Commentary: Parasite wins big at Oscars and paves way for bigger shifts in film attitudes
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Commentary: Parasite wins large at Oscars and paves style for bigger shifts in picture attitudes
Peradventure the academy is beginning to sympathize that it is not near Hollywood versus foreign movies, but about celebrating good films, no matter where they come from, says Agata Lulkowska.
The Oscars prove received negative reviews – although even harsh critics were won over by Parasite director Bong Joon-ho's 4 Oscar wins. (Photograph: AFP/Marker RALSTON)
13 Feb 2022 06:12AM (Updated: xiii Feb 2022 06:20AM)
STAFFORDSHIRE: Parasite may be the start strange-linguistic communication moving picture to win an Oscar for best picture, but at present that line has been crossed, in that location's every promise this might mark a shift in attitudes to what the picture show'southward director Bong Joon-ho calls the "one inch alpine barrier of subtitles".
A lot has been said recently about diversity and inclusion (or lack thereof) in the long history of the Oscars just the success of Roma in 2019, winning three awards including best director for Alfonso Cuarón, suggests an openness – both in the industry and amongst moviegoers – towards high-quality films in languages other than English.
This is non only nearly the significance of Parasite.
As skilful equally it is, it might not fifty-fifty be the best of Bong'southward films (it'south his 14th motion-picture show if you include shorts, the cult moving-picture show The Host, and Memories of Murder, which all deserved more attention than they got) and probably not the best Southward Korean one.
South Korean directors have made many great films over the past three decades – Park Chan-wook's Oldboy (2004), Kim Jee-woon's I saw the Devil (2011) and, of course, Bong's Memories of Murder (2004) – which garnered disquisitional acclaim merely few significant awards.
But Bong's films – and those of other prominent international directors – are now available on Netflix – and as more movies are made by and for online streaming platforms, giving audiences admission to more diverse sources of content, the academy needs to shift away from its Hollywood-axial approach which tends to favour English-language movies.
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NEW Earth CINEMA
Nosotros've become used to seeing successful strange directors lured past the big Hollywood studios. And then, while to many people who know Cuarón equally the managing director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Children of Men (2006) and Gravity (2013), for me he will always be the manager of Y Tu Mama También (2003).
This, and Alejandro González Iñárritu's Amores Perros (2001), marked the emergence of the New Mexican cinema of the 2000s. Iñárritu is, of grade, now most famous for Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015).
This is what makes Bong a fleck special: He has felt the lure of Hollywood – but is firmly rooted in his own culture equally well.
He has made 2 films in English language: Snowpiercer (2013), a dystopian sci-fi movie about the backwash of a climate change experiment gone incorrect and Okja (2017) about a girl who befriends and tries to rescue a genetically modified "super-pig".
Both were beautiful to look at, with great product values and a fantastic cast – only they lacked the Korean flavour which gives Parasite its appealing "local roots".
After the success of Okja, Bell returned home with a articulate intention to continue making movies that foreground Korean civilisation and social dynamics.
MAKING INCLUSIVITY COUNT
Perhaps the university is beginning to understand that information technology is not about "Hollywood" versus "strange movies", but well-nigh promoting skilful films, no matter where they come from.
But this change won't happen overnight, and it might need an boosted push button from within. There'southward certainly no shortage of social censor on display at the awards ceremony.
Joaquin Phoenix who won best histrion for The Joker delivered a passionate and well-received spoken communication in which he appeared to criticise US cultural and political dominance.
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FUTURE SHIFT?
But perhaps the real question to ask is the legacy of Oscars when compared to the international film festivals. Are the Oscars still prestigious enough, and how do they exercise the requirement to satisfy both the critics and the audiences?
There is a clear shift with the foreign language film category changing its name to international feature film. This could be a proof of shifting the priorities in the awards industry: The world "international" implies collaboration, transcultural effort, and some course of collective belonging – as opposed to basing the category purely on language.
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The United States, the domicile of the Academy of Movement Picture Arts and Sciences, is a multicultural place where many languages are spoken, so a film in a language other than English language may non necessarily be "foreign".
Could this shift in the proper name mean that the award becomes not just more relevant locally, only as well more than open to the motion-picture show industry as a whole?
This is a potentially significant alter which signifies a radical aligning in the way of approaching the intercultural multifariousness in movie theatre.
The idea is not about replacing Hollywood productions which dominate the market – and which have their (very large) audiences – but about making way for foreign productions of high quality and giving them a chance to shine. Subtitles should not be a barrier to prevent that.
Good picture palace, whether it's international or Hollywood-axial, should be subject area to the aforementioned expectations no matter where it is made. Of course, this will not happen overnight, simply maybe the success of Parasite can open the door to this more than open-minded way of thinking.
I'd similar to believe that with the democratisation of audiences' requirements comes the new era of the film awards, including Oscars, where a practiced motion picture can come from India, Mexico, Korea, and where subtitles connect the makers with audiences past making the multifariousness and richness of cinema of unlike groundwork accessible.
Permit's jump the one-inch barrier, embrace the subtitles and celebrate the freshness offered by the best of world cinema.
Agata Lulkowska is Lecturer in Motion-picture show Production, Staffordshire Academy, Staffordshire University. This commentary first appeared in The Conversation.
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