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Bong Joon-ho, winner of the Original Screenplay, International Feature Film, Directing, and Best Picture awards for “Parasite,” poses in the press room during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California

With the rise of anti-Asian violence in the United States,ParasitedirectorBong Joon Howants Hollywood to take a bolder approach to confronting social issues.

The four-time Oscar winner, 51, spoke at Chapman University’s Dodge College Master Class series last Thursday about the concerningrise in anti-Asian hate and violence in the U.S., and said the film industry has the potential to question society and confront its issues through movies.

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Writer-director Bong Joon-ho, winner of the Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and International Feature Film awards for “Parasite,” attends the 92nd Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball at Hollywood and Highland on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California

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The director continued, “Creating a film takes a lot of time and a lot of money; it’s a big unit that can’t really respond quickly to issues that are currently happening in society. … But ironically, because of that, creators and filmmakers can be bolder with dealing with issues and they shouldn’t be afraid to confront them.”

Bong said his 2019 filmParasite, which scored a number of nominations and wins during awards season last year (including an Oscar for Best Picture), was similar to Spike Lee’s 1989 comedy-dramaDo The Right Thingbecause it didn’t merely portray current society, but society’s underlying issues that could “explode later on.”

“For me,Parasitewas a film where I tried to take that approach … [the film] talks about the haves and have-nots of our current society. It began with a question of ‘what does it mean to be poor or rich in our current times?'” Bong explained.

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Bong Joon-Ho, Spike Lee

Bong encouraged creators to approach their work similarly. “As creators and artists, you sort of have to see through the essence and the central questions in our society through the days that you live through and send a reply to those questions through your work.”

Parasite, the first foreign film to win Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards, centered on the consequential entanglement of two families — one rich and one poor — and was praised for successfully portraying issues like social inequality, wealth disparity and class.

source: people.com