Being the ‘first’ in almost any aspect may be seen as an achievement. To be the first ever actor of Pakistani descent to be nominated for an Oscar or the first female Chinese director to take home an Oscar may seem culturally revolutionary. However, in reality, it just shines a spotlight on the Academy’s failure to recognise talent from diverse backgrounds.

The first ever Oscar dates back to 1927, where Emil Jannings was awarded best actor for his work in The Way of All Flesh (1927) and The Last Command (1928). Yet, in its almost century-old history of recognising the achievement and talent of people in film, only around 51 Oscars have been awarded to Asians and people of Asian descent in both honorary and merit-based categories.

To put it into perspective, that is 51 out of 3,140 statuettes awarded in Oscar history. However, these awards are spread across various categories. In main categories, such as best picture, best director and the big four in acting (best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best supporting actress), only seven Asians or people of Asian descent took home the golden statuettes.

The recipients are as follows:

1. Chloe Zhao

Zhao is the first female POC, specifically of Chinese descent, to win best director and the second woman to win the category overall. She is also the second person of colour to win best picture after Bong Joon-ho took home the same award a year prior. Zhao took home both awards for her work in Nomadland, a 2020 featurette and best picture awardee.

2. Bong Joon-ho

He is the first POC to win the award for best picture for his film and pop culture phenomenon, Parasite, back in 2020. He is also the second POC but the first Southeast Korean to take home an Oscar for best director that same year.

3. Ang Lee

Taiwanese director, scriptwriter and producer Ang Lee is the first POC to win best director, which he won for his work in Brokeback Mountain in 2005. He received a second Oscar in the same category for Life of Pi in 2012.

4. Youn Yuh-jung (South Korean)

Youn Yuh-jung is the second POC but first South Korean to take home an award for best supporting actress. She won the award for her role as Soon-ja in the 2020 best picture nominee, Minari.

5. Yul Brynner (Mongolian descent)

Brynner’s role as Mongkut, King of Siam in The King and I earned him an Oscar for best actor back in 1956. He is the first and one out of only two Asians to ever take home the award.

6. Ben Kingsley (Indian descent)

Kingsley is the second POC to win best actor in a leading role. He took home the award in 1982, recognized for his performance as Mahatma Gandhi in the biopic Gandhi.

7. Haing S. Ngor (Chinese/Cambodian descent)

The first and only POC to win an Oscar for best supporting actor is Haing S. Ngor. The actor took home the golden statuette in 1984 for his role as Dith Pran in The Killing Fields.

8. Miyoshi Umeki (Japanese)

Last but not least, Umeki is the first POC to win an Oscar for best supporting actress. She won for her role as Katsumi Kelly in Sayonara at the 1957 Oscars.