It was a big big night for the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once who raked in seven awards at this year’s Academy Awards. Aside from snagging the coveted Best Picture award, the film also saw its stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis take home their gold Oscar statuettes in the individual categories they were nominated for. Likewise, “the Daniels” – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert collected Oscars for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Last but certainly not the least, the film also walked away with the Best Film Editing prize for Paul Rogers.
A Historic Night for Asian Representation
Michelle’s Best Actress win was pretty historic as this made her the first Asian actress to win the honour in Oscar history. Dedicating the award to “all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities”, the Best Actress winner also advised all the ladies out there to not “let anybody tell you you are past your prime. Never give up.”
Meanwhile, Ke who is the second Asian to take home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar had everyone (myself included) reaching for tissues with his very emotional acceptance speech. Visibly stunned as an emotional Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur called his name, the 51-year-old opened his speech with a shoutout to his 84-year-old mum who was at home watching. “Mom, I just won an Oscar!” He then talked about how his journey went from spending a year in refugee camp to ending up on Hollywood’s biggest stage. “They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This, this, is the American Dream.” He went on to encourage everyone not to give up on their dreams. “Dreams are something you have to believe in, I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive. Thank you, thank you so much for welcoming me back. I love you. Thank you , thank you, thank you!” I really love the energy he brings but also the humility he shows despite winning loads during awards season.
Congratulations again to this year’s winners.
Photo: GettyImages / Instagram
