'Parasite' makes history by winning four Oscars including Best Picture

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'Parasite's' cast and crew assembled on stage after the Best Picture award was announced.

It was a historic night for the South Korean movie Parasite. It won four Academy Awards, including the most prestigious award, Best Picture, the first Asian film to win that prize.

Parasite, a black comedy about class bias, also won Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best International Feature. Director Bong Joon-Ho's win was the first Oscar for a Korean filmmaker.

The last director of Asian descent to win Best Director and Best Picture was Taiwanese American Ang Lee for Life of Pi in 2013.

“Just to be nominated was a huge honor,” Bold told the audience through an interpreter when he won the director's Oscar. “I never thought I would win.”

“I will drink until next morning,” he joked.

Parasite's Best Picture award was well received by the celebrity-filled audience although it was predicted that the Oscar would go to the big-budget spectacle 1917. 

When the award was announced, the Parasite's cast and crew assembled on the stage as producer Kwak Sin-ae said through a translator, "I'm speechless. We never imagined this to ever happen, we are so happy. I feel like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now. I express my deepest gratitude and respect for all the members of the Academy for making this decision."

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Bong Joon-Ho won an Oscar for directing 'Parasite.'

Kazu Hiro won an Oscar for Hair and Makeup who, along with Vivan Baker and Anne Morgan, won for their work in Bombshell. It was the second oscar for Hiro, who had previouisly won for Churchill in 2018.

The evening saw the first Maori, Taika Waititi, to win an Oscar for best adapted screenplay for the film Jojo Rabbit. Waititi dedicated his award to "All the indigenous kids of the world who want to do art and dance and write stories. We are the original storytellers, and we can make it here (Hollywood) as well."

Later in the evening when he presented one of the awards, he reminded the audience that the ceremonies were taking place "on the ancestral lands of the Tongva, Tataviam and the Chumash.

Diversity and inclusion was an underlying them for the evening when Monae sang the opening number, she reminded the audience of the Academy's shortcomings. "It's time to come alive," sang Janelle Monáe in the show's opening number, "because the Oscars is so white!"

Although Parasite won the major awards for the night, none of its cast was nominated for individual acting awards. The movie's cast had previously won Best Acting Ensemble at the Golden Globes.

Of the 20 acting nominations, this year, only one, Cynthia Evio, was an actor of color for her work in Harriet. No women had been nominated for Best Director despite several Oscar-worthy movies directed by women, including Lulu Wang for The Farewell and Greta Gerwig for Little Women.

'Parasite' cast receives standing ovation at SAG gala

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Five members of the Parasite cast received a two-minute standing ovation.

Song Kang-ho, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-sik, Lee Sun-kyun and Lee Jung-eun were surprised to receive a two-minute standing ovation when they took the stage to introduce their movie, the movie, Parasite, at the 2020 SAG Awards Sunday night.

The reception from their peers was a harbinger for things to come later in the evening when the Parasite cast won the best ensemble in a movie award, making history as the first non-English film to win that accolade.

The win by the South Korean film was the only award given to actors of color at the star-studded Sunday night ceremonies. Despite the warm, spontaneous reception of the movie's cast, none of the film's actors received individual nominations.

The prestigious SAG award was given to the 10-member cast of the dark comedy, including Chang Hyae-jin, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Jung Hyeon-jun, Jung Ziso, Lee Jung-eun, Lee Sun-kyun, Park Myung-hoon, Park So-dam and Song Kang-ho.

"Although the title is Parasite, I think the story is about co-existence, and how we can all live together," Song said through a translator. "But to be honored with a Best Ensemble award, it occurs to me that maybe we haven’t created such a bad movie. I am so honored to receive this award in front of such amazing actors that I admire, I will never forget this beautiful night, thank you so much.” 

Choi Woo-shik, who plays Ki-woo, the poor family's son, said he hoped that this meant more recognition for foreign language films going forward. “Other than us, there are so many legends out there in foreign countries. I really truly hope that after this moment, maybe next year, we can see more foreign-language films and Asian films,” according to Deadline.

Parasite director Bong Joon-ho acted like a proud father as he taped the standing ovation from his table. 

Later, backstage, Bong was asked if the SAG award would increase the chances of winning an Academy Award.

