Bong Joon-ho at the JBFC

by Digital Marketing Associate Paige Grand Pré

Congratulations to Director Bong on making history with Parasite at the 2020 Oscars! Back in 2015, long before the success of breakout hit Parasite, Bong Joon-ho was an International Artist-in-Residence at the JBFC. During his time here, Bong lived and worked on the JBFC campus as he worked on pre-production—including finalizing the script—for 2017’s Okja. Meanwhile at the theater, the JBFC presented a retrospective series, “The Films of Bong Joon-ho,” from Mar. 19-Apr. 2, 2015. The series included screenings of Memories of Murder, The Host, Mother, and Snowpiercer, each of which was followed by a Q&A with Director Bong himself.

Shortly after cementing its status as the most successful film of 2019 at the JBFC, Parasite made history at the 2020 Oscars with its much-deserved wins for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. Parasite is the first film not in the English language to take home the Oscar for Best Picture, and the first in 17 years to nab the Best Original Screenplay honor. We couldn’t be prouder of Director Bong and all of his continued success, so we’ve gathered some resources from Bong’s time at the JBFC to celebrate his career and all he’s accomplished to date. Please enjoy these photos and videos from Bong’s 2015 stint as a JBFC Artist-in-Residence—and remember you can always catch full JBFC Live Q&As on the JBFC’s YouTube channel!

Q&A Footage from 2015 series The Films of Bong Joon-ho at the JBFC:

Mar. 24, 2015: The Host with Director Bong Joon-ho (C), JBFC Senior Programmer Andrew Jupin (L), and producer/translator Choi Doo-ho (R)

Mar. 30, 2015: Mother with Director Bong Joon-ho (C), JBFC Senior Programmer Andrew Jupin (L) and producer/translator Choi Doo-ho (R)

Apr. 2, 2015: Snowpiercer with Director Bong Joon-ho (CL), producer Choi Doo-ho (L), actor Paul Lazar (CR), and Eric Kohn, Deputy Editor and Chief Film Critic at Indiewire (R)

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY: BONG JOON-HO AT THE JBFC

Still haven’t seen Bong’s magnum opus Parasite? Catch both the Black and White and Color versions at the JBFC today, then visit the JBFC blog for a “deep dive” into the film’s reception and legacy.

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