The Oscars haven’t always been known for their inclusivity (remember when #OscarsSoWhite was trending a few years ago?) and while the voting body have tried to remedy their past wrongs, recognition for Asian and Asian American creatives is still sorely missing.
Since 2016, the share of voting members who are people of colour has doubled but the fact remains that Asian representation in the US film industry is woefully lacking whether on-screen, behind the camera or in the editing room.
There are a handful of Asian directors, actors and creatives that have broken the mold and achieved success at the Academy Awards despite the barriers to entry. In a bid to get more traction for Asian people in the field, we list out these inspiring individuals below:
The South Korean director’s film, Parasite, has made waves this Oscars season with its genre-bending plot twists and just stellar storytelling. For his efforts, Joon-ho picked up six nominations and won four accolades for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best International Feature Film and Best Picture – a historic first for a South Korean film.
Domee (right) may not be a household name but she’s lent her skills to movies like Inside Out, Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 in her capacity as a storyboard artist at Pixar. She picked up an Oscar in 2018 for directing Bao, a short film about dumplings and empty nest syndrome.
Considered one of the best directors ever regardless of ethnicity, Ang Lee won two Oscars for his direction on 2005’s Brokeback Mountain and 2012’s Life of Pi. He was the first Asian person and also the first person of colour to win Best Director. His martial arts tale, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also won Best Foreign Film in 2000.
Emi Wada is a Japanese theatre, ballet and film costume designer who picked up an Oscar for Best Costume Design way back in 1985 for Ran, an epic period drama directed by legendary auteur Akira Kurosawa.
Singer and actress Miyoshi Umeki became the first, and currently only, woman of Asian origin to take home an acting Academy Award. Her role in Sayonara, a love story between a US soldier and Japanese woman during the Korean War, won her the Best Supporting Actress award in 1958.
The Studio Ghibli founder and creative director is unparalleled in his influence when it comes to animated films. He is the first Asian person to be nominated and to win for his work on 2002’s Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki was also recognised by the Academy in 2014 with an Honorary Oscar for his cinematic vision.
This Pakistani filmmaker made history by winning an Oscar twice in the same category – Best Documentary Short Subject – for Saving Face in 2011 and A Girl In The River: The Price Of Forgiveness in 2015.
Kazu Hiro has been nominated a whopping four times for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. He picked up an Oscar this year for his amazing transformation of Charlize Theron into Megyn Kelly for Bombshell. He also won an award in 2017 for Darkest Hour, where he transformed Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill.
This Chinese contemporary classical composer won Best Score for 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He was also responsible for composing the music for the medal ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Hong Kong action star was awarded with an Honorary Oscar in 2016 for his expansive work in martial arts films like Police Story, the Rush Hour franchise, and The Karate Kid remake.