Photo/Illutration A scene from “Godzilla Minus One” ((C) 2023 Toho Co.)

LOS ANGELES--“Godzilla Minus One” roared into the record books on March 10 when it won the Academy Award for Visual Effects, marking the first time a Japanese film claimed the Oscar in this category.

When the announcement was made at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony here, director Takashi Yamazaki and his team raised their fists in victory.

They received the Oscar from actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was the presenter.

“To all the VFX artists outside Hollywood, Hollywood was listening, and this award is proof that everyone has a chance,” said Yamazaki.

Concluding his speech with a triumphant “We did it!”, Yamazaki and one of the team members said in Japanese, “Everyone here in the hall and in Tokyo, thank you!”

Set in Tokyo immediately after World War II, the film depicts the battle between the terrifying monster created by an hydrogen bomb blast and a group of Japanese veterans including a former kamikaze pilot.

Yamazaki shared the Oscar with his visual effects team, marking the first time a director has received the award in the category since Stanley Kubrick's “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

"Godzilla's success has opened many doors," Yamazaki said at a later news conference. "I'm excited for the new adventures."

Asked about the award’s impact on the Japanese film industry, he said, "It doesn’t feel real yet, but if more Japanese films become successful overseas, the environment for the industry will change, and we need to change it."

Nominees for the category included “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One” and “The Creator.”

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