[Movie 2019] Parasite, 기생충 - First Korean film to win Palme D'or, Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA, and Oscars

[widala]

*This article contains spoilers for PARASITE.

 

Coming on stage at the Cannes Film Festival with Director BONG Joon-ho and lead actor SONG Kang-ho to receive the Palme d’Or this year was KWAK Sin-ae, CEO of Barunson E&A, the production company that supervised PARASITE. It was the third time she was credited as a film executive producer, following KWAK Kyung-taek’s RV: Resurrected Victims (2017) and UM Tae-hwa’s VANISHING TIME: A BOY WHO RETURNED (2016) But as it turns out, she has been a regular fixture in Korean cinema, taking on a variety roles such as film journalist, planner, producer and marketer over a career spanning 20 years. On a day when it had just been reported that PARASITE was performing well abroad, specifically in France and Vietnam, we met with KWAK Sin-ae to talk of her relationship with BONG Joon-ho and PARASITE. We also tried to know more about the future plans for Barunson E&A, which has been a regular presence in Cannes with films like KIM Jee-woon’s The Good, The Bad, And The Weird (2008) and CHANG’s The Target (2014).

 

PARASITE has now been crowned as a 10-million admission film in Korea. It has also been reported that the film is having the highest attendance for a Korean production in France. What are the schedules for the next releases abroad?

It was first released in France and then in June in 9 countries, including Switzerland, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore and Taiwan. In July, it was released successively in Russia, Thailand and Malaysia, among others. We are also currently in talks with China. The distribution rights to PARASITE have been sold to more than 200 countries, which makes it one of the more well-received Palme d’Or winners by the market. As a result, there is a general haste to release it as soon as possible in each country.

 

You have now become the most eminent executive producer thanks to PARASITE. You have previously been a film journalist, a marketer, a planner, a producer… So, how would KWAK Sin-ae the executive producer introduce herself?

It’s not like I had a grand plan to work across all areas (laughs). Looking back, I had the vague idea of entering the core part of the film industry since my days working as a film journalist at film magazine Kino. I wanted to find a job that would allow for me to get involved in films before they come into being. And so, shelving my journalist life, I created the PR company Barun Life and took my first step into the industry. That’s how I started working in films, and the choices I made on occasion to keep it as my livelihood until now brought me here today. For that reason, I am an office worker who, as a professional filmmaker, strives to not be pushed out of the industry.

 

What kind of connection did you have with BONG Joon-ho prior to PARASITE?

I have met BONG Joon-ho many times before in private (KWAK’s husband is film director JUNG Ji-woo, and her brother KWAK Kyung-taek Ed.). But I think that the way we already knew each other before mattered more than our personal connection. Back in 1995, when I was a film journalist, BONG was an up-and-coming new director who had just released a short film. And so, BONG remembered me as the “journalist who pens the most intelligible pieces in Kino”, while I thought of him as the “remarkable new director who made Incoherence at the Korean Academy of Film Arts”. Later on, when I entered the film industry, he was still remembering me in such a way that he would said, “So that’s what KWAK Sin-ae from Kino has been up to”. I was also a fan of BONG, believing that he had a promising career ahead and looking for it.

 

When was it that you really started to discuss the production of PARASITE?

When BONG was doing pre-production on Snowpiercer (2013) at Moho Film, PARK Chan-wook’s company, he would visit our office every once in a while since it was close by. From then on, we would exchange light talks in such a way that suggested we would work together on a film he had in the works and that would be shot in Korea. And then, toward April 2015, BONG made me a formal offer by showing me a treatment for PARASITE. Until then, I only had a vague sense that we might do it eventually.

 

It is BONG Joon-ho’s first Korean film in ten years. Wasn’t it a burden?

We offered a sacrifice to the spirits before starting production, and I heard BONG say then that he felt he had come back home. BONG for his part seemed to be very comfortable rather than having any pressure. The films he made in the States had a scale of initial production costs much bigger than ours, and for a film director, big production costs mean more matters they has to determine and an increase in workload. By comparison, PARASITE constituted a film that could be made with ease, without any burden. What’s more, BONG Joon-ho is the type of person that knows well every aspect of the production process, so it was rather me, the newbie executive producer, who relied on him a lot.

 

I’m curious about the atmosphere on the set.

