The Hollywood Foreign Press was again criticized for the rule that prohibits “Minari”, the story of a family of Korean immigrants struggling to build a better life in Arkansas, for competing in the Golden Globe race for the best drama or musical / comedy. While the entertainment industry faces pressure to become more diverse and inclusive, both in the stories it tells and in terms of the actors and filmmakers it stands for, HFPA should have anticipated the Hollywood outcry.
The Golden Globe eligibility rules for the best photo categories are out of date and need to be revised – quickly.
“Minari”, starring an American, is directed by an American and produced, financed and distributed by American companies, does not qualify in the categories of best film and must compete in the foreign language category. The problem was also tackled last year by “The Farewell”, Lulu Wang’s acclaimed dramatic comedy in 2019, which, like “Minari”, was forced to compete in foreign languages and excluded from the main awards of the Globe.
Globes’ eligibility rules state that any film with at least 50% non-English dialogue goes into the foreign language category, and films competing for the best foreign language film cannot win the award for best musical / comedy or best drama. The film’s distributor, A24, confirms that it has entered “Minari” in the foreign language category due to current rules. In other words, the company had no choice and thought that this was the only way to recognize the film itself.
However, other films that have a lot of non-English dialogues, like “Babel” and “Inglourious Bastards” competed on the Globe, with “Babel” winning the drama award in 2006.
The HFPA declined to comment.
The Oscar category, which changed its name to an international film instead of a foreign language, has its own problems. Countries choose a film to represent the territory for a nomination for best international feature film, which leads to political disputes and excludes the possibility of two films from the same country being nominated. However, these films can be nominated for an Oscar for best film, as long as they receive a release in the United States until the end of the eligibility period. Thus, “Parasita” by Bong Joon-ho won both the best film and an international feature film in 2020, while “Roma” by Alfonso Cuarón almost made the same duo in 2019.
Official HFPA rules on foreign language films provide:
- It must be a cinematic, musical or comedy drama with more than 50% of dialogues in other languages. HFPA can request a continuity script to verify that the films registered as the best foreign language film meet the minimum requirement for dialogues in another language; failure to provide a requested script in a timely manner will result in the application being rejected.
- Dramas, musicals or cinematographic comedies with 50% or more of dialogues in English are eligible for Best Film – Drama or Best Film – Musical or Comedy awards.
Cinema is a medium that has needed different stories for decades. The HFPA has shown an openness to genres, but the problem is that “language” is not a gender. A work of art in which a family that recently immigrated to the United States works tirelessly to improve its economic situation while fighting cultural and language barriers is a well-known story. You can argue that nothing is more American. Foreign language films with totally different genres are grouped, whether they are hilarious (“Wild Tales”), terrifying (“Funny Games”) or emotional (“Son of Saul”). By throwing them in the same “box”, it dishonors the very notion that HFPA is trying to achieve by separating comedies and dramas at award ceremonies. What separates these films is the way they tell these stories, injecting them with humor or pathos, not the language in which they are transmitted.
Alan S. Kim and Steven Yeun in “Minari” (A24)
Photo courtesy of A24
The foreign language category is not the only one that needs some reform. When HFPA established the category of best animated feature in 2006, these films could no longer compete in the category of best film. In previous years, HFPA awarded films such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Lion King” and “Toy Story 2” for the best comedy or musical award. Why are they no longer worthy of that distinction now?
Under current rules, the documentary cannot be recognized at the Golden Globes either. The rules state that “documentaries are not eligible for any of the categories of cinema awards, including the categories of Best Film and the categories of acting, direction, script, music and soundtrack” What do your rules say about documentary filmmakers, artists who continue to double and revolutionize the way we see films?
“The Farewell”, which is more than 50% spoken in Mandarin, still lists “USA” as the country on the Golden Globe website. The film ended up being nominated for a foreign language film and lost to South Korea’s “Parasite”. Even so, its star Awkwafina won the award for best actress in a comedy or musical, marking the first time an Asian won this award. Why was a performance recognized as comical, while HFPA felt that the most striking feature of the film was the main dialogue being spoken in Mandarin? This contradictory situation needs to be reexamined.
Steven Yeun, who stars and is executive producer of “Minari”, explained this clearly in an interview with Variety, “This is an Asian American story. this It’s American. We simply do not have that space of understanding sculpted in society yet about what an Asian American story looks and sounds like. He continues, “I am Korean. I’m just a human being. But then, when I walk out of my door, I am sometimes reminded that I am also an outlined version of an American, that is, I am a Korean or an Asian American. And sometimes, living constantly in that place doesn’t allow you to see yourself whole and true. “
In Twitter, Wang wrote: “I haven’t seen a film more American than #Minari this year. It is the story of an immigrant family, IN America, chasing the American dream. We really need to change those old-fashioned rules that characterize Americans as just English speakers. “
Each spring, HFPA reviews its rules, taking into account any concerns or issues raised in previous years. With the conversation around “Minari”, the 89-member group is likely to examine the rules for next year’s eligibility – but why didn’t that happen after last year’s outcry for “The Farewell”?
“Minari” is currently under limited release, with a broader launch starting on February 12th. You must see it. It is a reminder of the millions of families who risked everything in the hope of creating a better life for themselves and their children. What could be more universal than that?