Mexican-us filmmaker Carlos López Estrada will deliver Sundance Film Festival: London’s keynote address at the festival’s third annual industry programme, with further speakers confirmed from Studiocanal, BFI, BBC Film, Film4, Bafta and Sky.
The festival runs at London’s Picturehouse Central from June 6-9.
López Estrada’s director credits include his feature debut Blindpostting which opened Sundance in 2018, and animation Raya And The Last Dragon, which he co-directed with Don Hall.
As a producer, he is founder of Antigravity Academy, a production company specialising in creating opportunities for emerging talent. Antigravity’s first produced project, Dìdi (弟弟), written and directed by Sean Wang,...
The festival runs at London’s Picturehouse Central from June 6-9.
López Estrada’s director credits include his feature debut Blindpostting which opened Sundance in 2018, and animation Raya And The Last Dragon, which he co-directed with Don Hall.
As a producer, he is founder of Antigravity Academy, a production company specialising in creating opportunities for emerging talent. Antigravity’s first produced project, Dìdi (弟弟), written and directed by Sean Wang,...
- 5/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
Like many coming-of-age directorial feature debuts, Dìdi (弟弟) is semiautobiographical, but Sean Wang’s personal background played as much of a role in literally making the movie as it did in inspiring its narrative.
The film, which was acquired by Focus after winning the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award at Sundance in January, is the opening night feature tonight at Sffilm, Wang’s hometown festival. Both fests played a role in the development of the movie, with Wang having picked up multiple grants and fellowship awards, including a 2022 Sffilm Rainin Grant, in his journey to the screen. His tenure at the Google Creative Lab before becoming a professional filmmaker also equipped him with a unique cinematic toolkit for telling a hyper-specific story about being an adolescent during social media’s adolescence.
And finally, Wang not only depicts a fictionalized version of his family unit in the movie, with Joan Chen...
The film, which was acquired by Focus after winning the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award at Sundance in January, is the opening night feature tonight at Sffilm, Wang’s hometown festival. Both fests played a role in the development of the movie, with Wang having picked up multiple grants and fellowship awards, including a 2022 Sffilm Rainin Grant, in his journey to the screen. His tenure at the Google Creative Lab before becoming a professional filmmaker also equipped him with a unique cinematic toolkit for telling a hyper-specific story about being an adolescent during social media’s adolescence.
And finally, Wang not only depicts a fictionalized version of his family unit in the movie, with Joan Chen...
- 4/25/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Sundance Institute has released the lineup for the 11th edition of Sundance Film Festival: London.
The Festival, which will run from June 6-9, will open with the UK premiere of writer and director Rich Peppiatt’s boisterous Irish-language film Kneecap and close with the UK premiere of Dìdi (弟弟) written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sean Wang.
Other titles in the program include the Zellner brothers’ Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough-starrer Sasquatch Sunset, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s adaptation of Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling biography Rob Peace, and Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls, which won the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. The documentaries include Skywalkers: A Love Story by multi-Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist and Never Look Away by Lucy Lawless in her directorial debut.
There will also be a short film program dedicated to films either produced in the UK or made by filmmakers based in the UK.
The Festival, which will run from June 6-9, will open with the UK premiere of writer and director Rich Peppiatt’s boisterous Irish-language film Kneecap and close with the UK premiere of Dìdi (弟弟) written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sean Wang.
Other titles in the program include the Zellner brothers’ Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough-starrer Sasquatch Sunset, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s adaptation of Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling biography Rob Peace, and Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls, which won the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. The documentaries include Skywalkers: A Love Story by multi-Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist and Never Look Away by Lucy Lawless in her directorial debut.
There will also be a short film program dedicated to films either produced in the UK or made by filmmakers based in the UK.
- 4/23/2024
- by Hannah Abraham
- Deadline Film + TV
The Nantucket Film Festival has set the lineup for its 2024 edition and will honor Emmy-nominated writer-producer Kerry Ehrin, Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and Girls5Eva showrunner Meredith Scardino.
The 29th edition of the festival will open with Josh Margolin’s June Squibb-starrer Thelma, close with Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s Christopher Reeve documentary Super/Man and Jeff Zimbalist’s documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, about a daredevil couple who secretly filmed themselves climbing the world’s last super skyscraper. The festival will also continue its tradition of screening a Disney or Pixar film on its opening day, with a festival screening of Inside Out 2.
The festival also announced several honorees: Ehrin will receive the Excellence in Television Writing Award; Williams will receive the Career Achievement in Filmmaking Award and his latest feature Stamped From the Beginning, based on the book of the same name by Ibram X. Kendi,...
The 29th edition of the festival will open with Josh Margolin’s June Squibb-starrer Thelma, close with Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s Christopher Reeve documentary Super/Man and Jeff Zimbalist’s documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, about a daredevil couple who secretly filmed themselves climbing the world’s last super skyscraper. The festival will also continue its tradition of screening a Disney or Pixar film on its opening day, with a festival screening of Inside Out 2.
The festival also announced several honorees: Ehrin will receive the Excellence in Television Writing Award; Williams will receive the Career Achievement in Filmmaking Award and his latest feature Stamped From the Beginning, based on the book of the same name by Ibram X. Kendi,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Handling The Undead Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute The line-up has been announced for Sundance Film Festival: London 2024, which will run from 6 to 9 June at Picturehouse Central in London.
There will be 11 feature films screening along with additional shorts, including Indian coming-of-age tale Girls Will Be Girls, which won the Audience Award at this year's Utah edition. Other highlights in the line-up include the tragicomic Sasquatch Sunset - starring Riley Keogh and Jessie Eisenberg as you've never seen them before (or are likely to see again) - and Norwegian arthose zombie chiller Handling The Undead.
The festival previously announced that the festival will open with the UK premiere of Irish-language Kneecap and close with the UK premiere of Dìdi.
Eugene Hernandez, director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming said: “We’re delighted to return to London to celebrate independent cinema with British audiences. Over the course of four incredible days...
There will be 11 feature films screening along with additional shorts, including Indian coming-of-age tale Girls Will Be Girls, which won the Audience Award at this year's Utah edition. Other highlights in the line-up include the tragicomic Sasquatch Sunset - starring Riley Keogh and Jessie Eisenberg as you've never seen them before (or are likely to see again) - and Norwegian arthose zombie chiller Handling The Undead.
The festival previously announced that the festival will open with the UK premiere of Irish-language Kneecap and close with the UK premiere of Dìdi.
Eugene Hernandez, director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming said: “We’re delighted to return to London to celebrate independent cinema with British audiences. Over the course of four incredible days...
- 4/23/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Sundance Film Festival is heading to London again this summer and the programme is full of cinematic goodies. More below.
The days are getting lighter, the sun is shining ever so slightly more now and we’ve packed away our thickest wool jumpers, although we still need some thick socks. That must mean one thing and one thing only.
Sundance Film Festival: London is almost upon us.
Some might say summer is coming too, but we’re mostly excited for Sundance London, which has just revealed their full programme for this year’s festival. The festival brings a fine selection of films which originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, in Park City, Utah. The crème de la crème, so to speak.
The festival will open on 6 June with a screening of Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt’s Irish-language film and draw to a close on 9 June with Sean Wang...
The days are getting lighter, the sun is shining ever so slightly more now and we’ve packed away our thickest wool jumpers, although we still need some thick socks. That must mean one thing and one thing only.
Sundance Film Festival: London is almost upon us.
Some might say summer is coming too, but we’re mostly excited for Sundance London, which has just revealed their full programme for this year’s festival. The festival brings a fine selection of films which originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, in Park City, Utah. The crème de la crème, so to speak.
The festival will open on 6 June with a screening of Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt’s Irish-language film and draw to a close on 9 June with Sean Wang...
- 4/23/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
The line-up for the Sundance Film Festival: London 2024 edition includes surreal comedy Sasquatch Sunset, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Rob Peace and A24 horror I Saw The TV Glow.
The festival takes place at London’s Picturehouse Central from June 6-9, and will present 11 feature films that premiered at the US edition of Sundance in January.
Sasquatch Sunset is directed by David and Nathan Zellner and stars Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg. It follows a family of sasquatch - hairy, human-like mythical creatures from the northwestern US - over a year. Ejiofor also stars in biographical drama Rob Peace, which is based on Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling book.
The festival takes place at London’s Picturehouse Central from June 6-9, and will present 11 feature films that premiered at the US edition of Sundance in January.
Sasquatch Sunset is directed by David and Nathan Zellner and stars Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg. It follows a family of sasquatch - hairy, human-like mythical creatures from the northwestern US - over a year. Ejiofor also stars in biographical drama Rob Peace, which is based on Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling book.
- 4/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
Vashon Film Institute has set the date for the third annual Vashon Island Film Festival, which is slated to take place Aug. 8-11. The announcement comes with the launch of two new divisions of the Vashon Film Institute and a new donation arm, which accepts restricted funds to be used solely to fund improvements at the Vashon Theatre.
Vfi’s new divisions are the Quartermaster Lab, a collective of filmmaking programs, and VFIpresents, its sales, distribution and release division, which will also focus on organizing community events outside Viff.
“The quintessential goal in founding Vfi was to support independent filmmaking in the Pacific Northwest,” said Mark Mathias Sayre, founder of Vashon Film Institute. “To that end, Viff has already brought compelling indie features and documentaries to local audiences and will continue to do so. But that’s only part of the game plan: We’re equally committed to engendering the...
Vfi’s new divisions are the Quartermaster Lab, a collective of filmmaking programs, and VFIpresents, its sales, distribution and release division, which will also focus on organizing community events outside Viff.
“The quintessential goal in founding Vfi was to support independent filmmaking in the Pacific Northwest,” said Mark Mathias Sayre, founder of Vashon Film Institute. “To that end, Viff has already brought compelling indie features and documentaries to local audiences and will continue to do so. But that’s only part of the game plan: We’re equally committed to engendering the...
- 4/19/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov and Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
The U.K. premieres of Rich Peppiatt’s “Kneecap” and Sean Wang’s “Dìdi” will open and close the 11th edition of Sundance Film Festival: London. Both films won awards at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah in January.
Rambunctious Irish-language film “Kneecap” is the real-life story of how an anarchic Belfast rap trio became the unlikely figureheads of a civil rights movement to save and reinvigorate their mother tongue. “Bursting with unruly energy that practically escapes the confines of the screen, ‘Kneecap’ is a riotous, drug-laced triumph in the name of freedom that bridges political substance and crowd-pleasing entertainment,” reads Variety‘s review of the film. “Kneecap” won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: Next in January.
“Kneecap” was produced by Mother Tongues Films and Fine Point Films. The U.K.-Ireland co-production is financed by BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, TG4 and Northern Ireland Screen,...
Rambunctious Irish-language film “Kneecap” is the real-life story of how an anarchic Belfast rap trio became the unlikely figureheads of a civil rights movement to save and reinvigorate their mother tongue. “Bursting with unruly energy that practically escapes the confines of the screen, ‘Kneecap’ is a riotous, drug-laced triumph in the name of freedom that bridges political substance and crowd-pleasing entertainment,” reads Variety‘s review of the film. “Kneecap” won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: Next in January.
“Kneecap” was produced by Mother Tongues Films and Fine Point Films. The U.K.-Ireland co-production is financed by BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, TG4 and Northern Ireland Screen,...
- 4/4/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Romy has added a brief string of North American dates to her 2024 “Club Mid Air” tour and shared a new remix of her Mid Air cut “Did I” by Canadian electronic musician Peaches.
Sandwiched around appearances at Osheaga Festival and Lollapalooza, the new headlining shows will take place in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and Washington, DC. See Romy’s full touring docket below.
Get Romy Tickets Here
The general on-sale will begin on Friday, April 5th via Ticketmaster, with an artist pre-sale (sign up for a code here) taking place one day earlier.
You can also look for deals or sold-out tickets to all of Romy’s upcoming tour dates via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. For international concerts, head over to viagogo.
As for the new version of “Did I,...
Sandwiched around appearances at Osheaga Festival and Lollapalooza, the new headlining shows will take place in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and Washington, DC. See Romy’s full touring docket below.
Get Romy Tickets Here
The general on-sale will begin on Friday, April 5th via Ticketmaster, with an artist pre-sale (sign up for a code here) taking place one day earlier.
You can also look for deals or sold-out tickets to all of Romy’s upcoming tour dates via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. For international concerts, head over to viagogo.
