Neon, the US distributor of South Korean film Parasite, has responded after Donald Trump mocked the Best Picture winner at a recent rally.
While complaining about the Academy Awards on Thursday 20 February, Trump asked the crowd, “And the winner is a movie from South Korea. What the hell was that all about?
“We got enough problems with South Korea with trade,” Trump added before admitting he has never seen the film.
“On top of it, they give them the best movie of the year. Was it good? I don't know.
"Can we get, like, Gone With the Wind back, please?” he continued. “Sunset Boulevard. So many great movies.”
Trump then asked why Bong's film won when there is an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film – which Parasite also won at this year's ceremony – before asking if there was a precedent.
The president also laid into Hollywood star Brad Pitt (“a little wise guy”), teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, and Fox News.
Independent distributor Neon responded by suggesting that Trump’s comments stemmed from his inability to read the subtitles of the film, which is on the verge of making more than $200m (£154m) worldwide.
“Understandable, he can’t read,” Neon tweeted, sharing a clip of Trump’s rant.
Throughout this year’s award season, director Bong Joon-Ho urged Americans to be more open to watching foreign films.
In January, after winning a Golden Globe, he said that Americans would be introduced to “so many more amazing films” once they overcame “the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles.”
“I think we use only one language: the cinema,” he added.