I watched around 80% of the shoot, and the atmosphere was joyful every time we had ten actors or more gathered there. Based on this, it was a pleasure and happiness to contribute to a film from BONG Joon-ho. Besides, we had to keep the synopsis of the film secret, right? Come to think of it, this could only make the cohesion between the actors and staff members stronger. You couldn’t say a word about it anywhere else, so it made people more talkative when it was just us on the set. (laughs)

Although PARASITE is a very Korean film, it has been very well received at film festivals and by audiences abroad. Was there a different approach in terms of marketing?

Nothing particular. First of all, the basement at the PARK’s is a setting familiar to the Americans as well, since they have panic rooms. Even something like “Taiwan Castella” was instantly understood as a troubled franchise. It might be difficult for the audiences in Taiwan and Korea to see a separation between their own lives and the film, but overseas audiences probably understand it a bit more as a genre film. For instance, we enjoy watching Ki-taek’s family carrying out their plan to get Mun-gwang fired as if it was a scene from an opera or a musical. The audience broke out in applause at the end of that scene even at the Cannes Film Festival. We don’t see that kind of reaction in Korea. There is also the scene where Mun-gwang tumbles down the stairs, which is difficult to watch even for me, but it is considered overseas as one of the funny scenes.

 

On which ground do you chose your films?

If I think that I really want to watch the next project of a director, that it would be interesting, and if I judge possible for it to exceed the break-even point, then I decide to produce it. UM Tae-hwa’s VANISHING TIME: A BOY WHO RETURNED (2016) was like that. UM Tae-hwa has something inherently unique to him, and I find and find this extremely attractive. I often fall for artists who have that uniqueness to them. Executive producers ultimately have the role of looking after creators, and it would be difficult to take care of people you don’t fall in love with, isn’t it? However, this being my first production, there were parts that were lacking, no matter how much I prepared in advance. That’s why VANISHING TIME: A BOY WHO RETURNED (2016) has remained a title that compels me to keep replaying and analyzing the game in my head. Doing this helped me a lot with PARASITE, directly and indirectly.

[rubie]

August 6, 2019

 

"Parasite" Moves Director Bong Joon-ho to #3 on the All-time Spot for Highest Performing South Korean Directors

 

By William Schwartz on HanCinema.net

 

 

With the surprise success of "Parasite" Bong Joon-ho has jumped to third place in the all-time list for most admissions by a South Korean director at the South Korean box office. Though Bong Joon-ho's reputation is mainly as an artistic director, his films have enjoyed widespread appeal thanks to blockbusters like "The Host" and "Snowpiercer".

Number one is Kim Yong-hwa, who most obviously owes his position to "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" and "Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days", though he has also had more minor hits to his credit, such as "200 Pounds Beauty" and "Take Off". His next movie, "Mt. Baekdu", finished shooting two years ago and is expected to release during the winter season.

 

Director Choi Dong-hoon of "The Thieves" and "Assassination" is next in line at number two. He also made "Tazza: The High Rollers" and "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard". Unfortunately, he has not had much luck getting his next film off the ground. "Wiretap" had to be suspended when star Kim Woo-bin became ill with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and "Alien" is still in search of a cast. The scenario is not science fiction, the brief title more accurately translates as Outsider.

 

JK Youn at number four was responsible for the major movies "Haeundae" and "Ode to My Father", in addition to smaller popular films from earlier in his career like "Sex Is Zero". Lately he's been working more in producing than as a director. His currently listed future projects, "Hero - 2018" and "Return - 2019", are nowhere near finished with the necessary preproduction work.

 

Ryoo Seung-wan at number five is also focusing on the production end at the moment, having built up his viewer number on major action movies like "Veteran" and "The Berlin File", and having worked with smaller scale popular action movies earlier in his career. His next movie, "Escape", is currently still in the planning stages.

 

Written by William Schwartz

[widala]

https://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-news-parasite-to-be-screened-at-new-york-film-festival-132360-amp.html#click=https://t.co/Om2kE5zQ9V

 

[HanCinema's News] "Parasite" to Be Screened at New York Film Festival

"Parasite" has been confirmed to be making an appearance at the New York Film Festival this year. The movie was announced on August 6th to be screened in the festival's closing night section.

The New York Film Festival will be ongoing from September 27th to October 13th. The public American screening will be the first opportunity for "Parasite" to capitalize on the hype from winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in its likely bid for the Best Foreign Film Oscar at the Academy Awards.

Domestically "Parasite" grossed over ten million viewers in South Korea earlier this year. The story deals with a poor, but cheerful family that tries to improve their economic outlook by worming their way into being the financial beneficiaries of a rich family.

 

Written by William Schwartz

[rubie]

August 12, 2019

 

Song Kang-ho honored with Excellence Award from Swiss film fest

SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean actor Song Kang-ho has been awarded the Excellence Award at this year's Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, the organizers said Tuesday.

 

Song became the first Asian actor to earn the Swiss film fest's special award that goes to actors or actresses whose work and talent have contributed to enriching the cinema industry.

 

Internationally acclaimed silver-screen stars like Susan Sarandon, John Malkovich, Edward Norton, Bill Pullman and Ethan Hawke are among the past laureates.

 

In this photo by the EPA, South Korean actor Song Kang-ho poses after winning the Excellence Award at the 72nd Locarno International Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland, on Aug. 12, 2019.

"It's an honor to receive this great, meaningful award from the time-honored Locarno Film Festival," Song said in an awards ceremony held Monday (local time) at Palexpo hall in Locarno, Switzerland. "I'm so grateful that this place is filled with traces of many world renowned actors and actresses."

 

Song said he wants to attribute this glory to director Bong Joon-ho, who chose him in a number of acclaimed films, including the Cannes-winning "Parasite" and "Memories of Murder."

 

"Recalling my 30-year-long career as an actor, it's a truly honorable time. I've worked with great Korean auteurs, including Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook and Kim Jee-woon," he said. "In particular, I want to give this trophy to Bong Joon-ho, who is my longtime friend and the greatest and proudest artist in South Korea."

 

Bong, who became the first South Korean film director to win the highest Palme d'Or prize with the comedy satire "Parasite" at the Cannes Film Festival in May, thanked the actor for being with him.

 

"We've made four films together. I wouldn't have made them without Song. I really appreciate his contribution," the director said.

 

Making his cinema debut with "The Day a Pig Fell into the Well" in 1996, the 52-year-old Song rose to international stardom with a series of critically acclaimed works and box-office hits, including "Joint Security Area" (2000), "Memories of Murder" (2003), "The Host" (2006) and "Snowpiercer" (2013).

 

brk@yna.co.kr

 

Source: Soompi

 

[widala]

 

https://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-news-bong-joon-ho-prepares-to-publish-official-parasite-script-and-storyboards-132701-amp.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

Bong Joon-ho Prepares to Publish Official "Parasite" Script and Storyboards

By William Schwartz on 2019/08/19 at 19:03 PST

Starting on August 19th online and offline bookstores will start accepting preorders for Bong Joon-ho's upcoming book with script and storyboarding details for "Parasite". Bong Joon-ho is writing the book personally. He has written similar books for "Mother - 2009", "The Host", and "Memories of Murder".

Bong Joon-ho is famous for writing these kinds of books himself for his own movies. Most high-performing movies in the South Korean market receive book releases like this, but these are generally put out by the production companies as an additional source of revenue. Bong Joon-ho likes to take these publications as an opportunity to expand upon his thought process to explain his reasoning behind certain design choices.

Given the wide popularity of "Parasite" and its imminent prominence in the upcoming international awards season, the book will likely make decent money in any case. "Parasite" has been confirmed for an official release in the American market on October 11th, having already secured ten million viewers in the domestic South Korean market and broken records in other international markets worldwide.

Written by William Schwartz

[widala]

 

https://variety.com/2019/film/awards/oscars-korea-selects-palme-dor-winner-parasite-international-feature-film-award-1203309121/

Oscars: South Korea Selects Palme d’Or Winner ‘Parasite’ for International Feature Film Award

 

South Korea has selected Bong Joon-ho’s Palme d’Or winner “Parasite” as its entry for the newly rebranded International Feature Film award at the 92nd Academy Awards, it was announced Wednesday by the Korean Film Council.

 

U.S. distributor Neon had already positioned the film as a prime awards season contender following the film’s triumph at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it saw its world premiere. Neon has set the U.S. launch for Oct. 11 in L.A. and New York, followed by gradual expansion.

