'Minari' Nominated for 6 Academy Awards... At the Center of Change (Comprehensive Report 2)

Nominees Added for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Music Awards
Youn Yuh-jung First Korean Actor Nominated for Acting, Steven Yeun First Asian American Best Actor Nominee
'Mank' Leads with 10 Nominations... 9 Actors of Color Nominated in Acting Categories

Movie 'Minari' still cut

The film 'Minari' has been nominated in six categories at the Academy Awards, including the highest honor, Best Picture, as well as Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Score. Notably, Youn Yuh-jung became the first Korean actor to be nominated in an acting category.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced the final nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards on the 15th (Korean time). 'Minari' was nominated for Best Picture alongside 'The Father,' 'Judas and the Black Messiah,' 'Mank,' 'Nomadland,' 'Promising Young Woman,' 'Sound of Metal,' and 'The Trial of the Chicago 7.'

Director Lee Isaac Chung (Jeong Isaac) joined the ranks of Best Director nominees. He stood shoulder to shoulder with acclaimed directors such as Thomas Vinterberg for 'Another Round,' David Fincher for 'Mank,' Chlo? Zhao for 'Nomadland,' and Emerald Fennell for 'Promising Young Woman.' He was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay, competing against Fennell for 'Promising Young Woman,' Aaron Sorkin for 'The Trial of the Chicago 7,' Darius Marder for 'Sound of Metal,' and Shaka King for 'Judas and the Black Messiah.'

Movie 'Minari' still cut

Youn Yuh-jung, who was widely expected to be nominated, was the last to join the Best Supporting Actress nominee list. Her competitors include Maria Bakalova for 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,' Amanda Seyfried for 'Mank,' Olivia Colman for 'The Father,' and Glenn Close for 'Hillbilly Elegy.' Youn had previously surpassed them to achieve 32 wins from the National Board of Review, Hollywood Critics Association, and others.

This is the first time a Korean actor has been nominated in an Oscar acting category. Last year, 'Parasite,' which won in four categories, was nominated in six categories excluding acting: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, Best Production Design, and Best Film Editing. Youn Yuh-jung is the fourth Asian actor to be nominated in this category. Previously recognized Asian actors include Miyoshi Umeki (Sayonara) in 1957, Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) in 2003, and Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) in 2007. Umeki also won the award.

Steven Yeun, who played Jacob in the film, became the first Asian American to be nominated for Best Actor. He is the third Asian actor to be nominated after Yul Brynner (1920?1985, The King and I) and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi). He competes against Riz Ahmed for 'Sound of Metal,' the late Chadwick Boseman for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' Anthony Hopkins for 'The Father,' and Gary Oldman for 'Mank.' 'Minari' also received a nomination for its music director, Emile Mosseri. He competes for Best Original Score against Terence Blanchard for 'Da 5 Bloods,' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for 'Mank,' James Newton Howard for 'News of the World,' and Reznor, Ross, and Jon Batiste for 'Soul.'

Movie 'Minari' still cut

'Minari' is a drama about the life and hardships of a Korean family who migrated to Arkansas, USA, in the 1980s. Jacob and Monica (Han Ye-ri), who came to America chasing the American Dream, settle on a farm in Arkansas with the determination to cultivate fertile land. To care for David (Alan Kim), who has a heart condition, and Anne (Noel Kate Cho), their mother Soon-ja also comes from Korea.

The story of overcoming hardships and trials by relying on each other is both Korean and American, as it is based on director Chung's autobiographical experience. It delivers deep emotion even beyond the immigrant experience. The exquisite ensemble of actors has helped the film sweep numerous trophies at various film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival (Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award). At the Golden Globe Awards on the 1st, director Chung said, "It is a story about a family trying to communicate in their own language. That language is not English or any other foreign language but the 'language of sincerity.'" He added, "I myself am trying to learn it and pass it on," and said, "I hope we all learn to speak to each other in this language."

Movie 'Nomadland' Still Cut

'Mank' became the film with the most nominations, appearing in ten categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Actress. 'Judas and the Black Messiah,' 'The Father,' 'Nomadland,' 'Sound of Metal,' and 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' were nominated in six categories, the same as 'Minari.'

This year, a record nine actors of color were nominated in acting categories. Along with Youn Yuh-jung, Steven Yeun, Chadwick Boseman, Riz Ahmed, Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Leslie Odom Jr., Viola Davis, and Andra Day were nominated. This appears to reflect widespread acknowledgment of the ongoing criticism against white supremacy. This change is also evident in the Best Director nominees, where, for the first time ever, two female directors (Zhao and Fennell) were nominated together. Chlo? Zhao is also the first Asian female director to be nominated for Best Director.

'Opera,' directed by Korean American Eric Oh, was nominated for Best Animated Short Film. It is a work created by a Korean production company for an installation media art exhibition projecting onto walls and structures. It depicts the endless repetition of day and night, showing conflicts among classes, cultures, religions, and ideologies throughout human history. It was recognized for its artistic value, winning the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award in the animation category at the Korea Content Awards last year. 'Red Shoes,' directed by Hong Sung-ho, which had been shortlisted for the feature animation category, did not make the final nominations.

This year's ceremony will be held on April 26, two months later than usual, due to the spread of COVID-19.

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