Breaking news – South Korean film “Parasite” wins big at 92nd Oscars

South Korean black comedy “Parasite” turned out to be the biggest winner at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in the western U.S. city of Los Angeles on Sunday night.

Besides nabbing Best Picture, the genre-bending class thriller also won Best Director for Bong Joon-ho, Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay.

South Korea’s Bong Joon-ho wins Best Director for “Parasite”

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho took home the award for Best Director for the black comedy thriller “Parasite” at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony.

Bong beat out Sam Mendes, Todd Phillips, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino.
Earlier, “Parasite” made history by being the first South Korean film to win Oscar’s Best International Feature Film as well as Best Original Screenplay.

The commercially-viable and adroitly-written drama on the weighty subject of class warfare follows the members of a poor household scheming to become employees of a much wealthier family by posing as unrelated, highly-qualified individuals.

The film was widely considered a front-runner in Oscar race after it won several international trophies. It was nominated for six Oscar awards and finally won four of them.

“The category has a new name now, from best foreign language to best international feature film. I’m so happy to be its first recipient under the new name,” Bong said in his acceptance speech, adding that he supports the new direction the change symbolizes.

The South Korean Embassy in Washington tweeted that

“What a night for ‘Parasite.’ BIG congratulations to Director Bong, actors, actresses, staffs and the Korean film community! Can’t be more proud of you all!”

Joaquin Phoenix wins Oscars Best Actor Award for “Joker”

Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor Award for his performance as a loner clown in psychological thriller film “Joker” at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony.

This is Phoenix’s fourth Oscar nominations but first win, beating out strong rivals including Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”) and Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes”).

Phoenix had already taken home trophies at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, Screen Actors Guild, and British Academy Film Awards for his role in the film as Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian who descended into insanity and nihilism.

Renee Zellweger wins Oscars Best Actress Award for “Judy”

Renee Zellweger took home the Best Actress Award for her performance as famed U.S. singer and actress Judy Garland in the biographical drama film “Judy” at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre here Sunday night.

This is Zellweger’s second Oscar win. She has won the Best Supporting Actress in 2004 for her role in the epic U.S. Civil War romance “Cold Mountain.”

Zellweger beat out Scarlett Johansson (“Marriage Story”), Saoirse Ronan (“Little Women”), Charlize Theron (“Bombshell”) and Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”), the only woman of color nominated for an acting Oscar this year.

Zellweger has been widely considered as this awards season’s favorite. She had previously won her fourth Golden Globe for best actress. She was also the winner at the British Academy Film Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

“Jojo Rabbit” takes Best Adapted Screenplay at 92nd Oscars

“Jojo Rabbit”, a black comedy based on Christine Leunens’ 2008 novel Caging Skies, won the Best Adapted Screenplay award at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, or the Oscars, held at the Dolby Theatre here on Sunday night.

Taika Waititi, the New Zealand-born director who wrote the script of “Jojo Rabbit,” said in his acceptance speech that he would like to dedicate the award to “all the indigenous kids who live in the world who want to do art, and dance, and write stories.”