[Interview③] CEO Kwak Sin-ae "Four Oscar Trophies with Bong Joon-ho's Name"

[Lee Isul, Entertainment Reporter]

CEO Kwak Shin-ae shared the atmosphere she experienced in Hollywood.

On the afternoon of the 20th, CEO Kwak Shin-ae spoke about various stories related to the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" (director Bong Joon-ho) at a press conference held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Looking back on the Oscar race that day, CEO Kwak said, “I arrived in the U.S. on January 2nd ahead of the Golden Globes. When I went to the venue on the 5th, our table was crowded. Many people came over to shake hands and take pictures. Their eyes were not calm but passionate. Most of the people who came to the table were like that,” she recalled.

CEO Kwak added, “At first, I wondered, ‘Why is this happening?’ but as time passed, I really felt that people liked the ‘Parasite’ team.”

Regarding winning four Oscars, CEO Kwak said with a smile, “We received trophies in four categories with director Bong Joon-ho’s name on them. People who were enthusiastic about ‘Parasite’ probably thought, ‘What if Bong Joon-ho doesn’t get a trophy?’ so they voted in categories with his name.”

“Parasite” made history for Korean cinema by winning four Oscars?Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film (formerly Best Foreign Language Film)?at the 92nd Academy Awards held on the 9th (Korean time, the 10th) at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

“Parasite” is a film that tells the story of two families whose encounter begins when Ki-woo, the eldest son of the Ki-taek family, all unemployed, steps into the house of the Park family for a high-priced tutoring interview, which then escalates into uncontrollable events.

Additionally, “Parasite” was the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, and Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Not in the English Language at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards.