Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress for her role in the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” naming her the first ever Asian woman to win an Oscar.
Ke Huy Quan also won the Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of Waymond Wang in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Quan sees this as a sign of progress for the Asian community and is grateful for the opportunities it has afforded him, “I go to sleep every night feeling very grateful and wake up the next morning wondering if all of this is a dream. I’m so blessed to be able to have this incredible second act,” he told The New York Times.
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the directors of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, were awarded, Best Director. Moreover, the movie received accolades for Best Picture, Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh, Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan, Best Supporting Actress for Jamie Lee Curtis, and Best Original Screenplay – taking home 7 awards out of 11 nominations.
India’s “The Elephant Whisperers”, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, has won Best Documentary Short Subject.
In addition, Chinese-Canadian Director Domee Shi’s film “Turning Red,” which centers around a teenager struggling with adolescence and an authoritarian mother, was nominated for Best Animated Feature.
Kazuo Ishiguro for “Living” was nominated for The Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for “Living” while Stephanie Hsu received a nomination for the best supporting actress award for the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
“All That Breathes,” by Indian director Shaunak Sen, has also been nominated for the best documentary feature award, while Vietnamese-American actress Hong Chau has been nominated for the best supporting actress award for her portrayal of Liz in the movie “The Whale.”
This year’s Oscars represent a significant shift towards greater diversity and representation in the film industry. The recognition of a record number of Asians and Asian Americans across various categories is a cause for celebration and highlights the importance of amplifying diverse voices in film.
