Tag: Didi

2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards: ‘Anora,’ ‘I Saw the TV Glow,’ ‘Shōgun’ are the top nominees

December 4, 2024

by Carla Hay

With five nominations each, Neon’s comedy/drama “Anora,” A24’s psychological drama “I Saw the TV Glow” and FX’s drama series “Shōgun” are the leading contenders for the 40th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, which will take place on February 22, on a beach in Santa Monica, California. The Film Independent Spirit Awards are presented by the non-profit Film Independent and voted for by Film Independent members. Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Aidy Bryant will host the ceremony for a second consecutive year. The YouTube channels for Film Independent and IMDb, as well as Film Independent’s social platforms, will livestream the event.

Written and directed by Sean Baker, “Anora” (starring Mikey Madison as the title character) is about a sex worker who marries the heir of a Russian billionaire, but her new husband’s family wants to get the marriage annulled. “I Saw the TV Glow” (written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun) stars Justice Smith as a man who became addicted to watching a TV show when he was a teenager and is still feeling the effects of this addiction. “Anora” and “I Saw the TV Glow” are each nominated in the categories of Best Feature, Best Director, Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance, a category in which “Anora” has two nominations. “I Saw the TV Glow” is also nominated for Best Screenplay.

Nominated for Best New Scripted Series, “Shōgun” (set in 17th century Japan and based on James Clavell’s 1975 best-selling novel) is about the power struggles between a Japanese lord and a British sailor. The other nominations for “Shōgun” are Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series and Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series, where “Shōgun” has two nominations in each of these two categories.

Coming close behind with four nominations each are Focus Features’ coming-of-age comedy/drama “Dìdi” and Netflix’s limited drama series “Baby Reindeer.” “Dìdi” is inspired by writer/director Sean Wang’s teenage years in Fremont, California. “Dìdi” also received nods in the categories of Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, Best Supporting Performance and Best Editing. “Baby Reindeer” is inspired by a creator/executive producer Richard Gadd’s true story of being a stalking victim. “Baby Reindeer” is nominated for Best New Scripted Series, Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series, Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series and Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series.

Eligible films in most categories (unless otherwise noted) must have a production budget of no more than $25 million. TV nominations are determined by TV programs meeting Film Independent’s criteria of having an “independent spirit.”

Here is the complete list of nominations for the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards:

BEST FEATURE

(Award given to the producer)

Anora
Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

I Saw the TV Glow
Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall

Nickel Boys
Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine

Sing Sing
Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton

The Substance
Producers: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner
 

BEST FIRST FEATURE

(Award given to director and producer)

Dìdi
Director/Producer: Sean Wang
Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters

In the Summers
Director: Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
Producers: Janek Ambros, Lynette Coll, Alexander Dinelaris, Cynthia Fernandez De La Cruz, Cristóbal Güell, Sergio Alberto Lira, Rob Quadrino, Jan Suter, Daniel Tantalean, Nando Vila, Slava Vladimirov, Stephanie Yankwitt

Janet Planet
Director/Producer: Annie Baker
Producers: Andrew Goldman, Dan Janvey, Derrick Tseng

The Piano Lesson
Director: Malcolm Washington
Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington

Problemista
Director/Producer: Julio Torres
Producers: Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone
 

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000. (Award given to the writer, director, and producer)

Big Boys
Writer/Director/Producer: Corey Sherman
Producer: Allison Tate

Ghostlight
Writer/Director: Kelly O’Sullivan
Director/Producer: Alex Thompson
Producers: Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Chelsea Krant, Eddie Linker, Alex Wilson

Girls Will Be Girls
Writer/Director/Producer: Shuchi Talati
Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne

Jazzy
Writer/Director/Producer: Morrisa Maltz
Writer/Producer: Lainey Shangreaux
Writers: Andrew Hajek, Vanara Taing
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Tommy Heitkamp, John Way, Natalie Whalen, Elliott Whitton

The People’s Joker
Writer/Director: Vera Drew
Writer: Bri LeRose
Producer: Joey Lyons
 

BEST DIRECTOR

Ali Abbasi
The Apprentice

Sean Baker
Anora

Brady Corbet
The Brutalist

Alonso Ruizpalacios
La Cocina

Jane Schoenbrun
I Saw the TV Glow
 

BEST SCREENPLAY

Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Heretic

Jesse Eisenberg
A Real Pain

Megan Park
My Old Ass

Aaron Schimberg
A Different Man

Jane Schoenbrun
I Saw the TV Glow
 

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Joanna Arnow
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed

Annie Baker
Janet Planet

India Donaldson
Good One

Julio Torres
Problemista

Sean Wang
Dìdi
 

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Amy Adams
Nightbitch

Ryan Destiny
The Fire Inside

Colman Domingo
Sing Sing

Keith Kupferer
Ghostlight

Mikey Madison
Anora

Demi Moore
The Substance

Hunter Schafer
Cuckoo

Justice Smith
I Saw the TV Glow

June Squibb
Thelma

Sebastian Stan
The Apprentice
 

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Yura Borisov
Anora

Joan Chen
Dìdi

Kieran Culkin
A Real Pain

Danielle Deadwyler
The Piano Lesson

Carol Kane
Between the Temples

Karren Karagulian
Anora

Kani Kusruti
Girls Will Be Girls

Brigette Lundy-Paine
I Saw the TV Glow

Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin
Sing Sing

Adam Pearson
A Different Man
 

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Isaac Krasner
Big Boys

Katy O’Brian
Love Lies Bleeding

Mason Alexander Park
National Anthem

René Pérez Joglar
In the Summers

Maisy Stella
My Old Ass
 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Dinh Duy Hung
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

Jomo Fray
Nickel Boys

Maria von Hausswolff
Janet Planet

Juan Pablo Ramírez
La Cocina

Rina Yang
The Fire Inside
 

BEST EDITING

Laura Colwell, Vanara Taing
Jazzy

Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm
The Apprentice

Anne McCabe
Nightbitch

Hansjörg Weissbrich
September 5

Arielle Zakowski
Dìdi
 

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD

Given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast.

His Three Daughters
Director: Azazel Jacobs
Casting Director: Nicole Arbusto
Ensemble Cast: Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr., Jay O. Sanders
 

BEST DOCUMENTARY

(Award given to the director and producer)

Gaucho Gaucho
Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Producers: Christos Konstantakopoulos, Cameron O’Reilly, Matthew Perniciaro

Hummingbirds
Directors: Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
Co-Directors/Producers: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger
Producers: Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow

No Other Land
Directors/Producers: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Producers: Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning

Patrice: The Movie
Director: Ted Passon
Producers: Kyla Harris, Innbo Shim, Emily Spivack

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Director: Johan Grimonprez
Producers: Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius
 

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

(Award given to the director)

All We Imagine as Light
France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Director: Payal Kapadia

Black Dog
China
Director: Guan Hu

Flow
Latvia, France, Belgium
Director: Gints Zilbalodis

Green Border
Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
Director: Agnieszka Holland

Hard Truths
United Kingdom
Director: Mike Leigh
 

PRODUCERS AWARD presented by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey

The Producers Award, now in its 28th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films.

Alex Coco

Sarah Winshall

Zoë Worth
 

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 31st year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.

Nicholas Colia
Director of Griffin in Summer

Sarah Friedland
Director of Familiar Touch

Pham Thien An
Director of Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
 

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD

The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 30th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.

Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie
Directors of Sugarcane

Carla Gutiérrez
Director of Frida

Rachel Elizabeth Seed
Director of A Photographic Memory
 

BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

(Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)

Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color
Executive Producers: Idris Elba, Johanna Woolford Gibbon, Jamilla Dumbuya, Jos Cushing, Khaled Gad, Matt Robins, Chris Muckle, Sean David Johnson, Simon Raikes
Co-Executive Producer: Annabel Hobley

Hollywood Black
Executive Producers: Shayla Harris, Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Jon Kamen, Justin Simien, Kyle Laursen, Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jeffrey Schwarz, Amy Goodman Kass, Michael Wright, Jill Burkhart
Co-Executive Producers: David C. Brown, Laurens Grant

Photographer
Executive Producers: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Pagan Harleman, Betsy Forhan
Co-Executive Producers: Anna Barnes, Brent Kunkle

Ren Faire
Executive Producers: Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Dani Bernfeld, Lance Oppenheim, David Gauvey Herbert, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez
Co-Executive Producers: Abigail Rowe, Christian Vasquez, Max Allman

Social Studies
Creator/Executive Producer: Lauren Greenfield
Executive Producers: Wallis Annenberg, Regina K. Scully, Andrea van Beuren, Frank Evers, Caryn Capotosto
 

BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

(Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)

Baby Reindeer
Creator/Executive Producer: Richard Gadd
Executive Producers: Wim De Greef, Petra Fried, Matt Jarvis, Ed Macdonald

Diarra From Detroit
Creator/Executive Producer: Diarra Kilpatrick
Executive Producers: Kenya Barris, Miles Orion Feldsott, Darren Goldberg
Co-Executive Producers: Ester Lou, Mark Ganek

English Teacher
Creator/Executive Producer: Brian Jordan Alvarez
Executive Producers: Paul Simms, Jonathan Krisel, Dave King
Co-Executive Producers: Kathryn Dean, Jake Bender, Zach Dunn

Fantasmas
Creator/Executive Producer: Julio Torres
Executive Producers: Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Olivia Gerke, Alex Bach, Daniel Powell
Co-Executive Producer: Ali Herting

Shōgun
Creators/Executive Producers: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Executive Producers: Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell
Co-Executive Producers: Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich
 