As for the new version of “Did I,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
The annual SFFIlM Festival has officially unveiled its 2024 lineup, with two first-time feature filmmakers bookending the fest.
Sean Wang’s semi-autobiographical feature “Dìdi (弟弟)” opens the festival April 24 after premiering at Sundance 2024. Wang was also recently Oscar-nominated for his short film “Nai Nai & Wài Pó” which had been supported by Sffilm grants.
The 67th annual festival closes out with Josh Margolin’s “Thelma” starring June Squibb, Parker Posey, Malcolm McDowell, and late actor Richard Roundtree in his final role. The feature screens April 28.
Programming highlights include “The Idea of You,” “Sing Sing,” “Janet Planet,” and Sundance award-winning documentary “Porcelain War.” A private screening of opening night film “Dìdi (弟弟)” in Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos will be held at the Dolby Cinema @ 1275 Market exclusively for cast and crew, Sffilm Festival filmmakers, and Sffilm fellows and grantees. A Sffilm members’ screening of “Mother, Couch” will also take place after the film debuted...
Sean Wang’s semi-autobiographical feature “Dìdi (弟弟)” opens the festival April 24 after premiering at Sundance 2024. Wang was also recently Oscar-nominated for his short film “Nai Nai & Wài Pó” which had been supported by Sffilm grants.
The 67th annual festival closes out with Josh Margolin’s “Thelma” starring June Squibb, Parker Posey, Malcolm McDowell, and late actor Richard Roundtree in his final role. The feature screens April 28.
Programming highlights include “The Idea of You,” “Sing Sing,” “Janet Planet,” and Sundance award-winning documentary “Porcelain War.” A private screening of opening night film “Dìdi (弟弟)” in Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos will be held at the Dolby Cinema @ 1275 Market exclusively for cast and crew, Sffilm Festival filmmakers, and Sffilm fellows and grantees. A Sffilm members’ screening of “Mother, Couch” will also take place after the film debuted...
- 3/27/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
In a strange reversal of a long-standing trend with the Academy, this year’s documentary short ballot is almost entirely domestic, while the feature doc category — where subtitles aren’t so common — is entirely international. Judging by the overall quality of the films in the 141-minute “2024 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary” lineup, that’s no sign of compromise. In fact, for Oscar completists, ShortsTV’s annual roundup is one of the most rewarding theatrical experiences audiences could hope for this year.
Director Sean Wang premiered his debut feature, “Dìdi,” at the Sundance Film Festival just four days before learning that his short, “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó,” had been Oscar nominated. Both projects feature his paternal grandmother, octogenarian Chang Li Hua, who shares a house with his mother’s mother, 94-year-old Yi Yau Fuei (the title combines the two women’s nicknames). At times, Wang’s delightful, slightly freeform...
Director Sean Wang premiered his debut feature, “Dìdi,” at the Sundance Film Festival just four days before learning that his short, “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó,” had been Oscar nominated. Both projects feature his paternal grandmother, octogenarian Chang Li Hua, who shares a house with his mother’s mother, 94-year-old Yi Yau Fuei (the title combines the two women’s nicknames). At times, Wang’s delightful, slightly freeform...
- 3/10/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Image Source: Getty / Alberto E. Rodriguez
Where I'm From: Now and Gen features in-conversation pieces between generations - like a younger woman and her grandmother - discussing a topic like beauty rituals, finances, or marriage. We sat down with filmmaker Sean Wang and his grandmothers, Yi Yan Fuei and Chang Li Hua, the subjects of Wang's Oscar-nominated documentary short, "Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó." Read their heartwarming chat about friendship below.
In 2021, in the wake of increased anti-Asian violence and the ongoing pandemic, filmmaker Sean Wang moved back home to San Francisco. There, he started observing - then filming - Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó, his 94-year-old paternal grandmother and 83-year-old maternal grandmother, respectively, who happen to be inseparable friends and roommates. As he captured the mundane moments and joys of their daily lives, he created "Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó," an Oscar-nominated documentary short that recently landed on Disney+.
"As...
Where I'm From: Now and Gen features in-conversation pieces between generations - like a younger woman and her grandmother - discussing a topic like beauty rituals, finances, or marriage. We sat down with filmmaker Sean Wang and his grandmothers, Yi Yan Fuei and Chang Li Hua, the subjects of Wang's Oscar-nominated documentary short, "Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó." Read their heartwarming chat about friendship below.
In 2021, in the wake of increased anti-Asian violence and the ongoing pandemic, filmmaker Sean Wang moved back home to San Francisco. There, he started observing - then filming - Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó, his 94-year-old paternal grandmother and 83-year-old maternal grandmother, respectively, who happen to be inseparable friends and roommates. As he captured the mundane moments and joys of their daily lives, he created "Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó," an Oscar-nominated documentary short that recently landed on Disney+.
"As...
- 3/6/2024
- by Yerin Kim
- Popsugar.com
Sean Wang and his grandmas have had quite the month. On Jan. 19, the filmmaker’s debut feature, Dìdi (弟弟), had its world premiere in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, and then four days later he became an Oscar nominee for Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó. He shot the Disney+ documentary short in 2021 during the pandemic, about the daily life of his paternal and maternal grandmothers, Yi Yan Fuei and Chang Li Hua, who after being widowed about a decade ago became roommates and then, as Wang puts it, “sisters” and “soulmates.”
“We thought it would be special to fly back to Fremont and surprise the grandmas and watch the nominations with them,” Wang says of he and producer/cinematographer Sam A. Davis’ quick jaunt back to his Bay Area hometown in the middle of their Park City engagement. “Even if we didn’t get nominated, [we could] put an end to this surreal,...
“We thought it would be special to fly back to Fremont and surprise the grandmas and watch the nominations with them,” Wang says of he and producer/cinematographer Sam A. Davis’ quick jaunt back to his Bay Area hometown in the middle of their Park City engagement. “Even if we didn’t get nominated, [we could] put an end to this surreal,...
- 2/24/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One month ago, heading into the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the most anticipated title for buyers was not necessarily the action-adventure anthology with Pedro Pascal (Freaky Tales) or the Kristen Stewart-fronted post-apocalyptic love story (Love Me). It was Dídi, a coming-of-age film about a 13-year-old in the Bay Area from a first-time feature director with no notable U.S. stars. It quickly landed a deal with Focus Features, while films with shinier stars and higher concepts are still in negotiations for deals.
