The star of the Oscar-nominated Moana was hit by a rogue flag as she performed a song from the hit movie during the awards ceremony.

Auli’i Cravalho, who plays the title role in the animated film, sung How Far I’ll Go which is shortlisted in the original song category.

The 16-year-old was joined by backing dancers with giant blue flags, one of which swiped the back of her head as she performed at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

She gave an obvious wince during the incident but continued with the song and was praised for ignoring the obvious distraction.

Viewers on social media congratulated the Hawaiian-born star on a “beautiful performance despite being hit by a flag”.