It marks the second time Bong has had a film selected for Oscar consideration following his “Mother” in 2009. South Korea has yet to be nominated in the category. The film was chosen from a long-list of eight titles by a five-person jury.

 

 

 

The 2018 Palme d’Or winner, Japan’s “Shoplifters” from Hirokazu Koreeda, was nominated in the Oscar International Feature category last year. But it lost out to Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma.”

 

“Parasite” has sold over 10 million tickets in South Korea since opening May 30 through CJ Entertainment. It is the fourth highest grossing film released so far in 2019 in South Korea, outperforming Hollywood blockbusters such as “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” and the second biggest local title, with box office of over Won 85.8 billion ($71.9 million).

The South Korean selection came on the same day as Germany announced its submission for the International Feature Film Award: “System Crasher.”

 

The nominations for the International Feature Film will be announced alongside other categories on Jan. 13, 2020. The 92nd Academy Awards will be held Feb. 9, 2020.

[rubie]

Source: Pierce Conran

 

[Latte_Anyday]

Really? It's that bad @titania1000 I was goin' to watch it at the cinema but I guess there's no need to now. The movie has an all-star cast too. 

I really enjoyed Train to Busan though. 

[rubie]

August 22, 2019

 

'Parasite' selected as S. Korea's Oscar contender

SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- The Cannes-winning film "Parasite" by renowned auteur Bong Joon-ho has been selected as South Korea's entry to the best international feature film category at the upcoming Academy Awards.

 

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) said Thursday that it picked Bong's black comedy film to compete for an Oscar nomination for best foreign film next year.

 

The state-run council said it chose "Parasite" for its Palme d'Or achievement at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the worldwide reputation of director Bong Joon-ho and its artistic and cinematic quality.

 

For the non-English movie category, each country submits a single film as their official representative, and the movies vie for five berths. But no Korean film has been nominated to the academy's international prize section so far.

 

"Parasite" is director Bong Joon-ho's seventh feature film and follows his English-language films "Snowpiercer" (2013) and "Okja" (2017). The new flick revolves around two families, one rich and one poor, who become entangled, leading to a series of unexpected violent mishaps.

 

It has been at the center of Oscar buzz for months as its North American distributor, Neon, set its U.S. release date for Oct. 11 in an apparent move to position the flick as a major contender in the international film category of the 92nd Academy Awards slated for Feb. 9.

 

The final nominations for the 2020 Academy Awards will be announced in January.

brk@yna.co.kr

[sadiesmith]

8 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

Really? It's that bad @titania1000 I was goin' to watch it at the cinema but I guess there's no need to now. The movie has an all-star cast too. 

I really enjoyed Train to Busan though. 

 

@Latte_Anyday There are enough positive reviews to balance out the negative ones that I think you should give it a go. And then please let us know what you think about it. I'm still debating whether to wait until it is released here in October or just download it from the internet.

[Latte_Anyday]

@sadiesmith

I'm afraid I'm more inclined to side with @titania1000 on this. I had just finished watching it myself earlier. Even the 2 Chinese female nationals by my side were tinkering with their phones midway (annoying but they were bored by plotline as well)

It started off well but yea it just reached a lull. I felt like the characters were bland, even caricatures. I did feel at one point for Woo-Shik's character when he asks, "Do I fit in here?". At times this reminds me of The Talented Mr. Ripley(?) in the portrayal of status etc. 

 

Still, I wouldn't say it was a bad watch just that Idk I felt like it wasn't worth the hype basically. 

[Latte_Anyday]

@titania1000

I'm not familiar with the director's work so I did have low expectations LoL! 

 

It's just that the themes of acceptance.. of fitting in.. the gap between status are all too familiar & have been played out on many other K-dramas, so it wasn't anything new? 

 

It was also hard for me to feel for any of the characters, they were all so unlikable LoL. The only standout here is Woo-Shik. The whole part where the rich family kept talking of how Woo-Shik's family stinked was awful (sigh) I've actually met similar characters like them irl. Those who feel money make them more superior than others

 

Anyway I'm sort of glad I watched ha-ha. I haven't been to the cinema in awhile as most movies here are either horror or superheroes 

So thanks to you @titania1000 for giving me a reason to go to a Cinema

[widala]

https://www.hancinema.net/28th-buil-film-awards-nominees-2019-132982-amp.html?__twitter_impression=true

28th Buil Film Awards Nominees 2019

Nominees for the 28th Buil Film Awards 2019. The ceremony will be held on October 4, 2019.

