Oscars 2020: ‘Parasite’ Announced as Best Picture

The 2020 Oscars offered some stiff competition and a variety of films battling for Best Picture, including favorites like Parasite, Joker, 1917 and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.

Parasite walked away with the win after taking home three other major categories on the night. It is now the first non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, also taking home Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. While there was some controversy over the lack of acting nominations for the cast, it is clear that the prestige was in bloom for director Bong Joon-ho.

Fans were quick to say how excited the win made them, also marking a fine rise for Bong Joon-ho after a career of critically acclaimed films in Korea.

Being nominated is an honor on its own, or that’s what many say during award season. 2020 represented a year where many critics were aligned with audiences on the movies nominated. Parasite stood out as a favorite with early praise before its wide release and its successes elsewhere during awards season. There was also a lot of praise for Quentin Tarantino’s latest love letter to Hollywood, pushed on by the strength of its stars Brad Pitt and Leonardo Dicaprio, both nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor respectively.

Another big aspect of this year’s Oscar-nominated films is the presence of Netflix and other streaming services in the large categories. Notably, The Irishman and Marriage Story, both Best Picture nominees, were high-profile Netflix original productions. The streamer has found some success in past years, including a strong showing in 2019 with Roma.

Their 2020 offerings were the biggest push yet, though, with a pair of offerings nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, acting nominations for The Two Popes stars Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce, and a total number of nominations that gives them the top spot for 2020.

It is hard to deny that the streaming giant hasn’t made a dent in the film industry and its award season, striking back at comments made after last year’s awards that attempted to change nomination standards.

Bong Joon-ho summed up the thrill of winning better than anybody on the stage while accepting his first two awards.