Three Canadian films were nominated for Best Animated Short at tonight's Academy Awards.

And the winner was "Bao", which is about a Chinese Canadian woman who cooks a meal of baozi buns.

One of these buns comes alive in what the Toronto Star described as "an ode to moms, Chinese food, and Toronto".

It was directed by Pixar storyboard artist Domee Shi and was produced by Becky Neiman-Cobb.

"To all the nerdy girls out there who hide behind your sketchbooks, don't be afraid to tell your stories to the world," Shi said.

She was born in Chongqing and moved to Canada with her parents at the age of two.

The National Film Board production "Animal Behaviour", by Vancouver's Alison Snowden and David Fine, was among the nominees.

The other nominated Canadian animated short was "Weekends" by Trevor Jiminez. It's about a young boy moving between different homes in Toronto in the 1980s.