Congratulations to the team behind the best animated short film ‘BAO’ at the Oscars last night. Domee Shi, a proud Chinese Canadian, spearheaded the project as the director and we could not be more proud of this moment where Asian-Canadian storytelling is shared and recognized globally. A graduate of Sheridan College, Shi is celebrated as the first female director at Pixar Animation Studios. Spotted in the short film is the backdrop of Toronto, where you’ll see the CN Tower and Chinatown represented in a number of scenes – weaving in Shi’s hometown and personal experiences as a Torontonian.

At our opening remarks on January 26th, we congratulated Domee on her nomination not simply because of her heritage, but also that she took cultural narrative to the world stage, adding such sparkle and diversity to the film landscape.