‘Parasite’ team beefs up last-minute Oscar campaign

Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

SEOUL — Director Bong Joon-ho and the cast of “Parasite” are entering the final stretch in the heated race for the upcoming Oscars.

The genre-bending family satire was nominated in six categories — best picture, best director, best screenplay, best editing, best production design and best international feature film — for the 2020 Academy Awards slated for Feb. 9.

It is the first time that a South Korean-made film has earned a nod for one of the world‘s biggest film events.

According to CJ ENM, which is behind the Cannes-winning film, the “Parasite” team will carry out a last-minute campaign in the United States to win the hearts of members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

The voting will begin on Thursday (U.S. time) and close on Feb. 4, with about 8,000 AMPAS members casting a ballot.

The team may include director Bong and crew members including co-screenwriter Han Jin-won, editor Yang Jin-mo and production designer Lee Ha-jun, along with actors and actresses led by Song Kang-ho and Lee Sun-kyun.

They will hold a series of media interviews and participate in other award ceremonies before and during the period.

Last weekend, they attended the American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Awards, the Producers Guild of America Awards and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. “Parasite” won top prizes at the ACE and SAG awards.

They are also scheduled to take part in the Directors Guild America (DGA) Awards on Saturday, as “Parasite” is nominated for the top honor along with Golden Globes winner “1917” by Sam Mendes, “The Irishman” by Martin Scorsese and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” by Quentin Tarantino.

Next month, the upcoming Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards are also on their list to attend before the Oscars. (Yonhap)