Parasite director Bong Joon Ho reveals how filmmakers can respond to hatred and racism in their films
Fresh off his Best Picture win last year for Parasite, Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho is speaking out against the spate of violence towards Asian-Americans and other forms of racism.
The 51-year-old filmmaker opened up during Chapman University’s Dodge College Master Class series on Thursday night (via THR).
He said that even though films can take a long time to make, though that in and of itself should give directors the courage to tackle these sensitive topics in their work.
Winner: Fresh off his Best Picture win last year for Parasite, Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho is speaking out against the spate of violence towards Asian-Americans and other forms of racism
‘Creating a film takes a lot of time and a lot of money; it’s a big unit that can’t really respond quickly to issues that are currently happening in society,’ the director said.
‘But ironically, because of that, creators and filmmakers can be bolder with dealing with issues and they shouldn’t be afraid to confront them,’ he added.
The filmmaker added that he is ‘far away in Korea’ and he can only see how things unfold in the news, though he added, ‘it’s quite fearful to watch the hate crimes against Asian-Americans and the BLM movement.’
Ironically: ‘But ironically, because of that, creators and filmmakers can be bolder with dealing with issues and they shouldn’t be afraid to confront them,’ he added
The filmmaker used Spike Lee’s groundbreaking 1989 film Do The Right Thing as an example, adding the film came out three years before the Rodney King riots though the film essentially predicted they would happen.
‘It was three years before the L.A. Riots but almost predicted the riots were going to happen,’ he added.
‘That’s the role creators and artists can play, not necessarily to predict what will happen in society but to use your insight to portray the issues that are currently boiling underneath the surface of society that can explode later on,’ he added.
Example: The filmmaker used Spike Lee’s groundbreaking 1989 film Do The Right Thing as an example, adding the film came out three years before the Rodney King riots though the film essentially predicted they would happen
The director said that his film Parasite, ‘began with a question of “what does it mean to be poor or rich in our current times?”‘
‘As creators and artists, you sort of have to see through the essence and the central questions in our society through the days that you live through and send a reply to those questions through your work,’ he added.
Director Bong also addressed the hot-button topic of the importance of theaters during the advent of streaming services.
Parasite: The director said that his film Parasite, ‘began with a question of “what does it mean to be poor or rich in our current times?”‘
The filmmaker felt that he still thinks there is power to be harnessed within the theatrical experience, despite the boom in streaming.
‘I still believe in the overwhelming strength and power that theaters have. Last year, there was this anecdote where Martin Scorsese asked his physician if he watched and the physician answered that he had been watching 10 minutes of the film every day,’ the director joked.
‘But I actually went to a theater in Seoul to watch the full three hours and was unable to press the stop button,’ he continued.
‘I really remember feeling moved after those whole three hours and theater cinemas are still the only way that lets you access that kind of experience,’ he said.
Moved: ‘I really remember feeling moved after those whole three hours and theater cinemas are still the only way that lets you access that kind of experience,’ he said