The U.S. has long been known as the great arbiter of “bigger is better.” But being risk-averse, given current economic conditions and industry trends back home (Disney, Paramount Global, Amazon MGM, and others are currently undergoing layoffs), may, says one U.S. buyer, “no longer mean getting a massive star or big director — it means costing less.” Yet, internationally, the mandate seems to be business as usual,...
The U.S. has long been known as the great arbiter of “bigger is better.” But being risk-averse, given current economic conditions and industry trends back home (Disney, Paramount Global, Amazon MGM, and others are currently undergoing layoffs), may, says one U.S. buyer, “no longer mean getting a massive star or big director — it means costing less.” Yet, internationally, the mandate seems to be business as usual,...
- 2/18/2024
- by Scott Roxborough and Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Filmmaker Sean Wang’s endearing live-action short Năi Nai & Wài Pó might seem to be perhaps the lightest of all the Oscar nominees in the category, but he had more on his mind in chronicling the lives of his inseparable grandmothers, the 94-year-old Năi Nai (Yi Yan Fuei) and 83-year-old Wài Pó (Zhang Li Hua) as they go about their daily lives, even sleeping in the same bed in their Bay Area home.
The recent spate of violence against innocent people in the Asian community in America was also on Wang’s mind as he joined us for Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees.
“I mean, the idea of it is right there, you know, my two grandmas. The movie is full of life, and joy, and humor, and farts, and all the things that it encapsulates because they are full of joy and humor and sometimes gas,” he said.
The recent spate of violence against innocent people in the Asian community in America was also on Wang’s mind as he joined us for Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees.
“I mean, the idea of it is right there, you know, my two grandmas. The movie is full of life, and joy, and humor, and farts, and all the things that it encapsulates because they are full of joy and humor and sometimes gas,” he said.
- 2/17/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
“The word I keep coming back to to describe that moment is an extreme burst of chaotic energy,” shares filmmaker Sean Wang about the moment he received his first Oscar nomination for his documentary short film “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó.” The director watched the announcement live with the film’s stars — his grandmothers Yi Yan Fuei (Nǎi Nai) and Chang Li Hua (Wài Pó) — and filmed their reactions, sharing the utterly joyous moment of their celebration online. The nomination serves as a lovely grace note on the “extremely unexpected and surreal and special journey” that the family went on together. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó” is a 17-minute snapshot of the life that Wang’s two grandmothers have made for themselves in their old age; his Nǎi Nai is now 96, his Wài Pó 86. The two share a home and even a bed, take care of one another,...
“Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó” is a 17-minute snapshot of the life that Wang’s two grandmothers have made for themselves in their old age; his Nǎi Nai is now 96, his Wài Pó 86. The two share a home and even a bed, take care of one another,...
- 2/15/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Focus Features will open its Sundance Film Festival acquisition Dìdi on July 26.
The movie from Oscar nominee Sean Wang premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical and audience acclaim, winning both the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast.
Inspired by Wang’s youth, the pic follows a 13-year old Taiwanese-American in the last month of summer 2008 before high school begins. The boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom. Wang also wrote in addition to directing.
Producers are Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush and Wang. Didi stars Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen and Chang Li Hua.
Wang’s latest film, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma), premiered at SXSW 2023 where it won the Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award and is...
The movie from Oscar nominee Sean Wang premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical and audience acclaim, winning both the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast.
Inspired by Wang’s youth, the pic follows a 13-year old Taiwanese-American in the last month of summer 2008 before high school begins. The boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom. Wang also wrote in addition to directing.
Producers are Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush and Wang. Didi stars Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen and Chang Li Hua.
Wang’s latest film, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma), premiered at SXSW 2023 where it won the Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award and is...
- 2/14/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
It is hard to fully capture into words the electrifying excitement of the room during the world premiere of Sean Wang's debut feature, “Dìdi (弟弟)”. Part of this might have been because of the audience; it seemed like half the crowd had been associated with Wang in some way, as cast, family, or friends. Part of it may have been because the film was the only Asian American entry this year in the US Dramatic Competition, which markedly departs from last year (which saw at least 3 selections). And, perhaps, part of it may be because of Sean Wang's own star on the rise. As a previous Sundance Institute Ignite Fellow and as a current Academy Award-nominated director (with short “Nai Nai & Wài Pó” in the running for this year's Oscars), Sean Wang has been at the forefront of attention of Asian American cinema as of late.
Accordingly, the audience was incredibly reactive.
Accordingly, the audience was incredibly reactive.
- 2/14/2024
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Over 60 films came into this year’s Sundance Film Festival looking for buyers, but many of the key players on the indie film market already had movies premiering in the festival, with many of those among the most commercial and star-studded movies making their debuts.
Last year’s market was slow, especially for documentaries, but this year’s festival market was nothing but robust in 2024. We’re tracking everything that already has a home and will update this space throughout the month with every sale that comes in.
“Good One”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Director: India Donaldson
Buyer: Metrograph Pictures
Cast: Lily Collias, James Le Gros, Danny McCarthy
Release Plans: Theatrical in Summer 2024
Buzz: India Donaldson’s “Good One” will be the first title acquired by Metrograph Pictures, as the company known for its film restorations and SVOD platform is now getting into theatrical distribution. And they picked a good one too.
Last year’s market was slow, especially for documentaries, but this year’s festival market was nothing but robust in 2024. We’re tracking everything that already has a home and will update this space throughout the month with every sale that comes in.
“Good One”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Director: India Donaldson
Buyer: Metrograph Pictures
Cast: Lily Collias, James Le Gros, Danny McCarthy
Release Plans: Theatrical in Summer 2024
Buzz: India Donaldson’s “Good One” will be the first title acquired by Metrograph Pictures, as the company known for its film restorations and SVOD platform is now getting into theatrical distribution. And they picked a good one too.
- 2/13/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Focus Features had landed the worldwide rights to Sean Wang’s feature directorial debut Dídi, which won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film is set in 2008 in the San Francisco Bay Area and, according to the film’s logline, follows an “impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.”
