Lee Isaac CHUNG’s acclaimed drama Minari was awarded the Best Foreign Language Film Awards at this year’s 78th Golden Globe Awards on February 28th. 

The tale of Korean-American immigrants starting a farm in Arkansas in the 1980s has been on a roll through this year’s awards season but while it won an award at the Golden Globes, many criticized the event which made the film ineligible for the Best Picture category, on the pretext of the film’s significant Korean language, despite being an American production.

The fourth film by Korean-American director Lee Isaac CHUNG, whose own upbringing informed the film’s story, Minari stars Steven YEUN (who also executive produced the film) and HAN Ye-ri has a Korean couple working as chicken sexers in California who move east in the hopes of starting a farm and selling produce to the growing Korean community. YOUN Yuh-jung stars as the mother-in-law who visits from Korea to stay with them.

Veteran Korean star YOUN has been particularly visible during this awards season, having picked up 27 Best Supporting Actress Awards from various film critics groups and other events so far.

Besides, YOUN has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for next month’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, where YEUN is also nominated for Best Actor and the whole cast of Minari is nominated for the Outstanding Ensemble Award.

Despite the Golden Globes snub, all eyes are now on the Academy Awards where Minari is expected to secure several major nominations.