“It is true that the momentum is building, and we are a part of the awards race, but I think today was truly important as these actors were acknowledged by fellow peers and that’s the greatest joy of this night. With regard to the Oscars, no one can predict what will happen,” he said through a translator.

Korean movie 'Parasite' wins six Oscar nominations, Awkwafina snubbed

Parasite' by Bong Joon -ho

The six Oscar nominations for the South Korean movie Parasite will not be enough to hide the lack of diversity among the Academy Award nominees.
Of the four acting categories with 20 nominations, there was only one actor of color, Cynthia Erivo in Harriet, a film about Harriet Tubman.

It was widely expected that Awkwafina, who had just won a Golden Globe, for her performance in The Farewell, would be among the nominees. Also giving a Oscar-worthy performance last year was Jennifer Lopez, for her role in Hustlers.

The snub of the two actresses gave resurgence of #OscarsSoWhite, which went viral on social media two years ago when all the acting nominees were white.

Jojo Rabbit, directed, written and produced by New Zealander Taika Waititi, was also nominated for best picture.

Largely though, Parasite almost had to carry the diversity flag by itslef.

The dark comedy -- a metaphor for class inequality -- also nabbed nominations for best director, best picture, best original screenplay, film editing, production design, and international feature film.

Again, with all those nominations speaking to the quality and originality of the film, none of it's excellent cast earned a nomination for acting.

Parasite's Bong Joon-Ho became the first Korean director to get an Oscar nomination for best director and his movie is the first movie from South Korea to get a best picture nomination.

Besides actors of color, the Oscars snubbed an entire gender in the directing category which consisted of all men.

The directing nominations left out Greta Gerwig, who helmed the successful Little Women remake, The Farewell's Lulu Wang and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood director Marielle Heller, among other notable entries.

Ironically, making the nominee announcements Monday morning were John Cho and Issa Ray to perhaps to show how serious the academy is about inclusion.

In other categories:

Best song: "Into The Unknown" from Frozen II, with Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, a Filipino American.

St. Louis Superman snagged a nomination In the short documentary category. The film was directed by Smriti Mundhra and Sami Kha, tells the story of black rapper and activist Bruce Franks, who was inspired to run for office by the unrest in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014. 

In the same category, another entry from South Korea In the Absence by Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam was nominated. Its about the aftermath of the ferry sinking where 300 passengers lost their lives.

Maori director Taika Waititi earned a nomination for his screenplay adaptation for Jojo Rabbit, about a Nazi summer camp for children.

In the best animated short category, Dcera (Daughter) by Takikistan director Daria Kashceeva as did Sister by Siqi Song.

The 92nd Oscars will be Sunday, Feb. 9, in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

Awkwafina's Golden Globe win is a first for an Asian American actress

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Awkwafina backstage acknowledges the historic recognition.

It was an historic moment in Asian American history when Awkwafina won the Golden Globe for an Actress in A Musical or Comedy for her role in American production, The Farewell.

She became the first actress of Asian descent to win that award. Last year, Constance Wu was nominated in the same category for her role in Crazy Rich Asians but didn't win.

Sandra Oh also won a Golden Globe last year for "Killing Eve" in the Best Actress in a TV Dramatic Series.

Awkwafina, better known for her comedic roles, challenged herself with the dramatic role of Billi, an Asian American who visits her family in China and her grandmother who doesn't know that she is dying from cancer.

Clasping her award, she joked, "If I fall upon hard times I can sell this, so that’s good.”

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Awkwafina publicly thanked 'The Farewell's' director Lulu Wang, left, and costar Zhao Shuzhen.

She thanked the movie's director Lulu Wang, who also wrote the script based on her own real-life experience. She told Wang, "You gave me this chance -- the chance of a lifetime."

Backstage, Awkwafina when told about the historic nature of her award, she said, “I just heard that fact and it was pretty mind blowing,” she began. “There’s also this other feeling that you want there to be more, and I hope this is just the beginning.”

“Immigrants in this country who were raised to feel very American ... and when we go back where, you know, we’re told that you don’t belong here and you go back to where you belong,” she continued.

”You feel like a stranger there and this constant feeling of being lost in translation. And I think that’s what really resonated with me in The Farewell.”

