Bong Joon-Ho To Receive Director Of The Year Award At Santa Barbara Film Fest

After making waves all over the world with his latest movie "Parasite," filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho is all set to add one more feather in his cap by receiving the Director of the Year accolade at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

In a press release obtained by the Hollywood Reporter, it is stated there that the 50-year-old director will be given this award because his latest movie "transcends" every category and genre. The film has also managed to garner universal acclaim for its storytelling and acting, making it one of the most loved films of 2019.

Roger Durling, director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, noted that the organization is pleased to give the award to Joon-Ho and ecstatic to continue to shine the light on one of the best filmmakers.

"Director Bong and his film Parasite transcend every category and genre. Funny, poignant and thrilling, the film has been embraced around the world, and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is ecstatic to continue to shine the light on one of the best filmmakers there is and his remarkable oeuvre," Durling said.

Before the ceremony, four of Joon-Ho's movies — "Memories Of Murder," "The Host," "Mother," and "Parasite"— will be shown at the Arlington Theatre.

The previous winners include the likes of Christopher Nolan, Spike Lee, Kathryn Bigelow, Greta Gerwig, Laura Poitras, Guillermo del Toro, Damien Chazelle and many more.

The accolade comes after it was announced that the movie has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The movie is only the sixth movie to get a Best Picture nod and Outstanding Foreign-Language Film nom on the same night.

All of the previous movies won in the Foreign Language category but failed to secure the Best Picture trophy.

Just a few days back, the acclaimed filmmaker revealed that the Oscar nominations make him feel like he is part of Christopher Nolan’s movie “Inception” and he is just going to wake up and realize that it’s all a dream.

Speaking in an interview with Deadline after the announcement, Joon-Ho joked that he might wake up and realize that he is still on the set of “Parasite,” dealing with all the difficulties that popped up while making the film.

Apart from Best Picture, the dark-comedy film has been nominated in five different categories at the Oscars. The other nods include a Best Director nod for Joon-Ho, Foreign-Language Film, Original Screenplay, Editing and Production Design.