“Honestly, it hasn’t caught up with my head,” Minari director and writer Lee Isaac Chung told . about the six Academy Award nominations his American family drama received Monday morning. “My heart is full, but my head cannot wrap itself around what happened this morning.”
Minari received nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Performance in Music Written for Motion Pictures. In addition, Steven Yeun made history as the first Asian-American to be nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars, while Youn Yuh-jung made history as the first Korean actress to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Needless to say, it was a big day for the A24 film about the American dream.
Chung said he felt humiliated for the nomination because it is the academy and to be recognized by his peers and colleagues. “It means so much to me because we did it as a team … we did it as a family,” he said. “I’m just so damn proud of the whole family behind Minari.”
He said it was “so” gratifying to see all of the respect and praise Minari received. Regarding Yeun and Youn’s historic nominations, he said they won’t be lost for him. He’s happy that the Korean and Asian communities as a whole can celebrate the movie. In addition, he’s glad that this film has reached a wider community.
“I hope that with this film we are suggesting that we are not an issue – we are first and foremost people,” said Chung. He goes on to talk about how discouraged he is about the increase in violence against the Asian community in the country, but has also seen people outside of the Asian community connect with Minari and see them as one of their own. He feels a sense of oneness and says the answer to Minari is a “step in the right direction”.
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