As Sheridan alumni Domee Shi goes into this year’s Oscar campaign for her directorial work with Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’, many at Sheridan are starting to feel her impact and see the formation of her legacy.
When Domee Shi won the Academy Award for her 2018 short film ‘Bao’ during the 2019 Oscars ceremony, becoming the first woman of color to do so, it was clear to those who watched the short that she had a unique vision for cultural storytelling that was being underrepresented in current media.
Now, three years after her first major win, she has newfound success with her feature directorial debut with ‘Turning Red’, a film based on aspects of her life and Chinese Canadian culture that received critical acclaim from critics and fans alike.
After graduating from Sheridan’s Animation program in 2011, Shi’s impact on the school and students in the animation department has led to a new generation of animators enthusiastic to be where she is. Angelia Christy is a first-year Sheridan Animation student. “It’s inspiring and good news for sure,” says Christy of Shi’s success. It also provides hope for students and the “potential to create wonderful films,” says Christy.
The 95th Academy Awards are set to be broadcast on March 12, 2023, and give Shi her second chance at earning another Oscars statue. Regardless of the outcome, Domee Shi has established herself as a visionary and powerful voice for new forms of storytelling, and someone who continues to inspire new, and fresh voices at Sheridan and around the world.
Shi is already working on her next project for Pixar which she confirmed to be working on in the fall of 2022.
