Short film 'Bao' earns filmmaker her 1st Oscar nomination

LOS ANGELES -- One of the 24 Oscar categories celebrates animated short films.

One nominee is the movie, "Bao."

In the film, a handmade dumpling comes alive, and that helps the woman who made it feel more alive after dealing with empty nest syndrome.

Domee Shi wrote and directed "Bao."

She had previously interned at Pixar, where she worked on "Inside Out" and "Incredibles 2." With "Bao," she becomes the first woman to direct a Pixar short.

"When I first came up with the story, I think I was really hungry at first but I really wanted to explore this story of this overprotective parent learning to let go of her little dumpling," said Shi.

The filmmaker is an only child. And, in a way, some of her life is mirrored in her movie.

"As an only child, I always felt like I was an overprotective little dumpling," said Shi. "And my mom always coddled me, made sure I was safe, made sure I never wandered away too far."

Shi says her own story represents the immigrant dream to her parents who moved to Canada and poured everything into raising her so her dreams could come true.

And with her first directing project, they have.

SEE FULL LIST: Oscar nominations 2019: See full list

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