BONG JOON-HO 'S PARASITE RECEIVES 6 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

Bong Joon-ho and his film “Parasite” continues to make history - this time, for the Academy Awards. Bong Joon-ho became the first director from Korea to be recognized by the Oscars. “Parasite” received 6 nominations which include – Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Film Editing, Production Design, and International Film (previously referred to as Foreign Language Film).

The 2019 Cannes Palm d’Or winner has made over $130 million dollars worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo and has a 99% Rotten Tomatoes rating as well as an audience score of 93%.  

Earlier this month, news broke that HBO was interested in creating a Limited TV Series based on the film. Bong Joon-ho will be working with Adam McKay (Succession) on the special. However, no specific plot details have been released.

“Parasite” follows the lives of two Korean families: the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim family. When a rare opportunity is presented to the Kims, the two families become entangled creating a thrilling story of greed, revenge and shock.

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER'S MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN ENTERTAINMENT

The Hollywood Reporter’s Most Powerful People in Entertainment Top 100 list has been released and Director/Producer Jon M. Chu made the list at #97. Although Chu has been a filmmaker for years - producing and directing films including “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”, “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”, “Now You See Me 2”, “Step Up 2: The Streets”, it is his work in the hugely successful “Crazy Rich Asians” that has put him in the Hollywood limelight. According to CBS News, “Crazy Rich Asians” has become the most successful studio romantic comedy at the box office in 9 years.  

Lisa Nishimura - By Photo by Stephanie Moreno/Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications for Peabody Awards/University of Georgia [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Other Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who made the list include Netflix’s Lisa Nishimura (along with Cindy Holland, Scott Stuber) who took the #9 spot. Nishimura was responsible for bringing “Wild Wild Country” and the Emmy winning shows, “The Crown” and “Seven Seconds.”

Coming in at #16 was Warner Bros.’ Kevin Tsujihara (and Toby Emmerich) who can credit the success of “Crazy Rich Asians”, “The Meg”, and “The Nun” for helping them make the list.

Dwayne johnson = Eva Rinaldi [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

And finally, Dwayne Johnson claimed the 38th spot. Johnson earned a reported $124 million in 2018. This year, in addition to his HBO series “Ballers”, he was also in the films “Rampage” and “Skyscraper”. Late last month, it was announced that Johnson will play King Kamehameha in Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming film “The King.”

Methodology: During a months-long process, editors compiled the THR 100 based on the size and reach of a person's purview, the success of his or her projects since 2017's list, the power to get a project made (company ownership helps) and the ineffables: heat, clout and intangible indicators of influence gleaned from conversations with top insiders (not to mention THR’s daily reporting).

FINALISTS FOR THE 2018 HBO ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN VISIONARIES COMPETITION HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED

The top three finalists for the 2018 HBO APA Visionaries short film competition include Director Feng-I Fiona Roan’s short “Jiejie”, “June” directed by Huay-Bing Law and the Maritte Go directed film, “Remittance”. 

HBO’s Asian Pacific American Visionaries, is a short film competition that was created in 2016 to encourage and provide emerging APA directors a place to showcase their work.  Sponsored by HBO, the panel of judges include HBO executives, industry leaders and fellow APA filmmakers.  This year’s competition asked filmmaker’s to explore the concept of “home” in creative and innovative ways. 

“Jiejie” directed by Feng-I Fiona Roan follows the story of two young sisters who are raised by their single immigrant mother in Los Angeles during 1997. On the sisters’ first day at church, older sister Fen Liang betrays her little sibling, Ann fueling an unprecedented outburst since their immigration. Taipei born Roan, received her Directing MFA from the American Film Institute.  Roan’s projects focus on strong female leads as well as explores their relationships in an “intimate, familial, naturalistic atmosphere.” 

“June” is set in 1955 and is a story of a Chinese Wife who tries to fit in at her husband’s Texas University graduation party.  The short is directed by Huay-Bing Law whose films have premiered at numerous Film Festivals including the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Fest, Lone Star, Hawaii International and Austin Film Festival.

The Maritte Go directed film, “Remittance” is inspired by Go’s immigrant family experience and follows a Filipino cruise worker who receives a phone call that her son is in the hospital. Filipina American Go received her Masters in Film/TV Production from USC.  Fueled by her attraction for horror films, she is currently in preproduction to direct and write a horror anthology produced by Radio Silence.

"HBO is proud to not only be part of the dialogue about media diversity but also leading new conversations around it," stated Jackie Gagne, VP Multicultural Marketing at HBO. "With Asian Pacific American Visionaries, we are empowering communities through representation while celebrating great artistic talent."

"In order for progress and change to be possible for Asian Americans in Hollywood, the major studios and networks must find ways to work together with our community," said Francis Cullado, Executive Director of Visual Communications, the organization that produces the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. "The Asian Pacific American Visionaries program demonstrates HBO's continued industry excellence and sets an example for other companies who are serious about diversity."

"HBO is a network that continues to break new ground with both its award-winning programs and commitment to developing diverse talent," said Michelle K. Sugihara, Executive Director of CAPE. "Asian Pacific American Visionaries perfectly aligns with our organization's core principles of creating new opportunities for APA artists and advancing culture through entertainment."

The top three films will premiere at the upcoming Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in April 2018 and will be offered the opportunity to license their film to premiere exclusively on HBO during May 2018; to coincide with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.