When Parasite, a social satire film, won four Oscars, including the coveted best picture award, Asian Americans around the globe took to social media to discuss their excitement as well as their overall feelings about the wins. 

The Oscars have been under scrutiny in recent years for not giving out more diverse nominations and awards despite supposedly being an institution that bears the weight of international excellence in film. This has been remedied through renaming the best foreign language film category name to that of international feature film. Despite the overall lack of representation, Asian Americans have been actively reshaping the film landscape with the release of major cinematic hits such as Crazy Rich Asians, the first Hollywood film to feature an all-Asian cast in 25 years, and The Farewell. What does this mean for Asian Americans? To see those same familiar faces accept awards on a stage surrounded by some of the most prominent figures in film tells us that their stories are important. Platforms such as the Asian Creative Network, a Facebook group created in November 2018, are proof of this movement and have been inspiring many to start their creative projects on a local scale through a mission of diversity.

Parasite’s ability to tell a story in an authentic way while delivering it with all the elements that make an excellent film is in itself monumental and a sign of progress for diversity in art.