The Oscar nominations for 2024 are finally out! While South Korea's official entry to the Oscars - "Concrete Utopia" has not been nominated in the "Best International Feature Film" category, the Korean-American film "Past Lives" starring Yoo Teo and Greta Lee has bagged nominations for "Best Picture" and "Best Writing (Original Screenplay)" at the 2024 Oscars. While it may appear that Korean cinema has only recently been acknowledged by the Academy, South Korea has a long history with the Oscars regardless of the 2024 nominations. The "Academy Award for Best International Feature Film", formerly known as "Best Foreign Language Film" was introduced as a category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1956. South Korea has submitted Korean movies to the Oscars since 1962. Here is a list of every Korean movie to ever be submitted to the Oscars, including nominations and wins.
1960s-1980s: The Early Submissions
"My Mother and the Roomer" / "The Dumb Samyong" / "Rice" Movies
The period from 1955–1972 was known as the "Golden Age" of Korean cinema where filmmaking thrived despite censorship. The first three films to ever have been submitted to the Oscars came from director Shin SangOk, namely "My Mother and the Roomer", "The Dumb Samyong", and "Rice". This was followed by "Descendants of Cain" (1968), "The Old Craftsman of Jar" (1969), "Mute Samyong" (1973), "Mulleya Mulleya" (1984), "Eoudong" (1985), and "Eunuch" (1986). However, none of these films were nominated.
1990s-2000s: The Renaissance
"Secret Sunshine" / "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" / "Mother" Movies
It was during this time, with the relaxation of governmental censorship, that Korean movies slowly started to go global with international screenings at film festivals. Many chaebols also started getting involved in the film industry, paving the way for a renaissance in Korean cinema. South Korea's official submissions to the Oscars during this time included "Mayumi" (1990), "Life and Death of the Hollywood Kid" (1994), "301, 302" (1995), and "Chunhyang" (2000).
With the turn of the millennium, "New Korean Cinema" emerged, accompanied by the rise of blockbusters. Korean movies submitted to the Oscars during this time included titles directed by revolutionary filmmakers such as Lee ChangDong's "Oasis" (2002) and "Secret Sunshine" (2007, starring Song KangHo and Jeon DoYeon), Kim KiDuk's "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" (2003), Kang JeGyu's "Taegukgi" (2004), Park KwangHyun's "Welcome to Dongmakgol" (2005), Lee JoonIk's "King and the Clown" (2006, starring Lee JoonGi alongside veteran actors Jung JinYoung and Kam WooSung), Kim TaeKyun's "Crossing" (2008) and "A Barefoot Dream" (2010, starring Park HeeSoon), and Bong JoonHo's "Mother" (2009, starring Kim HyeJa, Won Bin, Jin Goo).
2010s: A Decade of Recognition
"Pietà" / "Burning" / "Parasite" Movies
The 2010s brought about increased international acclaim for South Korean cinema. After Bong JoonHo's "Mother", Korean movies became more and more popular overseas. The industry was prolific at this time, with releases like Jang Hoon's "The Front Line" (2011, starring Shin HaKyun and Go Soo) and "A Taxi Driver" (2017, starring Song KangHo), Kim KiDuk's outstanding achievement "Pietà" (2012), which won the "Golden Lion" at the "69th Venice International Film Festival", Kang YiKwan's "Juvenile Offender" (2013), Shim SungBo's "Haemoo" (2014, starring Kim YoonSeok), Lee JoonIk's "The Throne" (2015, starring Song KangHo, Yoo AhIn), and Kim JeeWoon's "The Age of Shadows" (2016, starring Song KangHo, Gong Yoo, Han JiMin).
Finally, in 2018, Lee ChangDong's highly acclaimed film "Burning" (2018, starring Yoo AhIn, Steven Yeun, Jun JongSeo) became the first South Korean movie to be shortlisted for the (then called) "Best Foreign Language Film" category at the Oscars but was not nominated.
Then, in 2019, Bong JoonHo released "Parasite", starring Song KangHo, Lee SunKyun, Cho YeoJeong, Park SoDam, Choi WooShik, Lee JungEun, Jang HyeJin, Jung JiSo, Park MyungHoon and more, and the global film landscape changed forever. "Parasite" not only won an Oscar for "Best International Feature Film" at the 92nd Academy Awards but also the "Best Picture", "Best Director", and "Best Original Screenplay" Awards! "Parasite" was the first-ever non-English-language film to win the Oscar for "Best Picture", opening up a whole new avenue for foreign-language films in this category.
2020s: Continuing The Legacy
"Escape From Mogadishu" / "Decision To Leave" / "Concrete Utopia" Movies
Ever since "Parasite", many Korean movies have attempted to replicate its success. Oscar submissions since 2020 include director Woo MinHo's "The Man Standing Next" (2020, starring Lee ByungHun, Lee SungMin), Ryoo SeungWan's "Escape From Mogadishu" (2021, starring Kim YoonSeok, Zo InSung, Heo JoonHo), and the master, Park ChanWook's "Decision To Leave" (2022, starring Tang Wei, Park HaeIl), which went as far as being shortlisted but was ultimately not nominated for an Oscar.
In 2023, South Korea's official submission to the 2024 Oscars in the "Best International Feature Film" category was the Lee ByungHun, Park SeoJun, Park BoYoung starrer "Concrete Utopia". As the Oscar nominations for 2024 were revealed, unfortunately, "Concrete Utopia" was not selected. However, South Korea's domination continues with an Oscar nod to "Past Lives". It will be interesting to see what 2024 has in store for the Korean film industry next and which Korean movie will be submitted for the 2025 Oscars.
Comments