- The Korean film Parasite won Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars, defeating other nominees like 1917, Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood, Little Women, and The Irishman.
- Director Bong Joon-ho also took home the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards.
It happened, folks. Bong Joon-ho's masterful, biting social thriller Parasite just pulled off a historic upset to win Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars.
Parasite is the first foreign language film ever to win Best Picture. Its nomination in the category already made history, since it's the first Korean film ever to be recognized in the Best Picture field—following its Cannes debut last year, where it also became the first Korean film ever to win the Palme d'Or.
As the cast and crew accepted the trophy at tonight's ceremony, producer Kwak Sin-ae expressed her gratitude and noted that this history-making event could usher in much-needed change at the Oscars. "I feel like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now," she said.
Producer Miky Lee also praised their fearless director. "Hi everybody, I'd like to thank director Bong," she said. "Thank you for being you. I like everything about him: his crazy hair, the way he talks, the way he walks, and especially the way he directs. What I really like about him is his sense of humor and the fact he can be not taking himself too seriously."
Earlier in the evening, the film also won the award for Best Original Screenplay. "Writing a script is a very lonely process," Bong said in his inspiring speech. "You never write to represent your country — but this is the very first Oscar for South Korea. I thank my wife for always being an inspiration to me. I thank all the actors who are with me today for bringing this film to life."
Later, Bong appeared onstage again to accept the award for Best International Film, which was renamed this year from Best Foreign Film. Bong noted that he was "so happy to be its first recipient under the new name. I applaud and support the new direction that this change symbolizes."
In case you somehow haven't yet seen Parasite, a) rectify that immediately, please, and b) the film centers on a working class family struggling to survive in Seoul, who collectively con their way into working for an obscenely wealthy family. Along with its big win, Parasite also picked up several other awards this evening including Best Screenplay and Best Director.
This caps a momentous awards season for the film, which has won a number of other accolades including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay at the BAFTAs, and became the first non-English film ever to win the Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture.