Izaac Wang (Good Boys) stars in the film, alongside Joan Chen, Shirley Chen and Chang Li Hu. The film was also awarded the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast.
THR‘s Sundance review of the film reads: “The film is a very solid entry in the annals of coming-of-age films, reminiscent of Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade in both its affection for its young characters and its willingness to meet them on their own terms.
The film is set in 2008 in the San Francisco Bay Area and, according to the film’s logline, follows an “impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.”
Izaac Wang (Good Boys) stars in the film, alongside Joan Chen, Shirley Chen and Chang Li Hu. The film was also awarded the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast.
THR‘s Sundance review of the film reads: “The film is a very solid entry in the annals of coming-of-age films, reminiscent of Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade in both its affection for its young characters and its willingness to meet them on their own terms.
- 1/31/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to Sean Wang’s popular Sundance coming-of-age tale Didi, winner of the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic special jury award for best ensemble cast.
Didi is set in California’s Bay Area in 2008 and follows a group of first-generation teens seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy.
Izaac Wang stars alongside Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, and Chang Li Hua.
Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush, and Wang served as producers on the Antigravity Academy and Spark Features production, with Chris Quintos Cathcart, Tyler Boehm, Robina Riccitiello,...
Didi is set in California’s Bay Area in 2008 and follows a group of first-generation teens seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy.
Izaac Wang stars alongside Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, and Chang Li Hua.
Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush, and Wang served as producers on the Antigravity Academy and Spark Features production, with Chris Quintos Cathcart, Tyler Boehm, Robina Riccitiello,...
- 1/31/2024
- ScreenDaily
“Dìdi,” a coming-of-age drama that won the U.S. dramatic audience award at Sundance, has sold to Focus Features. The semi-autobiographical film was written, produced and directed by Sean Wang in his feature debut.
The film follows a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy in the throes of an awkward adolescence, as he enjoys the last month of summer before high school begins. He experiences the pangs of first love, becomes friends with some skaters (after promising to make videos of them), fights with his older sister and gets a hard-earned understanding of his mom. It is set in 2008, when MySpace was still a thing and TikTok had yet to explode.
Wang says he hopes that audiences will be able to see a version of themselves in the film, which stars Izaac Wang as the filmmaker’s cinematic alter-ego and Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor”) as his onscreen mother.
“’Dìdi (弟弟)’ is...
The film follows a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy in the throes of an awkward adolescence, as he enjoys the last month of summer before high school begins. He experiences the pangs of first love, becomes friends with some skaters (after promising to make videos of them), fights with his older sister and gets a hard-earned understanding of his mom. It is set in 2008, when MySpace was still a thing and TikTok had yet to explode.
Wang says he hopes that audiences will be able to see a version of themselves in the film, which stars Izaac Wang as the filmmaker’s cinematic alter-ego and Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor”) as his onscreen mother.
“’Dìdi (弟弟)’ is...
- 1/31/2024
- by Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Focus Features said Wednesday that it has acquired global rights on Sean Wang’s Dìdi, which won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast at the just-concluded Sundance Film Festival.
Last week, Wang was nominated for an Oscar for his documentary short Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó, which premiered at SXSW last year and won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. That movie hits Disney+ and Hulu on February 9.
Dìdi is set in 2008 in the Bay Area, and a portrait of early millennial first-generation teenagers as seen through the lens of a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy, played by Izaac Wang. Pic is produced by Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush and Wang. It stars Joan Chen, Shirley Chen and Chang Li Hua.
Dìdi is an Antigravity Academy and...
Last week, Wang was nominated for an Oscar for his documentary short Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó, which premiered at SXSW last year and won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. That movie hits Disney+ and Hulu on February 9.
Dìdi is set in 2008 in the Bay Area, and a portrait of early millennial first-generation teenagers as seen through the lens of a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy, played by Izaac Wang. Pic is produced by Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush and Wang. It stars Joan Chen, Shirley Chen and Chang Li Hua.
Dìdi is an Antigravity Academy and...
- 1/31/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
“It’s not lost on me that I am probably having the most insane week in a filmmaker’s life,” said 29-year-old Sean Wang, speaking to IndieWire from atop a ski slope right before his producers began to pelt him with snowballs.
Days earlier, fresh off premiering his narrative feature debut (and eventual Audience Award winner) “Dìdi (弟弟)” to a sold out crowd at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó” helmer took a quick detour to his hometown of Fremont, California to be alongside his grandmothers at five in the morning, as it was announced that his film that they starred in was nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. “[Afterward] we had to get back on a plane to Park City for a screening. So, it was a very hectic and amazing and chaotic morning,” said Wang.
Focusing on the Academy Award-nominated “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó,...
Days earlier, fresh off premiering his narrative feature debut (and eventual Audience Award winner) “Dìdi (弟弟)” to a sold out crowd at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó” helmer took a quick detour to his hometown of Fremont, California to be alongside his grandmothers at five in the morning, as it was announced that his film that they starred in was nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. “[Afterward] we had to get back on a plane to Park City for a screening. So, it was a very hectic and amazing and chaotic morning,” said Wang.
Focusing on the Academy Award-nominated “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó,...
- 1/31/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Last year may have been the official return of the Sundance Film Festival to an in-person experience, but the just-concluded 2024 edition felt even more lively: This wasn’t just back to business, this was a full-on coming-out party, with A-list talent on-hand even beyond what you could have expected from the festival in its last couple pre-covid years.
The best movies of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, as determined by IndieWire’s annual critics survey, are an eclectic mix, full of starpower and starmaking turns. And undoubtedly, having all the competition titles screen virtually in the last five days of the fest buoyed the visibility of some — if the celebrities all descended on Park City, Utah, this year, some journalists who used to be in-person regulars opted instead for just the online experience.
If the journalists who responded to IndieWire’s survey, 166 in total, are fewer in number than the past,...
The best movies of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, as determined by IndieWire’s annual critics survey, are an eclectic mix, full of starpower and starmaking turns. And undoubtedly, having all the competition titles screen virtually in the last five days of the fest buoyed the visibility of some — if the celebrities all descended on Park City, Utah, this year, some journalists who used to be in-person regulars opted instead for just the online experience.
If the journalists who responded to IndieWire’s survey, 166 in total, are fewer in number than the past,...
