Minari, Lee Isaac Chung's widely acclaimed semi-autobiographical A24 drama that bagged the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in January, will be considered in foreign language film categories for the upcoming Golden Globe Awards.
This means, of course, that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (as they previously did with last year's The Farewell) has barred the drama from being nominated in the main Best Picture categories. As Varietyreported in an exclusive update earlier this week, Minari will instead be considered for foreign language film honors "because it is primarily in Korean." Stars Steven Yeun and Yeri Han, however, remain eligible for inclusion in the leading actor and actress categories.
The decision to keep Minari out of Best Picture categories has been met with widespread condemnation, including from The Farewell writer and director Lulu Wang.
"I have not seen a more American film than Minari this year," she said. "It's a story about an immigrant family, IN American, pursuing the American dream. We really need to change these antiquated rules that characterizes American as only English-speaking."
Many echoed this takeaway from the Globes decision, expressing confusion and anger over a movie that's notably set in '80s era Arkansas:
Minari, which kicked off a limited release this month, goes wide in February. The family drama has already been met with glowing reviews and a number of awards, including the aforementioned Sundance prize and honors from the Denver Film Festival, the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, and more.
