Cover From left: Audrey Nuna, Ejae and Rei Ami, who lent their singing voices to ‘Golden’ from the animation ’KPop Demon Hunters’, which received several nominations at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
From left: Audrey Nuna, Ejae and Rei Ami, who lent their singing voices to ‘Golden’ from the animation ’KPop Demon Hunters’, which received several nominations at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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Asian filmmakers are front and centre in the animation category of this year’s Oscars nomination list, underscoring a remarkable surge of Asian creativity across global cinema
It’s a triumphant year for Asian representation at the 2026 Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominations on Thursday morning local time, and several Asian filmmakers, performers and Asian-centred projects emerged as major contenders across top categories.
Among the most talked-about names is Korean American singer-songwriter Kim Eun-jae (known professionally as Ejae), who has already won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes for Golden from the animated feature KPop Demon Hunters. Meanwhile, Chinese director Chloé Zhao, best known for Eternals (2021) and Nomadland (2020), returns with a nomination for Hamnet (2025), a poetic retelling of how William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes grapple with the grief of losing their son Hamnet.
From documentary features to visual effects, here’s a look at the Asian filmmakers and projects recognised at this year’s awards.
Read more: Golden Globes 2026: 3 more movies featuring winners you should watch
1. Best director: Chloé Zhao
Above Chloe Zhao, who is nominated for best director at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
Chloe Zhao, who is nominated for best director at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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Chinese director Chloé Zhao is nominated for best director for her work on Hamnet (2025), further cementing her position as one of the most influential filmmakers of her generation. Zhao previously made history by winning Best Director for Nomadland at the 2020 Oscars.
Don’t miss: Chloé Zhao on why ‘Nomadland’ is a film for everyone—and working with Marvel
2. Best cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Above Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who is nominated for best cinematography at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who is nominated for best cinematography at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the cinematographer of Sinners and of mixed Filipino descent, becomes the first woman of colour to be nominated for Best Cinematography.
Among the film’s storylines is an Asian American family living in rural Mississippi in 1932. Malaysian actor Yao and Shanghai-born Chinese American actor Li Jun Li portray Bo and Grace Chow, who run two grocery stores with their daughter Lisa, played by Helena Hu.
3. Best original song: ‘Golden’ from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
Above Ejae’s song ‘Golden’ is running in the best original song category at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
Ejae’s song ‘Golden’ is running in the best original song category at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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Co-written by Korean American singer-songwriter Ejae, Golden made history as the first K-pop song ever nominated for an Academy Award.
4. Best animated feature: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, ‘Elio’, ‘Zootopia 2’, ‘Little Amélie or the Character of Rain’
Above Maggie Kang’s ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is running for best animated feature at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
Maggie Kang’s ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is running for best animated feature at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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South Korean-Canadian film director Maggie Kang created and directed KPop Demon Hunters, which is now competing for best animated feature.
Also nominated in the same category is Elio, co-directed by Chinese Canadian animator Domee Shi, known for Turning Red (2022). Shi was the first woman to direct a Pixar short film and later the first to helm a feature for the studio.
Disney’s Zootopia 2 also features Vietnamese American actor Ke Huy Quan, who voices Gary De-Snake. Quan previously won best supporting actor at the 2023 Oscars for his role as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).
Completing the category is Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, directed by French animator Liane-Cho Han, who has Chinese heritage.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Michelle Yeoh’s new movie
5. Best picture and best adapted screenplay: ‘Bugonia’, ‘Train Dreams’ and ‘It Was Just an Accident’
Above Jafar Panahi’s ‘It Was Just an Accident’ is nominated for best picture and best adapted screenplay at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
Jafar Panahi’s ‘It Was Just an Accident’ is nominated for best picture and best adapted screenplay at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident is nominated for Best Original Screenplay and also represents Iran in the Best International Feature category.
Bugonia is a reinterpretation of the South Korean black comedy classic Save the Green Planet! (2003), while Netflix’s Train Dreams—which received five nominations including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay—explores the story of Fu Sheng, a Chinese railroad labourer in early-20th-century America, portrayed by Taiwanese American actor Alfred Hsing.
6. Best costume design: Miyako Bellizzi
Above Miyako Bellizzi is nominated for best costume design for her work in ‘Marty Supreme’ at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
Miyako Bellizzi is nominated for best costume design for her work in ‘Marty Supreme’ at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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Asian American costume designer Miyako Bellizzi earned a nomination for Marty Supreme, praised for its intricate period detailing and modern reinterpretation of classic silhouettes.
7. Best make-up and hairstyling: ‘Kokuho’ and ‘The Smashing Machine’
Above Kazu Hiro, stylist for ‘The Smashing Machine’, is nominated for best make-up and hairstyling at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
Kazu Hiro, stylist for ‘The Smashing Machine’, is nominated for best make-up and hairstyling at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu received nominations for their work on Japan’s Oscar submission Kokuho, while renowned make-up artist Kazu Hiro also earned recognition for The Smashing Machine.
8. Best visual effects: Charmaine Chan
Above Charmaine Chan (right), who is nominated for best visual effects at the Oscars 2026 (Photo: Getty Images)
Charmaine Chan (right), who is nominated for best visual effects at the Oscars 2026 (Photo: Getty Images)
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Hawai’i-born Chinese visual effects artist Charmaine Chan is recognised for her innovative effects work on Jurassic World: Rebirth, which impressed critics for its seamless integration of practical and digital storytelling.
9. Best documentary feature: ‘Cutting Through Rocks’ and ‘Children No More: Were and Are Gone’
Above Geeta Gandbhir, who is nominated for best documentary feature at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
Geeta Gandbhir, who is nominated for best documentary feature at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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Cutting Through Rocks, directed by Iranian American filmmaker Sara Khaki and Iranian-based director Mohammadreza Eyni, earned a nomination in the best documentary feature category. Joining it is Children No More: Were and Are Gone, co-produced by Israeli director Hilla Medalia.
Indian American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir is a double nominee for her works The Perfect Neighbour and the documentary short The Devil is Busy.
10. Best international feature: ‘It Was Just an Accident’, ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ and ‘Sirāt’
Above Jafar Panahi, whose feature ‘It Was Just an Accident’ is nominated for best international feature at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
Jafar Panahi, whose feature ‘It Was Just an Accident’ is nominated for best international feature at the 2026 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)
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Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident also appears in the international feature category alongside The Voice of Hind Rajab and Sirāt.
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Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
