Brad Pitt’s’Buttercup’, Golden Globe’racism’ controversy

The main actor in the movie’Minari’ responded to a group shoot at Park City, Utah on January 26th. [사진 엔터테인먼트 위클리]

“I have never seen a more American movie than’Buttercup’ this year. It’s the story of the immigrant family and the pursuit of the American Dream in America. There is a need to change the old rules that characterize Americans only by speaking English.” (Director Lulu Wang in the movie’Fairwell’)

The film’Minari’, written and directed by Korean-American Lee Isaac Jeong (Korean name Isaac Jeong) based on his autobiographical experience, has been classified as a candidate for a foreign language film award at the’Golden Globe’, a major US film award, causing controversy. Even though the use of English is less than 50%, it is a story of an American made in the United States.

According to the American media’Variety’ on the 23rd (local time), according to the Hollywood Foreign Journalists Association (HFPA) regulations, which supervises the Golden Globe,’Minari’ was submitted to the Foreign Language Film Awards at the next year’s awards ceremony and was judged. HFPA classifies movies in foreign languages ​​when more than 50% of conversations are not in English. In’Minari’, which depicts a family of Korean immigrants in rural Arkansas in the 1980s, Korean is mainly used. For this reason, it is said that A24, an American production company, had no choice but to submit in the foreign language film category.

The problem is that under another regulation of the Golden Globe, entries for foreign language films cannot be nominated for a’work award’. Last year, Chinese-American director Lulu Wang’s film “Fairwell” was nominated for a foreign language film award, and “Fairwell” had to be satisfied with Aquapina winning the Best Actress Award. At that time, the Foreign Language Film Awards went to’Parasite’, who competed together.

The release of such reports has led to criticism from filmmakers in addition to director Lulu Wang. Asian actor Andrew Pung, who is appearing in the Canadian sitcom’Kim’s Convenience Store’, wrote, “It is sad and disappointing that the film about the American Dream, filmed in the United States, appeared in the United States, directed by an American, and produced by an American company is a foreign film anyway. A Korean-American actor Daniel vs. Kim, who appeared in the popular American drama’Lost’ with Kim Yoon-jin, quoted a variety article and pointed out, “It’s like the United States is home, but you’re listening to the story of returning to your country.” An official at Pan Cinema, a domestic distributor of’Minari’, told the JoongAng Ilbo on the 24th, “As the foreign language film’Parasite’ has gained widespread support in the United States, the criticism that the standards of American cinema are conservative seems to gain sympathy.”

A tweet critically mentioned by Lulu Wang, director of the film’Fairwell’, citing a variety article in the US media as’Buttercup’ was classified as a foreign language film nomination at the next year’s Golden Globe Awards. [사진 판시네마]

A tweet critically mentioned by African film director Nia Dacosta when’Buttercup’ was classified as a foreign language film nomination at the next year’s Golden Globe Awards. [사진 판시네마]

A tweet from Indie Wire, an American media outlet, that the movie’Buttercup’ was classified as a foreign language film nomination at the next year’s Golden Globe Awards. [사진 판시네마]

Some pointed out that the Golden Globe rules are being applied spontaneously. Variety explained, “In the case of the movies’Babel’ or’Basters: The Rough Guys’, even though the proportion of English was low, they competed for the work, and even’Babel’ won the Best Work in 2006.” Both films have a large proportion of foreign languages, but well-known Hollywood actors such as Brad Pitt appear. Jacob Aller, a film reporter for Paste, an American pop culture magazine, also criticized the Golden Globe’s rule as’racism’, referring to the case of’Basterz’.

The Golden Globe, which is considered one of the two major film awards in the United States, is held before the academy and is called the’Academy Outpost’. However, unlike the Golden Globe, the Academy (Oscar) can compete for the best work for foreign language film awards. This year, director Bong Joon-ho’s’Parasite’ won the Oscars for Foreign Language Film and Best Works for the first time in history and won four crowns.

‘Buttercup’ is an American film produced by Brad Pitt’s A24, and the immigrant lead actor Stephen Yeon was named as the executive producer along with Brad Pitt. Many Korean actors such as Ye-ri Han and Ye-ri Yoon appeared. After receiving the Best Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival in February and the Audience Award in the American Film Category, it is receiving favorable reviews at several international film festivals. It was invited to the 25th Busan International Film Festival in October to meet domestic audiences, and is scheduled to be released in the first half of next year. The Golden Globe Awards Ceremony is scheduled for February 28 next year.

Reporter Kang Hye-ran [email protected]