- 1/31/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
This is one of best discoveries of Sundance 2024. A knock out - loved every second of it. 2024 is a big year for the talented Taiwanese-American filmmaker Sean Wang, who is originally from Fremont, CA. Not only does he have this feature debut movie premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and it's getting rave reviews (and it won the Audience Award), he's also probably going to win an Academy Award in March for his short film Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó about his grannies (it's also streaming on Disney+ in February). Sundance has a memorably rich tradition of premiering many of the best coming-of-age films of all-time, ranging from 500 Days of Summer to Napoleon Dynamite to Little Miss Sunshine to The Spectacular Now to Clerks to Eighth Grade to Boyhood, and so many others over the years. Sean Wang's Dìdi (弟弟) instantly joins the ranks as yet another outstanding coming-of-age...
- 1/29/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
With Sugarcane, filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie deliver a multilayered film that invites audiences to confront questions about morality and justice, and to bear witness to the lasting intergenerational trauma of the Williams Lake First Nations (Secwepemc or Shuswap Nation) people stemming from the residential school system that included forced family separation, physical and sexual abuse, and the destruction of First Nation culture and language. Drawing on their backgrounds in activism and journalism — as well as NoiseCat’s own personal connection to the story and community — the filmmakers deftly weave together multiple strands to form this compelling, heartbreaking narrative.
Demonstrating unparalleled humanity, and compassion for the affected First Nation communities in North America, the powerful documentary operates from a place of pure and total empathy. At the same time, NoiseCat and Kassie recognize the resilience of the survivors and their descendants, and their determination to seek answers to long-buried secrets.
Demonstrating unparalleled humanity, and compassion for the affected First Nation communities in North America, the powerful documentary operates from a place of pure and total empathy. At the same time, NoiseCat and Kassie recognize the resilience of the survivors and their descendants, and their determination to seek answers to long-buried secrets.
- 1/29/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s something magical that happens to most people around the age of 13. For many, that’s when you might have your first real romantic love. Maybe that’s when your friend group transitions from the kids you grew up with to the new people you meet. And it’s a time when you make many mistakes—the kind that feel cataclysmic at the time but aren’t all that important in the grand scheme of things. For some, it’s all of the above.
Continue reading ‘Dìdi’ Review: Sean Wang Bares His Heart & Soul In A Crowd-Pleasing Coming-Of-Age Tale [Sundance] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Dìdi’ Review: Sean Wang Bares His Heart & Soul In A Crowd-Pleasing Coming-Of-Age Tale [Sundance] at The Playlist.
- 1/27/2024
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
The Sundance Film Festival announced its 2024 winners on January 26, two days before the festival’s end date. The Awards Ceremony took place at The Ray Theater in Park City, Utah. This year marks its 40th annual festival run taking place from January 18 to January 28.
In the Summer, a film director Alessandra Lacorazza, won the top honor, U.S. Grand Jury Prize, starring Lio Mehiel.
Last year, Mehiel told uInterview exclusively about the importance of trans representation.
“Whenever there is an uptick of queer or trans representation in the media, there is an equal and perhaps greater response from the other side … that are looking to suppress trans rights, trans agency [and] queer liberation,” Mehiel told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “While in Hollywood we are seeing trans representation and this film is able to be part of that movement, this film is more important now than ever because even just in Utah,...
In the Summer, a film director Alessandra Lacorazza, won the top honor, U.S. Grand Jury Prize, starring Lio Mehiel.
Last year, Mehiel told uInterview exclusively about the importance of trans representation.
“Whenever there is an uptick of queer or trans representation in the media, there is an equal and perhaps greater response from the other side … that are looking to suppress trans rights, trans agency [and] queer liberation,” Mehiel told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “While in Hollywood we are seeing trans representation and this film is able to be part of that movement, this film is more important now than ever because even just in Utah,...
- 1/27/2024
- by Ann Hoang
- Uinterview
The official awards for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, held in Park City, Utah every January, were announced this morning with a small ceremony held in person in Utah. This always marks the end of the fest, with a few days of screenings left. The festival played on this week with an at-home online series of viewings in addition to all the in-person premieres. It was a fairly impressive year, with a handful of terrific films, along with plenty of duds as well – and a smaller line-up with only around 92 new films premiering (compared to over 100 last year). The main winners for 2024 include In the Summers, taking home Grand Jury Prize & Directing Award; along with Sean Wang's Dìdi (弟弟) winning the coveted Audience Award and a U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble. In addition, the festival favorite is the documentary titled Daughters, playing in the U.S. Doc competition section.
- 1/26/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Sundance Film Festival 2024, beloved by independent film enthusiasts, opens the film festival circuit with a bustling calendar of parties, thought-provoking panels, and red-carpet premieres.
Celebrating its 40th milestone, the lineup boasts diversity across various categories, featuring 53 short films, 35 documentary features, and 83 feature films. The award-winning films for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival were announced today at The Ray Theatre in Park City during a ceremony.
The jury and audience-awarded prizes include Grand Jury Prizes awarded to In The Summers (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Porcelain War (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sujo (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and A New Kind of Wilderness (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The Next Innovator Award presented by Adobe was awarded to Little Death.
Related: Sundance Film Festival Awards: ‘In The Summers’, ‘Didi’, ‘Daughters’ Top Winners List
Audiences came together in person over the weekend in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance Resort with talent that included June Squibb,...
Celebrating its 40th milestone, the lineup boasts diversity across various categories, featuring 53 short films, 35 documentary features, and 83 feature films. The award-winning films for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival were announced today at The Ray Theatre in Park City during a ceremony.
The jury and audience-awarded prizes include Grand Jury Prizes awarded to In The Summers (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Porcelain War (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sujo (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and A New Kind of Wilderness (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The Next Innovator Award presented by Adobe was awarded to Little Death.
Related: Sundance Film Festival Awards: ‘In The Summers’, ‘Didi’, ‘Daughters’ Top Winners List
Audiences came together in person over the weekend in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance Resort with talent that included June Squibb,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival has announced its winners, with In the Summers taking the Grand Jury prize for U.S. Dramatic Competition and Porcelain War landing the award for U.S. Documentary Competition.
