Oscars so Surprising: Parasite, Politics and Vegans

A South Korean fable about capitalism made history in a ceremony filled with songs, speeches and snubs to Netflix.

The 92nd Academy Awards saw South Korean film Parasite winning not only Best International Feature Film (replacing the Foreign Language category), but also Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and, most unexpectedly of all, Best Picture.

This is the first time in 92 years of Academy Awards history that a film not in English has won Hollywood’s most golden prize, and having Bong on stage every five minutes made for a truly unique ceremony. (Has any translator ever shone so brightly as Sharon Choi?)

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Rochelle Siemienowicz is the ArtsHub Group's Education and Career Editor. She was previously a journalist for Screenhub and is a writer, film critic and cultural commentator with a PhD in Australian cinema. She was the co-host of Australia's longest-running film podcast 'Hell is for Hyphenates' and has written a memoir, Fallen, published by Affirm Press. Her second book, Double Happiness, a novel, will be published by Midnight Sun in 2024. Instagram: @Rochelle_Rochelle Twitter: @Milan2Pinsk