'Parasite' Producer Believes Oscar Win Will Inspire Other International Filmmakers

South Korean dark comedy “Parasite” has been creating waves since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Bong Joon-Ho won Best Director at the renowned film fest and the movie went on to become the most acclaimed movie of 2019. But the film’s moment of glory came when it was announced Best Picture at the recently held 92nd Academy Awards and became the South Korean movie to achieve that feat.

With this recognition, Joon-Ho has taken the Koren cinema onto the world stage. But what lies next for the Korean film industry? Miky Lee, one of the most influential movie moguls in South Korea and one of the executive producers of “Parasite,” has revealed how the victories at the Oscars will take the Asian cinema to greater heights.

Speaking in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Lee noted how the Oscars win will prove to be a game-changer for international filmmakers. The movie mogul further added that the “Parasite” is the prime example of how Academy voters and people are ready to embrace new content.

“It is going to inspire a lot of international creators and filmmakers. ‘Parasite’ winning shows the voters are ready to embrace new culture, new content. It opens the door not just for Korean films but international films as a whole,” Lee said.

The producer also noted that it is finally time for Asian Americans to get recognized for their work. The win for “Parasite” is surely one of the happiest moments for the whole Asian American community.

“I have seen so many Asians working all over the place. Press, studios, productions, we really work hard. And it is really time for Asians to be recognized and our hard work finally to get to be seen, so I think this is really hooray for the whole Asian American community ,” Lee said.

Lee’s name became popular in international markets after the producers of the Academy Awards tried to cut her when she was about to speak after the monumental win. The whole crowd, including Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbie, loudly chanted “up, up” and forced them to stop the music and let Lee speak.

“Parasite” also became the first non-English movie to win in the Original Screenplay category after a gap of 17 years. The movie is also raking in big numbers at the U.S. box office.

The film, starring Kang-Ho Song, Park So-Dam, and Cho Yeo-Jeong in pivotal roles, has earned more than $33 million at the box office and surpassed all the expectations. Before the release, many experts believed that the movie will be able to make $20 million in the U.S., but it seems the accolades the movie has been getting have encouraged the moviegoers to see it on the big screen.