SFFILM Festival Encore: Dìdi (弟弟)

  • A young Asian boy with an excited expression on his face

2024 SFFILM Festival Encore at The Roxie

Sean Wang‘s auspicious, semi-autobiographical feature debut centers on a universally recognizable phase of adolescence — that moment we begin the lifelong process of self-determination. Set in 2008 Fremont, this Sundance audience award winner follows 13-year-old Taiwanese American Chris (Izaac Wang) in the fleeting months prior to freshman year as he clumsily pursues his first crush, nurtures his passions for filming and skating, and experiments with the dawning intensity of online relationships via AIM chat and MySpace. At home, Chris’s college-bound sister Vivian (Shirley Chen) and weary mother Chunsing (an illuminating Joan Chen) annoy him, while his acerbic grandma Nai Nai (Chang Li Hua, the director’s real-life grandmother) frets over his diet. All three women draw his ire as Chris stumbles through a series of hilarious coming-of-age situations. Nuanced and tender, Wang‘s film is a layered exploration of learning to love oneself against the Darwinian backdrop of teenage cliques, cultural conformity, and the maddening frustrations of growing up.

Director Sean Wang

Among Fremont native Sean Wang‘s films is his latest short Nai Nai and Wài Pó (Festival 2023), which was nominated for a Best Documentary Short Film Academy Award®. His debut feature, Dìdi, won the Sundance Film Festival’s US Dramatic audience award and a US Special Jury Award for its ensemble. It is the recipient of support from SFFILM Rainin Grant, SFFILM Invest, and SFFILM Dolby Institute Fellowship.

Film Details

Language  English, Mandarin

Original Language Title  Dìdi (弟弟)

Year  2023

Premiere  California

Runtime  90

Country  USA

Director  Sean Wang

Executive Producer  Vertel Scott, Thomas Whitmore, Chris Quintos, Tyler Boehm, Robina Riccitiello, Joan Chen, Chris Columbus, Eleanor Columbus, Dave A. Liu, Jennifer J. Pritzker, Lisa Chanoff, Sakurako Fisher

Producer  Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush, Sean Wang

Writer  Sean Wang

Editor  Arielle Zakowski

Cinematographer  Sam Davis

Music  Giosuè Greco

Cast  Izaac Wang, Shirley Chen, Chang Li Hua, Joan Chen

 

Runtime
1h 30m
Year
2023
Director
Director Sean Wang
Format
DCP
Country
USA
Language
English, & Mandarin