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Over the past half-decade, a subtle revolution in cinema has shifted coming-of-age filmmaking. Whereas past decades had made significant advances toward making the face of the cinema population more representative, recent movies have stepped further than just representation into investigating the complicated dynamics of cultural identity and between-generation connection. “Aftersun,” “Past Lives,” and “The Farewell” are films that speak to a new artistic direction—where richly personal narratives are used to develop universally accessible emotional resonance in an insistence on situatedness in specific cultural locales.

This new generation of filmmakers eschews the didactic or performative aspects that sometimes defined previous efforts at diversity on screen. Rather, filmmakers such as Charlotte Wells, Celine Song, and Lulu Wang tap into autobiographical sources to produce work that is less statement about identity and more glimpse into the lived-in experience. Their movies don’t so much explain cultural difference as ask viewers to occupy it.

For Joan Chen playing a doting but slightly disregarded Taiwanese immigrant mother in Sean Wang’s Dìdi was a healing experience. Not only could she connect with the struggles that her character Chungsing goes through while raising her college-aged daughter and rebellious teenage son, the onscreen rift also helped her make amends with her daughters offscreen. “It was so cathartic to play Chungsing in this film and redemptive in a way because I think it gave me another chance almost to be a better mother,” Chen says. “And to do it better this time with my own younger daughter on set watching me, I felt like, ‘Ok, Audrey. I’m talking to you. I’m trying to say, I’m sorry, and I love you.'”

Throughout her nearly five-decade career, Chen has embodied more than the all-encompassing role of a supportive mommy dearest. From garnering China’s most prestigious...

“I never had the kind of rebellion that Chris the character had in ‘Dìdi,’” shares Joan Chen on how her adolescent years differed significantly from those depicted in the Sean Wang film. Unlike the protagonist, who grows up in 2008 and navigates friends and romantic feelings the digital age, Chen grew up in China during the cultural revolution, and her peers were fearful of “being sent down to remote areas to be reeducated.” Focused on “how to get enough nutrition,” the award-winning actress “never had the luxury” of acting out like her on-screen son, but she was lucky enough to be selected during her “first year in high school to star in a film,” which changed the trajectory of her life. Watch our complete video interview above.

In many ways, Chen’s personal experiences mirrored her character Chungsing’s own. The actress says the role felt like “an opportunity for me to express myself,...

Applauded for his debut feature Ddi at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, director Sean Wang captures the nostalgia and confusion of adolescence during the early stages of social media. But in 2023, Wang directed his focus towards the other fringes of life, creating a heartfelt short documentary on his grandmothers that was nominated for an Oscar. Ni Nai & Wi P is a poignant yet hilarious tribute to Wang's grandmothers, that also brought the two generations closer together. Yi Yan Fuei is Wang's ni nai (paternal grandmother) who lives with Chang Li Hua, Wang's wi p (maternal grandmother). With a sisterly bond, the two reminisce about the trials and tribulations that persisted throughout their war-torn childhood, while also adopting an optimistic and frivolous outlook while in this stage of their lives. Wang roots out the sparkle and sincerity of a simple and grounded lifestyle, all while paying respect to his elders that paved the way for him.

Sometimes I think the best “coming of age” stories are the ones that open old wounds. The older we get, the harder it is to remember exactly what it was like to be young and inexperienced, stepping out into the world for the very first time. But an expertly crafted tale of adolescence reminds us just how painful life was when we knew nothing about it. We thought we were making it all up as we went along, that nobody ever felt the way we felt before and that nobody ever would again. Films like Sean Wang’s “Dìdi” remind us — to our relief and, often, embarrassment — that everyone else pretty much felt the same way.

“Dìdi” is Wang’s feature film debut, after his 2023 Oscar-nominated documentary short “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó,” about the day-to-day life of his two grandmothers. Do yourself a favor and watch “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó,...

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid." Focus Features has unveiled the official trailer for Didi, the feature directorial debut of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sean Wang (of the short Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó) - who is one of my favorite new filmmakers from 2024. I love this film! At its premiere in competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival it received critical & audience acclaim, winning both the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award & also the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast. "For anyone who's ever been a teenager." In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, 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. A distinct coming-of-age story from Sean Wang. The film stars Izaac Wang as Chris "Didi" Wang, with Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, Chang Li Hua as Nai Nai,...

Dìdi () premiered at SXSW 2024 and marks Sean Wang's feature debut, drawing from his own immigrant childhood experience. Set in 2008, the film follows Chris Wang navigating adolescence & themes of shame, identity, and belonging as a Taiwanese American. The heart of the film lies in the mother-son relationship, showcasing immigrant mom dynamics rarely seen in storytelling.

A film about coming of age in the US as a first-generation teenager, Dìdi (弟弟) made its Texas debut at the 2024 South by Southwest Festival. The film marked the second year in a row the festival featured a premiere by Writer and Director Sean Wang, who won the 2023 SXSW Short Documentary Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for his Academy Award Nominated Short, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó. Though the film drew from Wang's own childhood as the child of Taiwanese immigrants, but held back from telling a true memoir. Dìdi (弟弟) marks Wang's feature directorial debut,...

The 2024 Academy Awards ceremony just came to an end!

The event aired on Sunday night (March 10) on ABC, and was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, who previously led the awards show in 2017, 2018 and 2023.

Oppenheimer led the pack with 13 nominations, and certainly had a good night! The film took home Best Picture, among wins in several other categories.

Keep reading to see all the nominees and winners from the 2023 Academy Awards…

2024 Oscar Nominations & Winners:

Best Picture

Barbie

Maestro

Past Lives

Poor Things

Oppenheimer - Winner

The Holdovers

American Fiction

Anatomy of a Fall

The Zone of Interest

Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actress

Emma Stone, ‘Poor Things’ - Winner

Carey Mulligan, ‘Maestro’

Lily Gladstone, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

Annette Bening, ‘Nyad’

Sandra Huller, ‘Anatomy of a Fall’

Best Actor

Cillian Murphy, ‘Oppenheimer’ - Winner

Paul Giamatti, ‘The Holdovers’

Bradley Cooper, ‘Maestro’

Colman Domingo, ‘Rustin’

Jeffrey Wright, ‘American Fiction’

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt,...

Oscars 2024 Winners List ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

Oscars 2024: Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the 96th Academy Awards, and every nominee was hopeful that they might take home the gold statuette. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Yorgor Lanthimos’ Poor Things were the frontrunners for the night. Scroll below to see the complete list of winners.

Justin Triet and Arthur Harari won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Anatomy of a Fall. Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki won the 2024 Oscars for Best Animated Feature Film.

The first win for Oppenheimer came with Robert Downey Jr’s victory in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role. However, Emily Blunt lost the Best Actress in a Supporting Role to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for The Holdover. The 96th Academy Awards was an eventful night, and many were acknowledged for their with an Oscar while others were inspired to do better in the future.

The 96th Academy Awards is taking place today (March 10) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Scroll down for latest winners

The ceremony started at 4pm Pt/7pm Et (11pm UK time) and is expected to run for around three hours. It is broadcast live on ABC.

Jimmy Kimmel is hosting for a fourth time, with Raj Kapoor serving as executive producer and showrunner alongside executive producers Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan.

Screen is posting all the winners on this page as they are announced during the live ceremony. Refresh the page for latest updates.

Oppenheimer leads the nominations with 13 nods,...

Photo: Emma McIntyre (Getty Images)

Despite two historic strikes, shifting release schedules, and the ongoing risk of coronavirus, Hollywood had a lot to celebrate at tonight’s 96th Academy Awards. If there was a message to take away from this year’s awards season, it’s that 2023 was a very good year for movies.

Refresh for updates: The votes are in, the tuxes are pressed, and the envelopes are sealed: It’s time for the 96th Academy Awards. Deadline is updating the winners list live as they are announced, so check it out below.

Christopher Nolan’s near-billion-dollar juggernaut Oppenheimer has been collecting trophies at nearly every stop this awards season and comes into the ceremony as the odds-on favorite for Best Picture, among other nods. It’s vying for the Big Prize on Hollywood’s Big Night against the No. 1 movie of 2023, Barbie, along with American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Past Lives, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest.

Here are the winners announced so far at the Oscars, followed by the remaining nominees:

Winners

Tba

Nominees

Best Picture

American Fiction

Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, Producers

Anatomy of a Fall...

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...

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...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2023 Oscars Predictions:

Best Documentary Short Nai Nai & Wai Po, (aka Nai Nai And Wai Po), Zhang Li Hua and Yi Yan Fuei, 2023. © Disney+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

Weekly Commentary: In the documentary short category, the competition is notably fierce, featuring a lineup of powerful and thought-provoking contenders, and the best of the three shorts categories.

Disney+ Hotstar announced today that the 96th Oscars® will be live-streamed in India on Monday, March 11 at 4 Am Ist. Emmy Award-winning late-night talk show host and producer Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the live show for the fourth time.

Actor In A Leading Role (Nominees)

Bradley Cooper

Maestro

Colman Domingo

Rustin

Paul Giamatti

The Holdovers

Cillian Murphy

Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright

American Fiction

Actor In A Supporting Role (Nominees)

Sterling K. Brown

American Fiction

Robert De Niro

Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey Jr.

Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling

Barbie

Mark Ruffalo

Poor Things

Actress In A Leading Role (Nominees)

Annette Bening

Nyad

Lily Gladstone

Killers of the Flower Moon

Sandra HÜLLER

Anatomy of a Fall

Carey Mulligan

Maestro

Emma Stone

Poor Things

Actress In A Supporting Role (Nominees)

Emily Blunt

Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks

The Color Purple

America Ferrera

Barbie

Jodie Foster

Nyad

Da’Vine Joy Randolph

The Holdovers

Animated Feature Film...

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,...

Deadline has launched the streaming site for Contenders Film: The Nominees, the Oscar nominees panel showcase that took place Saturday.

Click here to launch the Contenders Film: The Nominees streaming site.

Cast and creatives from eight Oscar-nominated films sat down for wide-ranging discussions about the craft that went into the making of the movies now in final stretch to the Academy Awards on March 10.

The diverse panels ran the gamut, from Best Picture nominees Killers of the Flower Moon, The Holdovers and Anatomy of a Fall to documentaries like Bobi Wine: The People’s President, To Kill a Tiger and Năi Nai & Wài Pó, the historical epic Napoleon and the animated Elemental.

Panelists included Napoleon costume designers Janty Yates and David Crossman and production designer Arthur Max; Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, director Alexander Payne, writer-producer David Hemingson and producer Mark Johnson; Flower Moon cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, production designer Jack Fisk,...

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.

As we race to the Oscar finish line, it has certainly been a year to remember. The movie business all but shook off the last vestiges of the Covid era with the phenomenon that was Barbenheimer — collectively, Barbie and Oppenheimer earned more than $2 billion globally at the box office. Not only is cinema alive and kicking, but both of those box office behemoths are Oscar-nominated for Best Picture.

It sets the stage for Contenders Film: The Nominees, Deadline’s annual awards-season showcase. Today, we sit down with casts and creatives from eight of this year’s Oscar-nominated films, representing hopefuls spanning categories from the crafts to Best Picture. The virtual livestream begins at 9 a.m. Pt.

Click here to register and watch the livestream.

The Best Picture competition is still very much on, and Focus Features’ The Holdovers is in the running. Joining us today for a Q&a conversation are director Alexander Payne,...

“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,...

Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’ve reviewed every short film in each category: Animation, Documentary, and Live Action. Here are the Best Documentary Short nominees:

Island in Between | Taiwan | 20 minutes

Located just a few miles from mainland China is a series of islands known as Kinmen––islands under the jurisdiction of Taiwan. This is where Taiwanese men spend their mandatory military service, as it’s the frontline of any impending conflict that might arise from China’s decades-long refusal to acknowledge the country’s sovereignty. Putting a Taiwanese face to the tensions, S. Leo Chiang traveled to Kinmen to capture its life in-motion.

That’s pretty much what Island in Between delivers: snapshots of residents with connections to both countries and voiceover narration describing Chiang’s own relationship with them (as well as the US). We see army drills. Listen to the “psychological warfare” of pumping Taiwan’s most...

"Today we dance!" Disney has unveiled the official trailer for an acclaimed short doc film titled Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, made by filmmaker Sean Wang. This is a huge month for Wang, who not only received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short for this film, he also just premiered his feature debut Didi at Sundance, where it also won the prestigious Audience Award. He's breaking out in a big way! Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó is a personal love letter from director Sean Wang to his Nai Nai and Wài Pó, a grandma super team that dances, stretches, and farts their sorrows away. It originally premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival. "Introducing: my Nǎi Nai (奶奶) & Wài Pó (外婆). I hope you love them as much as I love them." Starring Chang Li Hua and Yi Yan Fuei. This will be streaming on Disney+ next month right before the...

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,...

Courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were announced today in a live presentation from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Academy President Janet Yang opened the ceremony hosted by actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid. The nominees in all 23 Academy Award categories were revealed. The 96th Oscars Airs Sunday, 10 March, with the in-person event taking place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

And the nominees are…

Best Picture

American Fiction

Anatomy of a Fall

Barbie

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Actor In A Leading Role

Bradley Cooper - Maestro

Colman Domingo - Rustin

Paul Giamatti - The Holdovers

Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright - American Fiction

Actor In A Supporting Role

Sterling K. Brown - American Fiction

Robert De Niro - Killers of the Flower Moon...

Variety rounded up some of our favorite creators behind several films recently shortlisted by the Academy to discuss the work that goes into making these now iconic cinematic moments.

From “American Fiction’s” score to the heartrending tunes of “Flora and Son,” the artisans went deep on their process and revealed the layers of thought and intent inside their work. Check out each interview for those recognized including Documentary film, song, score, hair & makeup, sound and more categories.

Read recaps of their conversations below:

“Saltburn” Original Score Conversation with Composer Anthony Willis

When it came to scoring that haunting opening scene of Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” composer Anthony Willis stresses that the use of the choir was a strategic decision. “So much of the film is the preoccupation of vanity and then feeling like you need to behave a particular way and then actually how...

Writer and director Lulu Wang’s forthcoming film The Farewell has been buzzy since it premiered at Sundance. It sold to A24 after its positive ovation at the fest and since has made its rounds, gaining more and more momentum as it ramps up for its July 12 release. The film’s star Awkwafina is getting shine for her lead performance and Wang has staked her claim in Hollywood showing that she can helm a film as good as any white man.

The film is billed as a story based on a lie — and is based on Wang’s real life (her great aunt Lu Hong actually appears in the film). Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) learns that her Nai Nai (her grandma played by Zhao Shuzhen) in China only has weeks to live. Her father (Tzi Ma), mother (Diana Lin) and entire family knows, but they have decided not to tell her.