Reprinted from Deadline Hollywood by Bruce Haring on April 8, 2021.
Directors and creators should be bolder when dealing with issues like Anti-Asian violence, said Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho in a Wednesday night interview at Chapman University’s Dodge College in Orange, California.
Addressing questions remotely from his Korea home and speaking through a translator, the Parasite director admitted that being so far away, he had an outsider’s perspective. “But as someone who is a part of mankind, as a person, it’s quite fearful to watch the hate crimes against Asian-Americans and the BLM movement,” he said. “I do think about what the film industry can do at this time. With films, creating a film takes a lot of time and a lot of money; it’s a big unit that can’t really respond quickly to issues that are currently happening in society.”
However, he added, “But ironically, because of that, I think creators and filmmakers can be bolder with dealing with issues and they shouldn’t be afraid to confront them. I’m currently thinking of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing.“ …