compared this win to Moonlight, which won Best Picture three years ago, beating the then-favored La La Land. It explained, “This result came amid criticism that the Academy Awards lacked diversity among nominees and that female filmmakers were not even nominated.” It further evaluated, “Parasite’s victory enables a dramatic change in Hollywood and a different kind of progress than before.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Wall Street Journal commented, “Parasite’s win seems to promise a ‘more inclusive Oscar,’ as demanded by those who have criticized AMPAS.” It highlighted Bong’s remarks upon receiving the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, saying, “The ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category at the Academy Awards has been renamed ‘Best International Feature Film.’ I think the changed name symbolizes something. I support the direction of the Oscars.”

CNN reported, “Parasite will be remembered in Oscar history for winning Best Picture.” It stated, “Parasite proved to be overwhelmingly strong compared to its competitors,” and “Until now, only eleven international films had been nominated for Best Picture, but Parasite became the first non-English language film to win Best Picture.” It also noted that Bong Joon-ho is the first Korean to win the Oscar for Best Picture, urging, “Prepare a party for Bong Joon-ho!”

The New York Times said, “No Korean film had ever been nominated for Hollywood’s top award until now,” and evaluated, “Parasite’s win shows AMPAS’s growing interest in international films.”