Seoul (AFP)
The unprecedented triumph of "Parasite", the first foreign language feature to win the Oscar for best film, could mark a turning point, expanding the world reception of South Korean cinema and opening the doors of Hollywood to foreign productions.
Both a thriller, a family comedy and a corrosive satire on social inequalities, Bong Joon-ho's film won four Oscars in one evening on Sunday, the most prestigious of which was the best film, although it was shot entirely in Korean. .
An unprecedented award in 92 years for a film in a language other than English: "Not only does Bong Joon-ho mark South Korean cultural history, but he writes a page of history in Hollywood", ignited on Tuesday Chosun Ilbo, a major daily newspaper in South Korea.
The Academy of Oscars "was obsessed with films in English shot by white directors", which made it "more difficult for a Korean to win an Oscar with a film in Korean than to win a Nobel in literature" , he squeaks.
"It's the beginning of a new era", and this triumph frees "incredible opportunities" for foreign films in the United States, abounds Gina Kim, professor at the Californian university UCLA and director of South Korean origin .
Hollywood "continues to dominate the world film industry, and was known for not leaving space for foreign language films on its lands," she said. "With + Parasite +, everything has changed".
- Dynamism of Korean cinema -
The success of Bong Joon-ho, which crowns the year marking the centenary of Korean cinema, confirms the dynamism of South Korea, the fifth largest producer of films in the world.
Several local productions had already won over major festivals: the thriller "Old Boy" by Park Chan-wook had won the Cannes Grand Prix in 2004, and the drama "Pieta" by Kim Ki-duk had won the Lion of 2012 gold in Venice.
Above all, South Korean cinema had invited itself to Hollywood in 2013: on the one hand with the psychological thriller "Stoker" shot by Park Chan-wook with Nicole Kidman; then with "Snowpiercer - le transperceneige", a dystopian science fiction film directed by Bong Joon-ho himself with Tilda Swinton.
South Korea has made its culture a tool of "soft power" - not without success: its K-pop music and its boy-bands know a massive craze around the world, in Asia as in the West.
South Korean cinema, for its part, experienced a renaissance in the 1990s with the emergence of democracy after decades of military dictatorship.
The Bong Oscars "are an incredible opportunity for South Korean cinema to showcase all the talents it has seen emerge in recent years," said Jason Bechervaise, professor at South Korean University Soongsil Cyber.
"Of course, problems exist as in all sectors. But I suspect neighboring countries to be very envious" of the triumph of "Parasite", he adds.
Like China, which invests in all directions in its cultural production but imposes close censorship, without experiencing popular success internationally.
The South Korean recipe may be due to the freedom and daring of its artists. In 2007, ex-president Kim Dae-jung launched to the administration: "Offer financial support to artists, but above all never intervene in their work. As soon as the government interferes, the creative industries break down".
- "An amazing advance" -
The success of "Parasite" also aroused great emotion in the Asian diaspora in North America, provoking reactions of joy from the American-Korean author Min Jin Lee and the actress Sandra Oh.
The representation of Asians in Hollywood films "still remains largely sporadic" despite the success in 2018 of the romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians" with an exclusively Asian cast, recalls Michael Hurt, sociologist at the University of Seoul.
He hails "an amazing advance" for a population largely invisible on American screens.
For Kieran Meyn, American of Korean origin who grew up in Connecticut (United States) with "a lot of pressure" to assimilate, this Oscar ceremony will remain unforgettable.
"+ Parasite + won these awards while telling a Korean story, with a Korean cast and in Korean language. It proves that (such a success), it can happen, here in America" for an Asian film, he rejoices .
© 2020 AFP