Opinion : “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” Oscars, a long time coming

Michelle Yeoh, holding tight to that golden Oscar statue she just won, took a breath in front of the bright lights, her other hand on her beating heart. Then she said, “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams– dream big and dreams do come true. And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. Never give up.”

Yeoh, radiant in her ivory silk organza Dior Haute Couture gown and diamond Moussaieff jewelry, was beaming. Yeoh’s 84 year old mom, across the Pacific Ocean in Malaysia, was beaming too. It was an incredible emotional moment, on a night of many big emotional moments. It was a big night of many awards for the film she starred in, “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.”

The movie took home seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), and Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis).

At the start of the evening, nobody knew who would win those awards. Even with all the buzz, all the recognition and prior awards, Everything Everywhere All at Once was a movie among many very good ones. For all the award categories, several choices from other movies could have won.

Yeoh was up against Ana de Armas, Cate Blanchett, Andrea Riseborough, and Michelle Williams. Asians and Asian Americans have had few Oscars in their awards cabinets over the decades.

Actor James Hong, 94 years old, has been there. Or maybe he hasn’t been there, as this year was his first time at the Oscars. The man who played the father to Yeoh’s character had previously been in over 650 movies and television shows since the 1950s. Hong has been through much over those 70 odd years. Even this year Hong had to sit and smile as host Jimmy Kimmel made fun of his prior job as a civil engineer.

There was an Asian American immigrant nominated for the Best Actress before, in 1936. Merle Oberon, nominated for “The Dark Angel,” hid her half South Asian identity and made up a full European background. Double Oscar winner Vivien Leigh, had a mother who may have been part Parsi Indian.

An actress did win an Oscar for playing an Asian American fictional character back in 1938. This actress was German Luise Rainer, heavily made up (“yellowface”) for her character in the film adaption to Pearl Buck’s “The Good Earth.” MGM could have given that role to contemporary Asian American actress Anna May Wong, but instead offered Wong the role of scheming seducer.

Hours before Yeoh gave her acceptance speech, I was standing in front of a seven-foot tribute to Anna May Wong (1905-1961), describing the many things she was the first to do. The Wong tribute was next to tributes of many trailblazing Asian American women in a Ferry Building event titled “Our Time,” organized by Zeien Cheung, a co-founder of Asians Are Strong.

Right after the Ferry Building event ended, many attendees crossed the block to the Commonwealth Club for the Asians are Strong sponsored Academy Awards watch party. The hosts for the watch party were award-winning journalist May Lee and actress Kelly Hu who were working together on a podcast titled “Shoes Off Inside with MKT.”

During the commercial breaks, Lee asked the audience their reflections. Bayard Fong, former Contract Compliance Officer of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and former Chinese American Democratic Club President, spoke not just to the journey to get here, but to the opportunities available to the generation now starting their careers.

Fong said, “I am a fifth generation Chinese American. Great Great Grandpa Wong worked on the Transcontinental Railroad in 1866 and Great Grandfather Fong Tuck came to America in 1905 on a work contract to cook for a family in Pacific Heights… While growing up in San Francisco, when on TV and at the movies, the only Chinese that were recognized were Hop Sing in Bonanza, and my hero Kato (played by Bruce Lee), even though he played a Japanese. Asian women are strong. Asian men are strong. All of us together help to make

America great.”

A twenty-three year old and others in the audience expressed their wonder and joy of the moment. They are professional filmmakers, telling stories today. The whole room applauded as they took in the hope and possibilities being made available on that night.

Note: Laurance Lem Lee is a second generation Chinese American, graduate of San Francisco Unified School District and community activist