2020 ACE Film Eddies: ‘Parasite’ and ‘Jojo Rabbit’ Grab Top Awards

Bong Joon Ho’s acclaimed South Korean class-divide thriller “Parasite” and Taika Waititi’s Nazi satire “Jojo Rabbit,” both Editing and Best Picture Oscar nominees, were the surprise feature winners for drama and comedy at the 70th ACE Eddie Awards Friday at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. “Toy Story 4” and “Apollo 11,” meanwhile, took the awards for animation and feature documentary.

However, since ACE has long been an Academy Awards bellwether for editing, “Parasite” (edited by Jinmo Yang) now becomes the Oscar favorite, besting the frontrunner, Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” (edited by three-time Oscar winner Thelma Schoonmaker). And it could even be a harbinger for “Parasite” to make Academy history as the first international feature film to win the coveted Best Picture Oscar.

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For Yang, who previously cut “Okja” and “Snowpiercer” with Bong, the director’s avoidance of coverage became even more of an obstacle on “Parasite.” This necessitated stitching together takes through CG compositing to attain the precise pace that Bong desired. “Sometimes [Bong] has to be bold in creating jump cuts even if it’s not in keeping with the continuity. This was part of his less is more philosophy,” Yang told IndieWire in a recent interview.

The zeitgeist-grabbing “Parasite” stands out for its suspenseful, escalating tension, and its social relevance, as the down-on-its-luck Kim family insinuates its way into the wealthy home of the Parks, only to discover they are not the only “parasites.” The most important sequence was the “Belt of Trust” setup. “Director Bong was very mindful of this sequence, and emphasized how important it was to the film,” added Yang. “Naturally, this was the most time-consuming part to edit. Although we captured its essential structure during on-set editing, we later combed through all the takes to find the best shots and worked hard to perfect the rhythm of the sequence.” Yang even devised a series of jump cuts to speed up the final obstacle to get the housekeeper (Lee Jung-eun) fired by feigning her allergy to peaches.

Prolific producer Lauren Shuler Donner received the prestigious Golden Eddie honor, presented to her by Marvel president/chief creative officer Kevin Feige. Donner joins an impressive list of industry luminaries who have received ACE’s highest honor, including J.J. Abrams, Norman Jewison, Nancy Meyers, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Robert Zemeckis, Alexander Payne, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, and Frank Marshall, among others.

“All That Jazz” Oscar winner Alan Heim, and Tina Hirsch (“The West Wing,” “Gremlins”), received career achievement awards presented by filmmakers Nick Cassavetes and Ron Underwood, respectively. Their work was highlighted with clip reels exhibiting their tremendous contributions to film and television throughout their careers.

Cathy Repola, National Executive Director of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, was presented the ACE Heritage Award for her contributions to advancing film editors. Actor Cary Elwes presented the Anne V. Coates Student Editing Award to Chase Johnson of California State University, Fullerton.

The list of film winners follows.

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMA):
“Parasite”
Jinmo Yang

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY):
“Jojo Rabbit”
Tom Eagles

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
“Toy Story 4”
Axel Geddes, ACE

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):
“Apollo 11”
Todd Douglas Miller