One of the things I love about film festivals is that you can learn more about the film or filmmaker, usually during a post-screening Q&A. With the SF Film Festival, they also had talks with the filmmaker separate from the screenings. So I was ecstatic to see that the festival had a talk for Sean Wang:
“Join us for an exclusive discussion with local filmmaker Sean Wang, as he reminisces about his experiences making films in the Bay Area. From his acclaimed short films, including H.A.G.S. (Doc Stories, 2022) and Oscar®-nominated Nai Nai & Wài Pó (Festival, 2023), to his feature debut Dìdi (弟弟), Sean has forged a path of making deeply personal art in collaboration with local creatives. His own experiences living in the Bay Area are frequently reflected on screen, pulling audiences into deeply intimate journeys set against the backdrop of the place we call home. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear Sean discuss his approach to filmmaking, how the Bay Area community helped shape his stories, and the local resources that strengthened his films.
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.”
The talk and Q&A was moderated by Reinaldo Marcus Green – a writer, director and producer. Green is best known for directing the critically acclaimed Warner Bros. film King Richard starring Will Smith. It was great to hear more about Sean’s story as how he became a filmmaker and how Sean found his “voice” by moving from Los Angeles to New York, where he found a close knit community of filmmakers. Also, it was crazy to hear how much student loan debt that Green racked up on his journey on becoming a filmmaker.
