AJA Welcomes Bong Joon-Ho’s Film
South Korea: On a glorious day for Asia, Asian films have moved forward, affirming the new spirit of creativity, determination and triumph that is lifting the continent above the manifestations of hardships and the fodder of cynics.
“Parasite”, Bong Joon-Ho’s South Korean social comedy thriller, has made history by becoming the first foreign-language film to break the English language barrier and win the much-coveted Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film.
The film that narrates the tragicomic story of two families, one rich and one poor, who become entangled in a string of mishaps, last year became the first South Korean film to win the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
In a series of other firsts for South Korea, the film was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture, best international feature (formerly known as best foreign-language film) and best director.
“Parasite” had received 55 awards at the 57 film festivals and events in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East where it was invited.
Director Bong received the best original screenplay award at both the Writers Guild of America Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards.
The Asia Journalists Association (AJA) welcomes this resounding triumph for the film’s talented ensemble cast superbly directed by Bong Joon-Ho, for the Asian film industry in general and for South Korea in particular.
AJA members representing the rich diversity and cultural pluralism of Asia media, literacy and arts warmly congratulate the director and his team on their achievement.
Last year, AJA recognized the merits of Bong Joon-Ho and awarded him the Asian of the Year Award for the film that has been sensationally re-writing the history of South Korean and Asian cinema.
The eclectic director Bong said he wanted to tell a story about a stratified society through two families at the extreme ends.
His merit was not to remain confined by cinematic traditions and to venture into a new area by “illustrating the lives of two extreme families without using socioeconomic words, like polarization.” Recent Asian films have been showing through inspiring plots and impressive subplots that the notion of Asia being a fundamentally static continent is erroneous and fails to appreciate the ever-evolving dynamics of Asian countries across politics, economy, gender, class and religion.
Film message often characterize the dynamics of everyday existence, including ways for Asians, rich and poor, sophisticated and simple, to negotiate the challenges posed by stereotypes, to survive stigma, to overcome all forms of conflicts and to confront the common threat of terrorism.
AJA is keen on the international community going beyond the dominant views, being cognizant of various narratives about Asia, and acquiring greater and highly significant insights into Asia’s culture and arts.
Such an attitude will enable the world to move well beyond basic notions of dealing with Asia, to learn more about the evolving nature of contemporary Asian societies, to develop the capacity to engage with them and to interact positively with their cultures, arts and civilizations. Congratulations to “Parasite” for showing the way forward.