 

Spoiler

 

Best Film

"Hotel by the River" by Hong Sang-soo
"Ode to the Goose" by Zhang Lu
"Parasite" by Bong Joon-ho
"Dark Figure of Crime" by Kim Tae-gyoon-I
"Night and Fog In Zona" Jung Sung-il

Share you choice on HanCinema

 

 

Best Director

 Hong Sang-soo ("Hotel by the River")
Lee Byeong-heon-I ("Extreme Job")
Bong Joon-ho ("Parasite")
Kim Tae-gyoon-I ("Dark Figure of Crime")
Jung Sung-il ("Night and Fog In Zona")

Share you choice on HanCinema

 

 

Best Actress

 Jo Yeo-jung ("Parasite")
Han Ji-min ("Miss Baek")
Jeon Do-yeon ("Birthday")
Chun Woo-hee ("Idol")
Kim Hyang-gi ("Innocent Witness")

Share you choice on HanCinema

 

 

Best Actor

 Ki Joo-bong ("Hotel by the River")
Choi Wooshik ("Parasite")
Sol Kyung-gu ("Birthday")
Ju Ji-hoon ("Dark Figure of Crime")
Han Suk-kyu ("Idol")

Share you choice on HanCinema

 

 

Best Supporting Actress

 Lee Jung-eun ("Parasite")
Jang Hye-jin ("Parasite")
Esom ("Inseparable Bros")
Kwon So-hyun-I ("Miss Baek")
Kim Sae-byuk ("Grass")

Share you choice on HanCinema

 

 

Best Supporting Actor

Jin Seon-kyu ("Extreme Job")
Park Myung-hoon-I ("Parasite")
Choi Moo-sung ("Last Child")
Kim Min-ho ("Swing Kids")
Kim Ji-young ("Exit - Movie")

Share you choice on HanCinema

 

 

Best New Director

Kang Sang-woo ("KIM-GUN")
Lee Ji-won-IV ("Miss Baek")
Shin Dong-seok ("Last Child")
Lee Jong-eon ("Birthday")
Kim Ui-seo ("After My Death")

Share you choice on HanCinema

 

 

Best New Actor

Gong Myung ("Extreme Job")
Kwak Min-gyoo ("Back from the Beat")
Sung Yoo-bin ("Last Child")
Kim Min-ho ("Swing Kids")
Nam Joo-hyuk ("The Great Battle")

Share you choice on HanCinema

 

 

Best New Actress

Kim Hye-joon ("Another Child")
Lee Jae-in-II ("Svaha: The Sixth Finger")
Park Hye-soo ("Swing Kids")
Jo Min-kyung ("February")
Jeon Yeo-bin ("After My Death")

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Best Screenplay

Moon Choong-il ("Extreme Job")
Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won ("Parasite")
Shin Dong-seok ("Last Child")
Kwak Gyeong-taek, Kim Tae-gyoon-I ("Dark Figure of Crime")
Lee Sang-geun ("Exit - Movie")

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Best Cinematography

Kim Byeong-seo ("Take Point")
Kim Hyung-koo ("Hotel by the River")
Hong Kyung-pyo ("Parasite")
Nam Dong-geun ("The Great Battle")
Hwang Ki-seok ("Dark Figure of Crime")

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Best Music

Dalparan ("Hotel by the River")
Jung Jae-il ("Parasite")
Kim Tae-seong ("Svaha: The Sixth Finger")
Kim Joon-seok, Goo Bon-choon ("Swing Kids")
Kim Tae-seong ("Idol")

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Best Art Direction/Technical Award

Art Direction : Kim Byeong-han ("Take Point")
Art Direction : Lee Ha-joon ("Parasite")
Art Direction : Ryoo Seong-hee ("The King's Letters")
Art Direction : Park Il-hyeon ("Swing Kids")
Special Effects : Yoon Dae-won ("The Great Battle")

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[rubie]

Source: CINE21

 

[rubie]

Source: Jason Bechervaise @Jasebechervaise

 

