‘Parasite’ Becomes First Foreign Language Film to Win Best Picture at the Oscars

A few months ago, nobody thought it was possible. Now, it will go down in history.

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite became the first film not in the English language to win Best Picture. Bong Joon-ho’s brilliant and bleak satire delighted audiences all over the world. And when the dust cleared, it was the surprise big winner of Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards.

Parasite won over one of the most competitive Best Picture fields in years, including Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Todd Phillips’ Joker, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Sam Mendes’ 1917 — which was picked as the frontrunner for months by most Oscar pundits. Parasite ultimately won four awards, for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best International Film. Basically, Parasite is the best movie anywhere in the world for 2019. And the fact that this little movie from South Korea went on to win the top prize at the Oscars — where no film not in the English language has ever won before — is a huge moment, not just for the movie itself, but for international cinema.

If you missed any of the awards, you can find the full list of Oscar winners for 2020 here.

Gallery — Every Oscar Best Picture Winner Through History: