CJ ENM’s leading entertainment has won prestigious international awards.
As Korean entertainment continues to grow in popularity, the genre has increasingly shifted from being beloved by a close-knit community of fans to entering the world’s stage. Following Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite” and its historical wins at the Academy Awards, many Korean TV shows, films and more have become household names, displaying the prestige and quality of the genre.
From dramas, variety series, films, musicals and more, CJ ENM’s content has also become coveted by fans not only in Korea, but also by audiences around the world. In celebration of Korean entertainment’s growing popularity and increasing recognition at globally renowned award ceremonies, CJ Newsroom is reflecting on the history of some of the world’s biggest awards shows and how CJ ENM’s content has been recognized at these events.
International Recognition at the Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, known otherwise as the Oscars, were first held in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The awards consist of 24 categories, ranging from film production to on screen talent, and both nominees and winners are voted on by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In order to be eligible for the awards, films must be screened for at least a week at a commercial theater in Los Angeles County between January 1 and December 31. Foreign language films are exempt from this rule, however, and only need to be submitted by their country of origin.
Receiving an Oscar boasts a range of benefits, including international recognition, and has been known to help give nominated and winning films a boost at the box office. In 2020, CJ ENM’s “Parasite” made history at the ceremony. In addition to receiving three awards for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film, the film won the prestigious Best Picture award — the first non-English language film to ever received the accolade. After receiving the award, the film brought in an additional 8.8 million USD in U.S. ticket sales in just a week.
To this day, “Parasite” is still cited as an important milestone in both Korean and global cinematic history. Following up on the success of “Parasite,” CJ ENM’s “Decision to Leave” has been shortlisted for the International Feature Film category at the 2023 Academy Awards, hoping to score another win for Korean film at the ceremony next year. The film’s director, Park Chan-Wook, previously won Best Director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, attesting to the individual talent behind the camera.
Moving From the Silver Screen to the Small Screen
A few years after the Academy Awards were conceived, TV began increasing in popularity and the Emmy Awards were introduced to the industry. First beginning in Los Angeles in 1949, the Emmy Awards were initially restricted to local Los Angeles U.S. TV shows only. However as the years passed and the number of households with TVs surged, the awards expanded nationally, as well as including international programming which resulted in the creation of the International Emmy Awards in 1973. The International Emmy Awards are hosted every year at the Hilton Hotel in New York City and recognize global excellence on the small screen.
CJ ENM’s TV series have also been nominated for awards at the International Emmy Awards in recent years. The variety show “I Can See Your Voice,” where judges guess if they can determine which singers are good among those who are tone-deaf based solely on their appearance, was nominated in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category at the 2016 awards ceremony. Additionally, Studio Dragon’s well-loved drama “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” and CJ ENM’s co-produced survival audition show “I-LAND” were nominated in the TV Movie/Mini-series and Non-Scripted Entertainment categories respectively at the 2021 awards.
Opening to Audiences on the World’s Stage
Aside from TV and film, musicals have become a staple of entertainment for many around the world, packing in theatres on Broadway, London’s West End, Seoul, Tokyo and more. In order to recognize those involved in running, producing and starring in musicals, the Tony Awards were first held in 1947. Named after actress, director and producer Antoinette (“Tony”) Perry, the awards seek to commend those involved in plays or musicals on Broadway. Presently, the awards are broadcast around the world and celebrate the unique stories that unfold on stage and attract millions of visitors from all over the globe.
“MJ,” a musical based on Michael Jackson’s 1992 tour that was co-produced by CJ ENM, scored 10 nominations and won four awards at the 2022 Tony Awards: Best Actor in a Musical for Myles Frost, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design. As a result, the musical swelled in popularity after nabbing four awards at this year’s award ceremony. In 2021, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” an adaptation of the 2001 film of the same name, also scored 14 nominations and took home a whopping 10 awards, including the prestigious Best Musical award.
Not only have CJ ENM co-produced musicals dominated theaters the past two years, CJ ENM’s co-produced musical “Kinky Boots” received 13 nominations and took home six awards at the 2013 Tony Awards, with notable awards including the top prize of Best Musical and singer Cindi Lauper’s win for Best Original Score. With musicals continuing to bring audiences together as the world returns to normal and in person shows resume, CJ ENM is tirelessly working to produce new musicals that thrill and entertain viewers globally.