Awkwafna's recognition was celebrated by a host of fellow Asian Americans in the entertainment industry.

The Farewell was also nominated in the Best Foreign Language Movie category but lost out to the South Korean thriller Parasite. It was the first time a South Korean film won a Golden Globe.

Accepting the award was Bong Joon-ho, who was also nominated for Best Director. speaking through an interpreter, Bong Joon-ho said, "Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films,"  

"Just being nominated along with fellow, amazing international filmmakers was a huge honor."

The filmmaker then added in English, "I think we use only one language: the cinema."

Earlier in the day, Parasite, which opened in October to ecstatic review, also was named the year’s best film by the National Society of Film Critics. With the Golden Globe Award, it has increased its chances of being nominated for an Academy Award, either in Best Movie or Best Foreign Movie categories. 

Awkwafina's name has already been bruited about as a nominee in the Best Actress award for an Oscar, but competition is stiff. Unlike the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards doesn't separate comedic roles from dramatic roles and competition is very stiff.

With the exception for awards for Awkwafina and Parasite, the Golden Globe awardees were almost colorless. No African American or Latino actors or projects won in the major categories. That raises the question of the diversity of the 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who vote for the Golden Globes.

Except for 'Parasite,' SAG nominations snub Asian shows, actors

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American actress Awkwafina drew praise for her performance in 'The Farewell.'

The Screen Actors Guild overlooked the work of Asians and Asian Americans this year in its nominations for SAG Awards. The nominations for the awards were announced Thursday (Dec. 11) with the noticeable omission of some some strong performances by AAPI actors.

The Farewell's Awkwafina, who just a few days ago nabbed a nomination as an actress for the Golden Globes and was named one of the Entertainers of the Year by Entertainment Weekly, didn't even merit a mention by her acting peers.

It's hard to fathom what changed on Killing Eve from 2018 to 2019? Sandra Oh, who won last year as Best Actress for her role in Killing Eve, was omitted this year. However, her costar Jodie Comer, like in the Golden Globes, earned a nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series.Was it the blonde's turn, or what?

BBC

Same role, same actor, same outstanding performance, but Sandra Oh was skipped over by the Screen Actors Guild.

I love The Walking Dead, but it's nomination in the Stunts or Action in a Television Series is puzzling. How can  clobbering zombies in the head compare to the outstanding Hong Kong-style martial arts, with its choreography of leaps and bounds that was the mainstay of Into the Badlands?

My personal favorite, Joel Dela Fuente's unstereotypical, nuanced portrayal of Kempeitai Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido in The Man in the High Castle was overlooked. Apparently, not enough voters caught the show on Hulu to appreciate the most complete, most-rounded Asian character on TV.

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE

Joel dela Fuente didn't resort to stereotypes for his role in 'The Man in the High Castle.'

To be fair, the lack of any Asian or Asian American nominations speaks to the shortage of productions showcasing Asian and Asian American actors. In comparison to the hundreds of productions for white actors and the dozens of productions featuring black performers, productions featuring dramatic or comedic opportunities for Asian and Asian American actors can still be counted in one, maybe two, hands.

This year, there was no production to equal The Assassination of Gianni Versace -- in terms of exposure to the American public -- which earned Filipino American actor Darren Chris a bevy of awards last year for portraying the gay, delusional, flamboyant killer Filipino American Andrew Cunanan, a once-in-a-lifetime role.

Unlike the Oscars, which are influenced by PR contests between studios and sometimes dubbed a popularity contest, the SAG Awards are supposed to be given to acting performances as voted by other actors. Or, maybe, Hollywood voters, which make up most of SAG's membership, have an aversion films where you have to read subtitles.

Director Bong Joon-Ho, left, and the cast of 'Parasite' at the Cannes Film Festival.

Thank goodness for Bong Joon-Ho's movie, Parasite, or otherwise, Asian and Asian American actors would be completely shut out this year. Parasite's Korean cast was nominated for Best Ensemble Cast in A Dramatic Movie. 

Its hard to explain some of the nominations and why some worthy performances overlooked. Perhaps it tells more about the viewing habits of actors that lean in favor of English accents, histrionics over subtlety, familiar faces and the uncomplicated, tried and tested themes over something new and different, ie. the Asian or Asian American experience.

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