Korean-Canadian director Celine Song shares excitement for her Oscar-nominated film ‘Past Lives’

Director Celine Song of the movie \'Past Lives\'. Courtesy of CJ ENM

An unfamiliar Korean director was among the list of nominees for Best Picture and Best Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards announced last month. It was Korean-Canadian Celine Song, 36, whose Korean name is Song Ha-young. The newcomer's first directorial effort, “Past Lives,” earned her a nomination alongside the likes of world-renowned Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese.

"It's just amazing and an honor to be nominated by the Academy for my debut film," she said with a smile on her face. The interview was conducted in Korean.

Born in Korea in 1988, Song immigrated to Canada at the age of 12. She studied psychology at university and moved to the U.S. to earn a master’s degree in playwriting. She spent the next decade working as a theater playwright. In 2019, Song brought her play “Endlings,” which tells the story of Korean haenyeos, to the Canadian stage.

Song decided that her autobiographical tale, “Past Lives,” was better suited to film than theater and began working on the scenario. "It's a story that spans two continents, Asia and North America, and decades of time," she says, "and I thought a film would be a better way to visually show my childhood and adulthood."

“Past Lives” tells the story of two days in New York City when a man and woman separated as children reunite after 24 years. Korean-American actress Greta Lee plays Na Young, who immigrated to Canada at the age of 12, and Korean actor Teo Yoo plays Hae Sung, who is searching for his first love, Na Young. The film is a collaboration between U.S. production company A24 and Korea's CJ ENM, which made the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and the Netflix series “Beef.”

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year and quickly became a critics’ favorite. It won more than 60 awards, including Best Picture at the National Society of Film Critics and Best Picture at the Critics' Choice Awards, and was named "Movie of the Year" at the end of last year by major media outlets around the world, including The New York Times and The Guardian.

The film tells the story of the protagonists' childhood and present-day adult lives, set in Seoul and New York, respectively. The scenery of Seoul in the 1990s is exactly as Song remembers it. "It's a very personal movie. I'm Korean, I'm a New Yorker, and there's also a Canadian part in me. While making the movie, I looked back on my past and thought about a lot of things I left behind. The movie is deeply Korean, not just outwardly, but philosophically and ideologically."

Relationships are a big part of “Past Lives.” It is a deeply Korean concept that Western audiences may not be familiar with. "There's a scene in the film where the main character, who is Korean-American, is explaining the meaning of bonding to an American man, so even non-Korean audiences watch the movie with the idea of bonding in their minds, and I'm really happy to see them embrace it and feel it through this movie,” Song said.

Song explained that while “Past Lives” is a Korean film, it is universal in its immigrant identity. "I think everyone has an immigrant identity. Everyone has the experience of moving to a new place and starting a new life," she said.

Past Lives was nominated for two Academy Awards which will be held next month, for Best Picture and Best Screenplay. It's the third time a film by a Korean or Korean-American director has been nominated for Best Picture, following “Parasite” in 2020 and “Minari” in 2021. "After “Parasite,” it became possible for foreign films with subtitles to be popular in the U.S.," “Past Lives” was accepted by global audiences without resistance, thanks to “Parasite” and K-pop and K-dramas that paved the way,” Song said.

Song is the daughter of director Song Neung-han, whose films such as “Number 3” and “End of the Century” made him famous in the 1990s. He was thrilled to see his daughter follow his footsteps and be nominated for an Academy Award. "The whole family was so happy, and whenever people ask me about my dad, I wish I had a funny story to tell them, but honestly, there was nothing interesting to tell. He was just happy and proud of me."

“Past Lives” will be released in theaters in Korea on March 6 "I'm so grateful for the support from Korea, it's like a dream. I'm nervous and excited to see how the Korean audience likes my film. I can't wait to go to Korea and meet the audience,” Song said with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.