The PARASITE screenplay and storyboard book are being published by 
@plain_archive as a box set. Recommend pre-ordering before it sells out. I’ll have my copy delivered to my door shortly after it’s released on Sept. 18! #기생충

 

 

 

[rubie]

August 29, 2019

 

PARASITE Selected as South Korea’s Entry to Academy Awards
Second Film by BONG Joon-ho to Be Put Forward for Oscars

 

by Pierce Conran KOFIC

 

 

BONG Joon-ho’s latest film PARASITE has been announced as South Korea’s official entry to the Best International Film category of next year’s Academy Awards. The section was previously known as the Best Foreign Language Film category. To date, a Korean film has never been nominated at the AMPAs Academy Awards.

 

Earlier this year, PARASITE debuted in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where it became the first ever Korean film to earn the coveted Palme d’Or. The film also picked up the Grand Prize at the Sydney International Film Festival and was a major hit at home, welcoming just over ten million admissions, the second largest total for a Korean film in 2019 and Director BONG’s second film to cross the mark, following The Host in 2006.

 

SONG Kang-ho leads the cast as the patriarch of a poor family that begins to connect with a rich couple in the hills in unexpected ways. The cast also includes CHOI Woo-shik, PARK So-dam, LEE Sun-kyun, JO Yeo-jeong, JANG Hye-jin and LEE Jung-eun.

 

PARASITE is director BONG’s second film to be put forward as Korea’s official submission to the Academy Awards, following the selection of Mother in 2009. Last year’s contender was LEE Chang-dong’s BURNING, which also screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. LEE’s film became the first ever Korean film to land on the nine-film shortlist for the category but was unable to make the final five nominees.

[rubie]

September 2, 2019

 

PARASITE and SCATTERED NIGHT to Screen in San Sebastian
Commercial and Indie Korean Films Invited to Prestigious Fest

 

by Pierce Conran KOFIC

 

 

The prestigious San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain is returning for its 67th edition from September 20 to 28. Among this year’s jam-packed program of world cinema highlights will be a couple of Korean titles, BONG Joon-ho’s much-heralded new film PARASITE and the new indie drama Scattered Night from debut directors LEE Ji-hyoung and KIM Sol.

 

Though it scarcely needs an introduction at this point, PARASITE is the seventh film from Korean master BONG Joon-ho and debuted in competition at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, where it became the first ever Korean film to pick up the coveted Palme d’Or. The film went on to be a hit in Korea, welcoming over ten million viewers, and it was recently selected as South Korea’s official submission to the Best International Film category of next year’s Academy Awards.

 

Scattered Night, which will screen in the News Directors section, debuted in the Jeonju International Film Festival this spring, where it won both the Grand Prize and the Best Acting Prize in the Korean Competition section. The film follows two young sisters whose parents announce to them that they will get a divorce. Over the following two weeks they fret over who will end up living with who.

 

The last Korean film to earn a prize in San Sebastian was Yourself and Yours, which earned the Best Director prize for Hong Sangsoo from the main competition in 2016.

[rubie]

September 2, 2019

 

‘Parasite’ is making film fest rounds

 

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

 

Ahead of its premiere in the North American box office in October, the Palme d’Or winner “Parasite” has officially been invited to screen at four international film festivals in the United States and Canada, reported film distribution company CJ Entertainment over the weekend. 

 

The first film festival to screen the acclaimed film is the 46th Telluride Film Festival (TFF) which runs until today in Colorado. The event mainly screens independent and art films. 

 

“Parasite” will also be screened at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which is the largest film festival in North America. The annual film festival will begin on Thursday and will run until Sept. 15. 

 

Moreover, “Parasite” has received invitations from the Fantastic Fest in Texas, which begins on Sept. 19, and the New York Film Festival (NYFF), which opens on Sept. 28. The latter is considered a prestigious international film festival, in line with Cannes, Berlin and Venice. 

 

Director Bong Joon-ho and the cast of the movie are expected to attend the film events. Bong is scheduled to attend all four festivals. Actor Song Kang-ho will appear at TFF and TIFF, while actor Choi Woo-shik is set to attend TIFF. 

