2020 Oscars: South Korea’s Parasite claims historic Best Picture win

History was made at the 2020 Oscars as the South Korean film Parasite pulled off a stunning Best Picture triumph during the end of last night’s eventful ceremony.

By doing so, it becomes the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture, having overcome stiff competition from pre-ceremony favourite 1917 as well as the likes of The Irishman, Joker and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.

The thriller, which centres on an impoverished family and their manipulation of a wealthier household, also clinched double wins for filmmaker Bong Joon-ho as he took home Best Director AND Original Screenplay. Unsurprisingly, its fourth victory came in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

It also marks the first time in 65 years that the winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes has gone on to land the Best Picture Oscar.

On the remarkable success, Bong said:

“I feel like I’ll wake up to find it’s all a dream. It all feels very surreal.”

Producer Kwak Sin-ae, who collected the trophy, then added:

“I’m speechless. We never imagined this to happen. I feel like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now.”

There were boos from the star-studded audience when organisers tried to cut short the Best Picture acceptance speech by turning the stage lights off. Fortunately, the lights were turned back on, thus allowing the Parasite cast and crew to continue their celebrations.

Despite its key victories at the Golden Globes, Producers Guild and BAFTAs, the First World War thriller 1917 ended up with just three technical awards for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.

Elsewhere, six of the other seven Best Picture contenders took home gold with Joker, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood and Ford v Ferrari all picking up two prizes each.

As one of four predicted acting winners on the night, Joker’s Joaquin Phoenix deservedly clinched Best Actor for his acclaimed performance as mentally-troubled comedian Arthur Fleck. Earlier on, female composer Hildur Guðnadóttir claimed the hit film’s second award for Best Original Score.

Phoenix used the podium to give another politically-charged speech about the state of the world before closing his emotional address by quoting a lyric written by his late brother River.

After winning her second Oscar for her portrayal of Judy Garland in the biopic Judy, Renée Zellweger paid tribute to the legendary Hollywood star.

“Judy Garland did not receive this honour in her time. I am certain that this moment is an extension of the celebration of her legacy.”

Another political acceptance speech came from Brad Pitt, who scooped the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as veteran stuntman Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.

The 56-year-old actor used his address to attack the way the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump were handled. Additionally, the period epic also picked up the Best Production Design accolade.

A day before her 53rd birthday, Best Supporting Actress winner Laura Dern lavished praise on her acting parents Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, having triumphed for her role as divorce lawyer Nora Fanshaw in the divorce-based drama Marriage Story.

More significantly, Dern also becomes the first performer to win an acting Oscar for a Netflix production.

 

The fact-based racing drama Ford v Ferrari also celebrated a memorable double by claiming wins for Best Editing and Best Sound Editing.

Elsewhere, Taika Waititi deservedly picked up Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on the World War II satire Jojo Rabbit, while British costume designer Jacqueline Durran won her second Oscar for her work on the latest adaptation of Little Women.

25 years after winning Best Original Song for The Lion King (1994), Sir Elton John repeated the feat as he and long-time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin clinched the award for their track “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from the musical fantasy Rocketman.

Despite losing at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs, the Pixar outing Toy Story 4 won Best Animated Film, while American Factory persevered in the Best Documentary category.

Other films to claim gongs on the night included Bombshell (Best Makeup & Hairstyling), Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl) (Best Documentary – Short Subject), The Neighbor’s Window (Best Short Film – Live Action) and Hair Love (Best Short Film – Animated).

For the second year in a row, the ceremony had no host, though there were musical performances from the likes of Janelle Monáe, Billie Eilish (who sung a rendition of The Beatles’ “Yesterday” during the In Memoriam segment) and Oscar-winning rapper Eminem.

However, it was a night to forget for Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, as the Netflix crime epic failed to land a single win from ten nominations. This follows the film’s failure to win any accolades at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and BAFTAs…

The other big films to go home empty-handed included Avengers: Endgame, For Sama, Klaus, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and The Two Popes.

The full list of Oscar winners are…

BEST PICTURE
PARASITE

BEST DIRECTOR
Bong Joon-ho, PARASITE

BEST ACTRESS
Renée Zellweger, JUDY

BEST ACTOR
Joaquin Phoenix, JOKER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Laura Dern, MARRIAGE STORY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Brad Pitt, ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
JOJO RABBIT, Taika Waititi

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
PARASITE, Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin-wan

 

BEST EDITING
FORD V FERRARI

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1917

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
LITTLE WOMEN

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
BOMBSHELL

 

BEST SOUND MIXING
1917

BEST SOUND EDITING
FORD V FERRARI

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
1917

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
JOKER (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
ROCKETMAN (“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
TOY STORY 4

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
PARASITE (South Korea)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
AMERICAN FACTORY

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL)

BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW

BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
HAIR LOVE

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