Oscars 2020 Recap: PARASITE Sweeps, THE NEIGHBORS' WINDOW and MARRIAGE STORY Nab Wins
Keon-kyo (Yeo-jeong Jo) in PARASITE. Courtesy of NEON + CJ Entertainment
The 92nd Academy Awards were held yesterday evening, including enough surprises to rattle even the most cynical of cultural commentators. Amongst the annual mix of accolades and snubs was a history making moment for foreign cinema.
By far the biggest winner of the night was Korean auteur Bong Joon Ho’s widely acclaimed PARASITE, which screened at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival. The film took home Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. Championed by indie distributor NEON, which is helmed by trailblazing co-founder Tom Quinn, PARASITE had been gaining steam on both the awards and festival circuit after picking up the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes. HONEYLAND, another NEON film about an elderly beekeeper in rural Macedonia was nominated for Best Documentary Feature. NEON was a big presence at last year’s Woodstock Film Festival, which in addition to PARASITE held screenings of PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, and CLEMENCY, and will surely have a big role at the festival again in 2020.
Mirroring her success at the Golden Globes, Laura Dern won her first Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as hotshot divorce attorney Nora Fanshaw in Noah Baumbach’s MARRIAGE STORY, which was the Closing Night Film at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival. Marshall Curry, a multiple Woodstock Film Festival alumni known for his documentary film work, received the statuette for Best Live Action Short Film for his debut narrative THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW. The film previously won Best Narrative Short at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival.
"I’ve always thought of myself as a documentary filmmaker so I was nervous to leap off of the cliff and try writing and directing fiction. But I had an amazing team of collaborators – a brilliant cast and crew – and it’s a huge thrill for the film to receive this attention" said Marshall.
Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston, New York.
A special thank you to Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston for hosting our Oscars Viewing Party, and to everyone who joined us. Special thanks also to all the wonderful establishments that donated goods and services to our silent auction including: Bardavon Presents, UPAC, Lis Bar, Karina Dresses, A Tiny House Resort, Woodstock Way Hotel, The Herwood Inn, The Graham & Co., Glo Spa, Hotel Kinsley, and Krause’s Chocolates.
Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees!