Parasite became one of the big winners at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards—better known as the BAFTAs, Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars—on Sunday when it took the awards for best film not in the English language and best original screenplay.

The critically acclaimed film, directed and written by Bong Joon-ho, is now the second Korean movie in history to win the best foreign-language film award, following Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden in 2018.

In his acceptance speech for the screenplay prize, Bong Joon-ho said he didn’t expect to receive the award because Parasite was written in a foreign language. “I spent a lot of time writing in cafes. I never imagined I’d be standing here at the Royal Albert Hall,” he added.

The four other nominees for the best original screenplay include Marriage Story, Booksmart, Knives Out, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Meanwhile, Parasite bested The Farewell, For Sama, Pain and Glory, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire for the best foreign-language film award.

Parasite received a total of four nominations at this year’s BAFTAs including best film and best director for Bong Joon-ho. The World War I drama 1917 and its director Sam Mendes eventually won the prizes, respectively. 1917 emerged as the biggest winner of the night, taking seven awards from its nine nominations.

Promotional poster for Parasite

Parasite is a black comedy thriller about a poor family whose son secures a job as a tutor at the house of a wealthy family. It stars Song Kang-ho (A Taxi Driver), Jang Hye-jin (Mothers), Lee Sun-kyun (Jo Pil-Ho: The Dawning Rage), Cho Yeo-jeong (Casa Amor: Exclusive For Ladies), Lee Jung-eun (Let Us Meet Now), Choi Woo-shik (The Divine Fury), Park So-dam (Ode to the Goose), Jung Ji-so (The Tiger), Jeong Hyun-jun, and Park Myung-hoon (Ash Flower).

Song Kang-ho and Bong Joon-ho represented the film at the BAFTAs.

The film had its world premiere on May 21, 2019, at the Cannes Film Festival where it made history as the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or. It has since won several accolades from prestigious award ceremonies throughout the world, including Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Golden Globe Awards and Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Parasite is expected to score another success on February 9 at the 92nd Academy awards as it stands nominated in six categories including best picture, best directing, and best original screenplay.

Presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the British Academy Film Awards is held annually to honor the best films that were screened at British cinemas. This year’s edition took place on February 2, 2020, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

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