 

Meanwhile, Bong’s film has a full schedule for the rest of the year. It is slated to be released in Poland, Portugal and Cambodia in September; North America, Germany, Spain, Greece, Czech Republic, and Slovakia in October; Turkey, Rumania, Netherlands and Italy in November; and Sweden and Hungary in December. Additionally, the film is planned to be released in Britain and throughout South America in the first half of next year. 

 

By Lee Jae-lim 

[rubie]

September 22, 2019

 

Korea’s Oscar-tipped ‘Parasite’ sets French box office record

 

By AFP via The Korea Herald

PARIS (AFP) - The South Korean satire “Parasite” has become the most successful Cannes-winning film at the French box office in 15 years, new figures show.

 

Director Bong Joon-ho became the first Korean to lift the Palme d’Or in May for his brilliant class war black comedy, and is an early favorite to lift the best foreign language movie Oscar.

 

Bong Joon-ho poses with his trophy after winning the Palme d’Or for “Parasite” at the Cannes Film Festival in France, on May 25. (Reuters)

 

More than 1.6 million people have paid to see the film in France so far, according to the site CBO box office, a feat not achieved by a Cannes-winner since Michael Moore’s incendiary documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11,” in 2004.

 

After ecstatic reviews at the Toronto and Telluride festivals this month, Vanity Fair said it “has everything that a (Oscar) best-picture front-runner could possibly need. Except the English language.”

 

Even so critic Katey Rich said lightning could strike twice and it could yet follow Mexican film “Roma,” which became the first non-English language film ever to be nominated for best picture last year.

 

It went on to win three Oscars, including best foreign-language film and best director for its maker Alfonso Cuaron.

‘How far can it go?’

She predicted that Bong’s exhilarating story about a family of clever underclass scammers was virtually guaranteed a clutch of nominations.

 

“The question now is how much further it can go,” said Rich.

 

“It’s hard to imagine that Academy voters won’t feel the same pull that festival audiences have. ... It’s even harder to imagine that anyone who starts watching ‘Parasite’ could stop; the film’s propulsive energy sweeps all the way through to its towering conclusion,” she added.

 

If it does get an Oscar nomination, it will make history as the first Korean film to do so.

 

The rights to “Parasite” were already sold to distributors in 192 countries even before its premiere at Cannes -- a record for a Korean film.

 

Bong, 49, best known for the cult hits “The Host,” “Snowpiercer” and “Okja,” is one of a rising wave of Korean directors including Park Chan-wook (“The Handmaiden”) and Lee Chang-dong (“Burning”).

 

Only two Palme d’Or-winning films have sold more than 1 million tickets in France since Moore’s indictment of George W. Bush’s foreign policy after the Sept. 11 attacks -- Laurent Cantet’s school-set “The Class” in 2008 and Abdellatif Kechiche’s highly controversial lesbian love story, “Blue Is the Warmest Colour” in 2013. (AFP)

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September 27, 2019

 

Industry Reps Vote On Top “Power People” Of Past 50 Years In Korean Entertainment

Source: Soompi by J. K

 

Spoiler

 

As the news outlet Ilgan Sports celebrates its 50th anniversary, it looked back on the history of Korean entertainment by putting together a list of “Power People” in the industry from the past half century.

 

Ilgan Sports conducted a survey of 100 insiders who are currently active in the entertainment industry, including producing directors, directors, representatives from agencies and production companies, and more. Each respondent chose five “Power People” that lit up the entertainment industry over the past 50 years, and the list was put together using their results.

 

Check out the Top 20 below!

 

1. (Tie) Cho Yong Pil, Bong Joon Ho — 46 points
3. (Tie) Seo Tae Ji, BTS — 40 points
5. Lee Soo Man — 35 points
6. (Tie) Kim Soo Hyun (writer), Na Young Suk — 23 points
8. (Tie) Kim Eun Sook, Song Kang Ho — 22 points
10. Yoo Jae Suk — 19 points
11. Ahn Sung Ki — 17 points
12. Im Kwon Taek — 16 points
13. Park Chan Wook — 15 points
14. Kim Tae Ho — 11 points
15. Kim Jong Hak — 10 points
16. Kim Hye Ja — 9 points
17. (Tie) Lee Mi Kyung, Lee Ju Il — 7 points
19. Lee Byung Hun — 6 points
20. Bae Yong Joon – 5 points

 

Source (1) (2) (3)

Top Photo Credit: Xportsnews