China-originated filmmakers made a splash at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, as they outshone strong competitors and took home two honors.

Three China-originated American directors were nominated for their movies for Best Documentary Feature. The award went to husband-and-wife filmmaking duo Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi for "Free Solo."

"Free Solo" is a movie filled with human emotions, death-defying stakes and nail-biting tension. It follows elite rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts an unassisted ascent up the El Capitan vertical rock formation at Yosemite National Park without ropes.

Chin and Vasarhelyi are the first married couple of Asian descent ever nominated for Oscars together.

"Minding the Gap," which lost to "Free Solo" in this category, was directed by another Chinese American director, Liu Bing.

The other Oscars award claimed by a China-originated filmmaker went to Chinese-born Canadian writer and director Domee Shi for her Pixar short "Bao," which claimed Best Animated Short.

"Bao" explores the life of a Chinese immigrant mom living in Toronto with her inattentive husband and struggling to cope with loneliness after her beloved son flies the nest.

Shi is the first woman and first China-originated writer and director of a Pixar short.

One competitor for her award was "One Small Step," a Chinese-American animated short film. Directed by China-born Disney animator Shaofu Zhang, it tells the story of a young Chinese-American protagonist who dreams of being an astronaut. 

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