Growing up in South Korea in the 1960s, American movies were everywhere. Mikey Lee wanted to expose the world to Korean content. She turned the game around in her adulthood. Viewers all around the world are fans of South Korean-made dramas. And now, the South Korean film "Parasite" became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture in the 92nd Oscars.
Lee is the vice chairwoman of the entertainment company CJ Group. She also heads “Parasite” as the executive producer behind the film. But to many, she is the godmother of Korean cinema.
Speaking with CNN, she stated her idea. It was to "push our Korean content to other people to watch it, keep just pushing it, pushing it.”
"I really believe that our content is edgy and it's very different from any other content," she added. "I had to believe that they would really recognize the difference."
In the 1990s, Lee and her brother Lee Jay-Hyun founded the media division of CJ Group. Today, it has a hand in television channels, a record label, and a film production company. It even heads the annual Korean wave convention held around the world, KCON, which helped bring Kpop bands like BTS to the forefront.
"I kept pushing (Korean content) with the confidence and with the belief and with the faith in it," she said.
On Sunday, one of Lee's many dreams came true. Korean content gained recognition at the Oscars. "Parasite," directed by Bong Joon-ho, took home four awards, including Best Picture. Lee described it as a "delightful surprise."
Lee worked with Bong for almost two decades, including on his 2013 sci-fi flick "Snowpiercer."
"I like everything about him. His smile, his crazy hair, the way he talks, the way he walks, and especially the way he directs. What I really like about him is his sense of humor, and the fact is he can be really making fun of himself, and he never takes himself seriously," she said.
Lee also thanked the Korean film audience.
"(They) have been really supporting all of our movies, and never hesitated to give us straight forward opinion on all our movies. And that made us never be able to be complacent, and to keep pushing," she said.
Now she wants to build on the success of "Parasite."
Her plan is to include Korean films, television, and games in global conventions like KCON, to help them get more exposure overseas. For "Parasite" fans, she is working on two more films with director Bong. One film in English, and one in Korean. She says Bong, or “Bongtail” as she nicknamed him because he's detail orientated, has an amazing ability to draw audiences into a film.
Lee doesn't see herself as the winner of the Oscar. She considers herself a "supporter of the winners of the Oscar." And to her, the win is likely to have a much bigger impact beyond the individuals involved in making the movie.
"I think it really inspires a lot of filmmakers and content makers, not just in Korea but all of Asia," she said. "I think people are more encouraged to be more edgy and push the limits and not be afraid of expressing their ideas and their creativity.
"This is a really positive thing that's happening to everybody."