Sujo won the jury prize for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section, and A New Kind of Wilderness won for World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Audience awards went to Sean Wang’s Dìdi (弟弟) in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and Daughters in the U.S. Documentary Competition, with the latter also earning the Festival Favorite Award selected by audiences across all new feature films presented at the fest. Girls Will Be Girls landed the audience award for World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and Ibelin won it in the World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Elsewhere, the Next innovator award went to Little Death, with Irish rap biopic Kneecap winning the audience award for the Next section.
Sundance CEO Joana Vicente said,...
Sujo won the jury prize for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section, and A New Kind of Wilderness won for World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Audience awards went to Sean Wang’s Dìdi (弟弟) in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and Daughters in the U.S. Documentary Competition, with the latter also earning the Festival Favorite Award selected by audiences across all new feature films presented at the fest. Girls Will Be Girls landed the audience award for World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and Ibelin won it in the World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Elsewhere, the Next innovator award went to Little Death, with Irish rap biopic Kneecap winning the audience award for the Next section.
Sundance CEO Joana Vicente said,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival awards ceremony revealed winners Friday honoring the best of this year’s lineup in Park City.
The U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury prize went to Alessandra Lacorazza’s In the Summers, about two sisters who navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, Nm. Lacorazza also won a special jury prize for directing.
See the full list of winners below.
Other Grand Jury winners unveiled today in the ceremony at the Ray Theatre included Porcelain War in the U.S. Documentary competition, A New Kind of Wilderness in the World Cinema Documentary competition, and Sujo in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.
Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s documentary Daughters received the Festival Favorite Award, which Park City audiences select across all new feature films presented at the festival, as well as the Audience Award for the U.
The U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury prize went to Alessandra Lacorazza’s In the Summers, about two sisters who navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, Nm. Lacorazza also won a special jury prize for directing.
See the full list of winners below.
Other Grand Jury winners unveiled today in the ceremony at the Ray Theatre included Porcelain War in the U.S. Documentary competition, A New Kind of Wilderness in the World Cinema Documentary competition, and Sujo in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.
Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s documentary Daughters received the Festival Favorite Award, which Park City audiences select across all new feature films presented at the festival, as well as the Audience Award for the U.
- 1/26/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The 96th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 10 and air live on ABC at 7:00 p.m. Et/ 4:00 p.m. Pt. We update predictions through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2024 Oscar picks.
State of the Race
Hopefully, the increase in accessibility of short films has gained the Best Documentary Short category more of an audience, because this year, when most of the Oscar wins seemed so predetermined, this one is going to be a real nailbiter.
Basic logic would suggest that “The ABCs of Book Banning” is the frontrunner, as its message about extreme censorship is one the artist community that makes up the Academy’s voting membership can easily get behind. More importantly, the short marks Sheila Nevins’ directorial debut (working alongside co-directors Trish Adlesic and Nazenet Habtezghi), and there is almost no documentary film enthusiast unaware of the current MTV Documentary Films leader,...
State of the Race
Hopefully, the increase in accessibility of short films has gained the Best Documentary Short category more of an audience, because this year, when most of the Oscar wins seemed so predetermined, this one is going to be a real nailbiter.
Basic logic would suggest that “The ABCs of Book Banning” is the frontrunner, as its message about extreme censorship is one the artist community that makes up the Academy’s voting membership can easily get behind. More importantly, the short marks Sheila Nevins’ directorial debut (working alongside co-directors Trish Adlesic and Nazenet Habtezghi), and there is almost no documentary film enthusiast unaware of the current MTV Documentary Films leader,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
IndieWire has partnered with Sundance Film Festival presenting sponsor Adobe to host several panels at the Adobe on Main space. The last of these will take place today, January 21, at 11 a.m. Mt. It’s called New Voices in Film: Sundance x Adobe Fellows Spotlight, and it’s moderated by IndieWire Executive Editor, Craft and Special Projects, Chris O’Falt. Speakers Gerardo Coello, Gabriela Ortega, Iliana Sosa, and Sean Wang will discuss their latest projects, creative processes, and their unique stories shaping the future of film.
If you can’t make it in person, IndieWire will be live streaming the panel right here.
Coello is a 2018 Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellow director/screenwriter whose short film “Viaje de Negocios” is debuting at 2024 Sundance. Ortega, one of the 2023 Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellows, is the producer and actor behind short film “Border Hopper.” Sosa, a 2020 Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellow,...
If you can’t make it in person, IndieWire will be live streaming the panel right here.
Coello is a 2018 Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellow director/screenwriter whose short film “Viaje de Negocios” is debuting at 2024 Sundance. Ortega, one of the 2023 Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellows, is the producer and actor behind short film “Border Hopper.” Sosa, a 2020 Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellow,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Presented by Adobe, Presenting Sponsor and official editing solution of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. For more information, click here.
“Risk…can be the catalyst that propels you forward” is a quote from Robert Redford that lives on the Sundance Institute website, a fitting message from the festival founder that has a forty-plus year history cultivating the careers of many first time filmmakers. Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, Chloé Zhao, Cathy Yan, and Wes Anderson all made a name during the Park City event.
For the 2024 installation the tradition of directors premiering their debut project continues with over 90 films and episodic titles being showcased for the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival. Among them are eight titles whose editing teams looked to Adobe Creative Cloud apps to craft their stories. From an uncertain teen trying to fit in, a grandma on an action-packed revenge quest,...
“Risk…can be the catalyst that propels you forward” is a quote from Robert Redford that lives on the Sundance Institute website, a fitting message from the festival founder that has a forty-plus year history cultivating the careers of many first time filmmakers. Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, Chloé Zhao, Cathy Yan, and Wes Anderson all made a name during the Park City event.
For the 2024 installation the tradition of directors premiering their debut project continues with over 90 films and episodic titles being showcased for the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival. Among them are eight titles whose editing teams looked to Adobe Creative Cloud apps to craft their stories. From an uncertain teen trying to fit in, a grandma on an action-packed revenge quest,...
- 1/21/2024
- by IndieWire Staff
- Indiewire
Writer-director Sean Wang is tough on himself in “Dìdi,” a fresh and funny summer-before-freshman-year flashback that provides an Asian American angle on that Sundanciest of indie-film genres: the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age movie. In what feels like a cross between Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap” and Jonah Hill’s “mid90s” — courtesy of the young director’s teenage desire to make skate videos — Wang serves up some of his most wince-inducing adolescent memories, from an aborted first kiss to the realization that he’d been trying to downplay his Taiwanese heritage.
