‘Past Lives’, directed by 36-year-old Korean-Canadian Celine Song, has received Oscar nominations.
On January 23, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards. Past Lives has been nominated for two of Oscars, Best Picture and Original Screenplay for the 2024 Academy Awards.
Past Lives will compete with nine other films for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, including ‘Oppenheimer’, ‘Barbie’, ‘American Fiction’, ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, ‘Maestro’, ‘The Holdovers, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, ‘Poor Things’, and ‘The Zone of Interest’.
The film narrates the journey of two individuals, a man and a woman, who grew up together in South Korea and reunited in New York City after over two decades, exploring the essence of life and relationships amidst their differing paths.
Celine Song marks her directorial debut with ‘Past Lives’, crafting the screenplay from her autobiographical experiences.
In the film, Korean-American actress Greta Lee portrays Na Young, who immigrated to Canada at age 12, while Korean actor Teo Yoo depicts Hae Sung.
After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year and capturing the U.S. film industry’s attention, ‘Past Lives’ was invited to compete at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.
At the British Academy Film Awards, ‘Past Lives’ is contending in three categories: Best Actor, Best Film Not in the English Language, and Best Original Screenplay.
The film has also won awards at various regional film festivals in the U.S., including Best Picture at the Gotham Independent Film Awards and Best Picture at the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) Awards.
Currently, the film holds an impressive 96% average critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The documentary ‘Beyond Utopia’, focusing on North Korean defection, had earlier received a preliminary nomination in the Academy’s feature documentary category in December, but it was not included in today’s shortlist announcement.
The 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
BY HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
