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Why Minari is not a South Korean film: Minari casting director Julia Kim, Mashable editor Angie Han explain
- March 05, 2021
Why Minari is not a South Korean film:
Minari casting director Julia Kim,
Mashable editor Angie Han explain
Updated: 2021-03-05 05:24:54 KST
Golden Globe-winning film "Minari" has topped box office sales this week here in South Korea, after the U.S. film hit cinemas on Wednesday.
According to the Korean Film Council, some 40,000 people watched the 115-minute piece on the day of its release.
A semiautobiographical movie by Korean-American director Lee Isaac Chung, the movie is about a Korean immigrant family moving to an Arkansas farm in search of their American dream, and discovering what it means to be a family amid their struggles.
Starring Steven Yeun, Han Yeri and Youn Yuh-jung, Minari has been one of the most anticipated films in Korea, especially after it won Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes last weekend.
To discuss the whole buzz around this film, what it means for diversity in Hollywood and whether the piece will scoop an Oscar in the coming weeks.
We have joining us Julia Kim, Casting Director for Minari, who has been in the business for more than 20 years.
We also connect with Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor at Mashable.
1. Julia: Congratulations on your team's win at the Golden Globes this year. What was your reaction to the news, and how did you celebrate the win?
2. Angie: Minari received glowing reviews from critics. You wrote that it felt very familiar and reminiscent of your own childhood, running into the sort of encounters and conversations you experience as a Korean American. But what key aspects of the film do you think stood out to the general audience to generate such a massive response?
3. Julia: It's not your first film to receive an award, of course, but was this victory and the massively positive reaction particularly significant for you? How tough is it to make it in the film industry in the States, as a casting director or in another leading production roles?
4. Julia: You must have had quite a challenge casting the right people for this film, especially during the pandemic. How did you discover such gems like Alan Kim and Noel Kate Cho? What kind of future do you see for them?
5. Angie: What was quite clear to me was that Minari is not a Korean film. It's an authentic American story of an immigrant family pursuing the American dream - less to do with cultural clashes but more to do with the meaning of family. So there's still quite a lot of criticism towards HFPA for putting Minari under the best foreign language film category. What are your thoughts on this?
6. Julia: Of course, there was disappointment and criticism that Minari hadn't been up for the best picture award as more than half of the lines were in Korean. I think Mr. Lee Chung put it best when he said Minari is "goes deeper than any American language and any foreign language." What are your thoughts? Do you think more and more Americans will appreciate and call for greater diversity and inclusion in film?
7. Angie: HFPA is facing further criticism regarding diversity due to its lack of black members on the voting board. How big is the situation in the entertainment world right now and do you think the Golden Globes will be forced to go through major changes?
8. Julia: You're part of the Casting Society of America Diversity and Inclusion committee and you founded invAsianLA to guide Asian American actors into the world of Hollywood. Over your twenty years in the industry, how far has Asian American representation come in Hollywood? What further hurdles do you hope to overcome?
9. Angie: Parasite last year won the foreign language title at the Golden Globes and went onto clinch the Best Picture award at the Oscars. Now there's an Oscar buzz around Minari. What do you think the odds are?
Julia Kim, Casting Director for Minari and Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Thank you for your time.
According to the Korean Film Council, some 40,000 people watched the 115-minute piece on the day of its release.
A semiautobiographical movie by Korean-American director Lee Isaac Chung, the movie is about a Korean immigrant family moving to an Arkansas farm in search of their American dream, and discovering what it means to be a family amid their struggles.
Starring Steven Yeun, Han Yeri and Youn Yuh-jung, Minari has been one of the most anticipated films in Korea, especially after it won Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes last weekend.
To discuss the whole buzz around this film, what it means for diversity in Hollywood and whether the piece will scoop an Oscar in the coming weeks.
We have joining us Julia Kim, Casting Director for Minari, who has been in the business for more than 20 years.
We also connect with Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor at Mashable.
1. Julia: Congratulations on your team's win at the Golden Globes this year. What was your reaction to the news, and how did you celebrate the win?
2. Angie: Minari received glowing reviews from critics. You wrote that it felt very familiar and reminiscent of your own childhood, running into the sort of encounters and conversations you experience as a Korean American. But what key aspects of the film do you think stood out to the general audience to generate such a massive response?
3. Julia: It's not your first film to receive an award, of course, but was this victory and the massively positive reaction particularly significant for you? How tough is it to make it in the film industry in the States, as a casting director or in another leading production roles?
4. Julia: You must have had quite a challenge casting the right people for this film, especially during the pandemic. How did you discover such gems like Alan Kim and Noel Kate Cho? What kind of future do you see for them?
5. Angie: What was quite clear to me was that Minari is not a Korean film. It's an authentic American story of an immigrant family pursuing the American dream - less to do with cultural clashes but more to do with the meaning of family. So there's still quite a lot of criticism towards HFPA for putting Minari under the best foreign language film category. What are your thoughts on this?
6. Julia: Of course, there was disappointment and criticism that Minari hadn't been up for the best picture award as more than half of the lines were in Korean. I think Mr. Lee Chung put it best when he said Minari is "goes deeper than any American language and any foreign language." What are your thoughts? Do you think more and more Americans will appreciate and call for greater diversity and inclusion in film?
7. Angie: HFPA is facing further criticism regarding diversity due to its lack of black members on the voting board. How big is the situation in the entertainment world right now and do you think the Golden Globes will be forced to go through major changes?
8. Julia: You're part of the Casting Society of America Diversity and Inclusion committee and you founded invAsianLA to guide Asian American actors into the world of Hollywood. Over your twenty years in the industry, how far has Asian American representation come in Hollywood? What further hurdles do you hope to overcome?
9. Angie: Parasite last year won the foreign language title at the Golden Globes and went onto clinch the Best Picture award at the Oscars. Now there's an Oscar buzz around Minari. What do you think the odds are?
Julia Kim, Casting Director for Minari and Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Thank you for your time.
Reporter : osy@arirang.com
