‘Past Lives’, directed by Korean-Canadian Celine Song, earned five nominations at the Golden Globe Awards on Dec. 11.
The nominations include Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama), and Best Foreign Language Film. This surpasses the three nominations of 2020′s ‘Parasite’. The Golden Globe Awards are one of America’s most prestigious awards shows and are often seen as a precursor to the Academy Awards.
The film is Song’s debut feature, telling the story of Nora, a Canadian immigrant, who reunites in New York with her childhood friend, Hae-sung, after 20 years. Greta Lee and Teo Yoo play the lead roles.
Song is the daughter of director Song Neung-han, who directed the Korean mega-hit film ‘Number 3′, and the niece of screenwriter Song Kil-han, who wrote ‘Mandala’ and ‘The Surrogate Woman’ in Korea. She was born in Korea and immigrated to Canada when she was 12 years old. Song pursued a degree in psychology at Queens University and later moved to New York to study playwriting.
Song was inspired to write the screenplay after meeting an old friend from Korea in New York. The film’s themes have resonated internationally, particularly its Buddhist message on the significance of relationships.
Past Lives is co-financed and distributed by CJ ENM, a Korean film distributor, and A24, a Hollywood production company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution.
Since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the movie has received positive reviews at international film festivals, including an invitation to compete at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Moreover, it was selected as one of the American Film Institute’s (AFI) ‘Top 10 Films of the Year’. This is considered one of the predictors for the Academy Awards. Critics believe that Past Lives has a chance to be nominated for an Oscar due to its achievements. Past Lives was released in the U.S. in June and will be released in Korea around March next year.
An executive from CJ ENM’s public relations team noted the significance of ‘Past Lives’ being produced in Hollywood, contrasting with ‘Parasite’, which was a fully Korean-made film.
“We have been investing overseas for a long time, it has been challenging to achieve positive outcomes in the United States, which is the hub of the movie industry,” said an executive from CJ ENM’s public relations team.
This article was originally published on Dec. 11, 2023.