Hacky creative writing coaches are always insisting, “Write what you know.” And yet, when the result comes out as specific and self-effacing as Wang’s Fremont, Calif.-set time capsule, it’s hard to improve on that advice. As Wang reminds, the year 2008 (which also saw the financial crisis in precipitous fall) found thousands of teens making the transition from...
Hacky creative writing coaches are always insisting, “Write what you know.” And yet, when the result comes out as specific and self-effacing as Wang’s Fremont, Calif.-set time capsule, it’s hard to improve on that advice. As Wang reminds, the year 2008 (which also saw the financial crisis in precipitous fall) found thousands of teens making the transition from...
- 1/20/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Anybody who’s suffered through the experience of being a 13-year-old probably knew a boy who acted like Chris Wang (Izaac Wang). A braces-faced edgelord fresh out of middle school, Chris spends the summer of 2008 before freshman year tossing around casually sexist and homophobic jokes with his friends, surfing the web on his bulky PC, and generally acting like a self-destructive brat towards everyone around him. He’s horrifically unappreciative of his mother Chungsing (a wonderful Joan Chen) who’s left to look after her kids while her husband works in Taiwan, an outright demon to his college-bound older sister Vivian (Shirley Chen), and quick to push away and ignore his friends. But his bark doesn’t translate to any real bite; like many kids his age, all that bluster belies a sweet, extremely insecure heart.
Chris Wang is the main character of “Dìdi,” the debut feature of Fremont, California-born filmmaker Sean Wang.
Chris Wang is the main character of “Dìdi,” the debut feature of Fremont, California-born filmmaker Sean Wang.
- 1/20/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
IndieWire’s 2024 Sundance lineup of events is officially being revealed.
In addition to IndieWire’s annual Sundance Studio, the publication is partnering with Adobe for three panel discussions taking place at Adobe’s 558 Main Street location in Park City. Sign up to gain access to the space here.
The first, taking place January 20 at 3 p.m. Mt, is titled IndieWire: Creative Collaborations in Filmmaking, presented by Adobe.
Join the guest list here.
IndieWire’s Crafts editor Chris O’Falt will moderate a discussion with Duplass Brothers Productions president Mel Eslyn and producer/director/actor Mark Duplass. The conversation will focus on the longtime partnership behind the production company behind projects such as HBO’s “Room 104,” “Somebody Somewhere,” Hulu’s “Sasquatch,” and new release “Penelope,” which is premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The second conversation, at 3:30 p.m. Mt, January 20, will have O’Falt moderate a discussion with the...
In addition to IndieWire’s annual Sundance Studio, the publication is partnering with Adobe for three panel discussions taking place at Adobe’s 558 Main Street location in Park City. Sign up to gain access to the space here.
The first, taking place January 20 at 3 p.m. Mt, is titled IndieWire: Creative Collaborations in Filmmaking, presented by Adobe.
Join the guest list here.
IndieWire’s Crafts editor Chris O’Falt will moderate a discussion with Duplass Brothers Productions president Mel Eslyn and producer/director/actor Mark Duplass. The conversation will focus on the longtime partnership behind the production company behind projects such as HBO’s “Room 104,” “Somebody Somewhere,” Hulu’s “Sasquatch,” and new release “Penelope,” which is premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The second conversation, at 3:30 p.m. Mt, January 20, will have O’Falt moderate a discussion with the...
- 1/19/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
This Christmas night on Investigation Discovery, Season 7 Episode 33 of “Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?” promises an intriguing journey into the shadows with “The Halloween Bride” at 9:00 Pm. In this gripping installment, viewers are invited to unravel the mysteries that lurk beneath seemingly happy relationships.
As the episode unfolds, the narrative introduces men and women who once lived content lives with those they loved, only to have their worlds shattered by shocking revelations. “Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?” takes a deep dive into the secrets that transform blissful unions into tales of deception and unforeseen twists.
Tune in on December 25, 2023, for a Christmas night filled with suspense and uncover the hidden truths that emerge from the lives of those who thought they knew their partners best. “The Halloween Bride” promises to be a captivating and thought-provoking addition to the true crime series, offering a unique blend of mystery...
As the episode unfolds, the narrative introduces men and women who once lived content lives with those they loved, only to have their worlds shattered by shocking revelations. “Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?” takes a deep dive into the secrets that transform blissful unions into tales of deception and unforeseen twists.
Tune in on December 25, 2023, for a Christmas night filled with suspense and uncover the hidden truths that emerge from the lives of those who thought they knew their partners best. “The Halloween Bride” promises to be a captivating and thought-provoking addition to the true crime series, offering a unique blend of mystery...
- 12/18/2023
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Carlos López Estrada is launching the Antigravity Academy Screenwriters Camp, a program designed to develop and package five features from first-time emerging filmmakers.
The program will be run by Abiram Brizuela, Antigravity’s head of incubator, and backed by independent film financier and Unapologetic Projects co-ceo Chris Quintos Cathcart. Brizuela is the executive director of The Unusual Suspects Theater Company and previously served as director of artist community at the Sundance Institute.
“This is a program built out of necessity. We’ve met hundreds of incredible filmmakers waiting to be seen. Filmmakers who anchor their stories on their own identity and explore the nuances of life from unprecedented perspectives,” stated Brizuela and López Estrada. “We’re proud to provide a platform where these storytellers can exchange ideas, engage in artistic practice, explore the power of their creative voice, and ultimately find a path forward for their films.
The program will be run by Abiram Brizuela, Antigravity’s head of incubator, and backed by independent film financier and Unapologetic Projects co-ceo Chris Quintos Cathcart. Brizuela is the executive director of The Unusual Suspects Theater Company and previously served as director of artist community at the Sundance Institute.
“This is a program built out of necessity. We’ve met hundreds of incredible filmmakers waiting to be seen. Filmmakers who anchor their stories on their own identity and explore the nuances of life from unprecedented perspectives,” stated Brizuela and López Estrada. “We’re proud to provide a platform where these storytellers can exchange ideas, engage in artistic practice, explore the power of their creative voice, and ultimately find a path forward for their films.
- 12/12/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
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