Korean Canadian director Celine Song's film "Past Lives" (2023) has been nominated for Best Motion Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards.

Song becomes the third director of Korean descent to put their name on a film nominated for Best Motion Picture, following Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” (2019) and Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari” (2020).

The film, which is Song’s directorial debut, was nominated for Best Motion Picture alongside works by big names like Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Song is the first Asian female director and the fourth person to be nominated in both the Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay categories for their debut feature as a director or a screenwriter, according to distributor CJ ENM.

"Past Lives” revolves around two childhood friends in Korea reuniting after 20 years as adults in New York, featuring actors Greta Lee and Teo Yoo.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year and was invited to compete at the Berlin International Film Festival the following month. It won Best Picture at the Gotham Awards in November.

It was also nominated for awards at the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards but didn't take home any wins.

The film was recently nominated at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Awards for Best Film not in the English Language, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Leading Actor.

“Past Lives” is scheduled to premiere in Korea in March.

The ceremony for the 96th Academy Awards will take place on March 10.


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]