Paul Massey accepts the Oscar on Sunday for best sound mixing for his work in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody.Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press
Two Canadians have won early awards at the Oscars.
Canadian sound engineer Paul Massey won for his work on Bohemian Rhapsody.
Toronto-raised director Domee Shi won for her animated short film Bao
Massey won the trophy Sunday alongside Tim Cavagin and John Casali in the best sound-mixing category.
“I would like to dedicate this to my kids,” he said, naming them in his acceptance speech.
“I love you all. Thank you.”
Massey also thanked the film’s producers, sound crew and members of rock band Queen, who are the subject of the film.
“A massive shout-out to Brian May and Roger Taylor,” Massey said. “Thank you so much for your music and for your collaboration and your support.”
This is the eighth Oscar nomination for Massey.
He was born in England but early in his career lived in Toronto for 13 years before moving to Los Angeles.
Massey was previously nominated for an Oscar for The Martian by Ridley Scott, with whom he’s worked on several projects.
His other nominations include the films 3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line and Legends of the Fall.
Shi wrote and directed the Pixar production Bao, about a Chinese-Canadian woman and her little dumpling that miraculously springs to life.
The eight-minute film is set in Toronto and features many of the city’s landmarks.
Shi was born in China and moved to Toronto with her family at age two. She used her upbringing and love of food as inspiration for Bao, which played in theatres with Incredibles 2.
Shi shares the Oscar with producer Becky Neiman-Cobb.
A graduate of the animation program at Sheridan College, Shi is the first woman to direct a short film at Pixar, where she works.
She beat out two other animated films by Canadians for the Oscar – Weekends by Hamilton-born Trevor Jimenez and Animal Behaviour by Vancouver-based couple David Fine and Alison Snowden.
“To all of the nerdy girls out there who hide behind their sketch books – don’t be afraid to tell your stories to the world,” Shi said in her acceptance speech, which also thanked her parents and her partner.
“You’re going to freak people out but you’ll probably connect with them, too, and that’s an amazing feeling to have. Thank you to (executive producer) Pete Docter for believing in my weirdness and for giving me a voice at the studio.”