Director Bong Joon-ho to Attend British Academy with Song Kang-ho

'Parasite' Nominated for BAFTA Foreign Language Film Award and Four Other Categories on February 2

Actors Song Kang-ho and Director Bong Joon-ho. Photo by 2019 Cannes Film Festival

[Asia Economy Guest Reporter Kang Hyesoo] Director Bong Joon-ho has confirmed his attendance at the upcoming British Academy Film Awards alongside Song Kang-ho.

At the 73rd British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, held locally on February 2, Bong Joon-ho's film Parasite has been nominated in four categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. Accordingly, Song Kang-ho and Kwak Shin-ae, CEO of the production company Barunson E&A, are also scheduled to travel to the UK.

BAFTA is the UK's representative film awards, similar to the American Academy Awards. Since it takes place before the Oscars on February 9, the results at this ceremony are expected to significantly influence the outcomes of the American Academy Awards.

The films nominated alongside Parasite for Best Film include Sam Mendes' 1917, Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Todd Phillips' Joker, and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman.

These films have already competed at the Golden Globes and share multiple overlapping nominations with the Oscars, drawing even more attention to the results. The Best Director nominees are the same as those for Best Film.

Previously, the only Korean film to be nominated at BAFTA was Park Chan-wook's The Handmaiden in 2018, which was nominated for Best International Feature Film and celebrated a win.

Bong Joon-ho's Parasite recently swept various awards, winning Best International Feature Film at the Golden Globes and the top honor, the Ensemble Award, at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, bolstering its prospects for upcoming wins at the British and American Academy Awards.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.