Minari is an American film, say several Hollywood personalities, including Lulu Wang, Simu Liu and Phil Lord, after it was revealed that Lee Isaac Chung’s director was not considered eligible for the best picture race at the 2021 Golden Globes.
Variety reported that the film starring Steven Yeun has been banned to the best foreign language film category because it is predominantly in Korean.
According to the rules of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which organizes the annual Golden Globes ceremony, candidates for the best drama or comedy / music categories must have at least 50 percent English dialogue.
Director Wang suggested the HFPA for its “outdated rules”.
Her own film, The Farewell with Awkwafina, was classified as a foreign language film by Golden Globes in 2020 because it contained extensive dialogue in Mandarin.
I haven’t seen a more American movie than #Minari this year. It is a story about an immigrant family in America who are pursuing the American dream. We really need to change these outdated rules that characterize Americans as English-speaking only. https://t.co/1NZbkJFE9v
– Lulu Wang (@thumbelulu) December 23, 2020
“I haven’t seen a more American movie than #Minari this year. It is a story about an immigrant family in America who are pursuing the American dream. We really need to change these outdated rules that characterize Americans as being English only, ”said Wang.
Minari with Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung and Will Patton is about a family of South Korean immigrants who tried to make it in rural America in the 1980s.
Billed as Chung’s own upbringing as a semi-autobiographical drama, the film takes its title from a plant that is very common in Korean culture.
Hellboy actor Daniel Dae Kim called on the HFPA, saying the association’s guidelines are responsible for phasing out films about Asian Americans.
The movie equivalent of being asked to return to your country when that country is indeed America. https://t.co/kwEf8eO9v8
– Daniel Dae Kim (@danieldaekim) December 23, 2020
“The movie equivalent of being asked to return to your country when that country is actually America,” he tweeted.
Actor Liu, who played the title role of Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios’ first Asian lead project, said Minari was a quintessentially American film. “Minari is an American film written and directed by an American filmmaker who plays in America with an American leading actor and is produced by an American production company,” he said.
Liu said the film tells the beautiful story of an “immigrant family trying to build a life from scratch.”
The insane director of the Rich Asians, John M Chu, also worked to ensure that Minari deserves to be in the Best Pictures category. “Wait what? This is about America being American and American-made. It’s that simple,” Chu added.
Harry Shum Jr. cited the example of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds with German, French and Italian dialogues, which were nominated for the best drama film Globe in 2010, and stated that Minari is an American film. “Checks the ratio of English to German, French and Italian from Inglorious Bastards – about 30:70. Minari is an American film, ”said the glee actor.
Filmmaker Lord said the HFPA should change its rules or risk boycotting the Golden Globes.
“It will be in every speech. Every interview. This is a stupid decision, “added the Lego Movie helmer.
Candiaman director Nia DaCosta tweeted, “I am a first generation American who was born and raised in New York City. @MinariMovie, a movie about a Korean-American family searching for the mercury and multi-faceted American dream in rural Arkansas, made me feel like movies rarely do. “
Phillipa Soo, who recently spoke for an all-Asian animated film Over The Moon, also expressed confusion over the HFPA’s decision.
“Parasite won the Oscar for best picture last year. So … don’t follow your #GoldenGlobes logic, “said the Hamilton star in reference to the critically acclaimed and box-office Korean-language film.
Writer Celeste Ng, whose novel Little Fires Everywhere was turned into a Hulu miniseries, said only English movies don’t define what it means to be American.
“This is a great American film about Korean-speaking Americans in America that would be a strong contender for awards in ANY category. The idea that only films in English are considered “American” is a hit, ”said Ng.
The HFPA will announce nominations for Golden Globes on February 3, 2021.
