LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- China-originated filmmakers made a splash at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles on Sunday, as they emerged from strong competition to take home two honors.
Three China-originated American directors were nominated for their movies for Best Documentary Feature. The award went to husband-and-wife filmmaking duo Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi for "Free Solo."
"Free Solo" is a movie filled with human emotions, death-defying stakes and nail-biting tension. It follows elite rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts an unassisted ascent up the El Capitan vertical rock formation at Yosemite National Park without ropes.
Chin and Vasarhelyi are the first married couple of Asian descent ever nominated for Oscars together.
"Minding the Gap," which lost to "Free Solo" in this category, was also directed by a Chinese American director, Liu Bing.
The other Oscar award claimed by a China-originated filmmaker was Best Animated Short, which went to Chinese-born Canadian writer and director Domee Shi for her Pixar short "Bao."
"Bao" explores the life of a Chinese immigrant mom who lives in Toronto with her inattentive husband and struggles to cope with loneliness after her beloved son flies the nest.
Shi is the first woman and first China-originated writer and director of a Pixar short.
One competitor for the award Shi won was "One Small Step," a Chinese-American animated short film. Directed by China-born Disney animator Shaofu Zhang, it tells the story of a young Chinese-American protagonist who dreams of being an astronaut.
Meanwhile, three Chinese-financed movies won this year's Oscars.
Chinese film, TV and gaming company Perfect World Pictures cofinanced "First Man," which claimed Best Visual Effects, and "BlacKkKlansman," which won Best Adapted Screenplay.
China's Alibaba Pictures is a co-financier of "Green Book," which took home three awards of Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay.
