Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased today to congratulate Domee Shi on winning her first Oscar for her animated short film Bao last night at the 91st Annual Academy Awards. Ms. Shi wrote and directed this Pixar production about a Chinese Canadian woman whose dumpling miraculously comes to life. It is delightful.
Born in China, she moved to Toronto with her family at the age of two. Her eight-minute film is set in Toronto and features many of our city's landmarks. Ms. Shi used her upbringing and love of food as inspiration for Bao, which has played in theatres with Incredibles 2.
A graduate of the animation program at Ontario's world-renowned Sheridan College, Domee Shi is the first woman to direct a short film in Pixar. In her acceptance speech she said, “To all of the nerdy girls out there who hide behind their sketchbooks — don’t be afraid to tell your stories to the world.”
On behalf of all Canadians, please join me in congratulating Domee Shi for her extraordinary work in telling her story.