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

Brian Jordan Alvarez
English Teacher

Richard Gadd
Baby Reindeer

Lily Gladstone
Under the Bridge

Kathryn Hahn
Agatha All Along

Cristin Milioti
The Penguin

Julianne Moore
Mary & George

Hiroyuki Sanada
Shōgun

Anna Sawai
Shōgun

Andrew Scott
Ripley

Julio Torres
Fantasmas
 

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

Tadanobu Asano
Shōgun

Enrico Colantoni
English Teacher

Betty Gilpin
Three Women

Chloe Guidry
Under the Bridge

Moeka Hoshi
Shōgun

Stephanie Koenig
English Teacher

Patti LuPone
Agatha All Along

Nava Mau
Baby Reindeer

Ruth Negga
Presumed Innocent

Brian Tee
Expats
 

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

Jessica Gunning
Baby Reindeer

Diarra Kilpatrick
Diarra From Detroit

Joe Locke
Agatha All Along

Megan Stott
Penelope

Hoa Xuande
The Sympathizer
 

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

How to Die Alone
Ensemble Cast: Melissa DuPrey, Jaylee Hamidi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Arkie Kandola, Elle Lorraine, Michelle McLeod, Chris “CP” Powell, Conrad Ricamora, Natasha Rothwell, Jocko Sims

Review: ‘Dìdi’ (2024), starring Izaac Wang and Joan Chen

July 26, 2024

by Carla Hay

Izaac Wang in “Dìdi” (Photo courtesy of Focus Features/Talking Fish Pictures)

“Dìdi”

Directed by Sean Wang

Some language in Mandarin with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in 2008, in Fremont, California, the comedy/drama “Dìdi” features an Asian and white cast of characters (with a few African Americans) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A 14-year-old boy feels alienated from his mother and older sister, as he tries to make new friends and has insecurities about being Asian in a mostly white community. 

Culture Audience: “Dìdi” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in watching realistic movies about teenagers who come from immigrant families.

Pictured clocwise from left: Izaac Wang, Chang Li Hua, Joan Chen and Shirley Chen in “Dìdi” (Photo courtesy of Focus Features/Talking Fish Pictures)

The comedy/drama “Dìdi” authentically depicts teenage angst about self-identity and wanting to belong somewhere independently from a family. The story’s perspective is from a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy, but the themes transcend generations and cultures. Anyone who is or has been a teenager will probably find something in “Dìdi” that is relatable.

Written and directed by Sean Wang, “Dìdi” is his feature-film directorial debut and is inspired by Wang’s own real-life experiences as a teenager in Fremont, California, where the movie was filmed on location. “Dìdi” had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won two prizes: the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic and U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble.

“Dìdi” takes place in the summer of 2008, during the last month before 13-year-old Chris Wang (played by Izaac Wang) will enroll in high school. Chris lives with his protective homemaker mother Chungsing Wang (played by Joan Chen); his moody sister Vivian Wang (played by Shirley Chen, no relation to Joan Chen), who is about 17 or 18 years old; and his paternal grandmother Nai Nai (played by Chang Li Hua), who is cheerful and optimistic. Chris’ parents and grandmother were born in Taiwan, while Chris and Vivian were born in the United States.

Chris’ parents are married, but his father lives and works in Taiwan and sends money to Chungsing to support the family. Chris’ father is never seen in the movie. Observant viewers will notice that Chris’ father doesn’t communicate with Chris and Vivian during the period of time shown in the movie. This absence and emotional neglect from their father probably cause feelings of bitterness and rejection and might explain why Chris and Vivian are quick to get angry and take their anger out on each other.

Throughout the movie, Chris goes through an identity crisis. He feels like an outsider in his own home. And he even though he has friends from middle school who will be going to the same high school, he feels restless and bored with these friends and wants to make new friends. Vivian excels in academics and seems to have goals in life. Chris does not.

Part of Chris’ identity crisis has to do with his insecurity and sometimes embarrassment of coming from an Asian immigrant family. There are many times throughout “Dìdi” where Chris tries to downplay, deny or degrade his Asian heritage. There’s a scene were Chris lies to some of his peers and claims to be biracial (half Asian, half white) instead of telling the truth that his racial identity is fully Asian.

As an example of the different identities that Chris is juggling, he has three different names in this story. His birth name is Chris. His friends call him the nickname Wang Wang. And his mother and grandmother call him Dìdi, which is a nickname he really dislikes. (Dìdi means “younger brother” in Mandarin.) Chris angrily tells his family members not to call him Dìdi.

Chris and Vivian bicker over petty things, but these arguments are really about their sibling rivalry and unspoken feelings that their relationship will change when Vivian is moving away to go to college around the same time that Chris will start going to high school. Vivian and Chris have a relationship with its share of ups and downs. They love each other but don’t always show it.

An early scene in the movie takes place with the Wang family having dinner together. Vivian insults Chris and gripes at him because he’s wearing one of her sweatshirts. Their argument turns into cursing. Chris and Vivan don’t listen to Vivian and Mai Mai, who tell the kids to stop arguing.

Chris calls Vivian a “bitch.” He then goes in the bathroom and urinates in Vivian’s lotion bottle. When she later finds out, Vivian threatens Chris by saying that he ever does something like that again, she’ll put her menstruation blood in his food.

A great deal of “Dìdi” is about how technology that was fairly new in 2008 is used as catalysts or tools in teenagers’ social lives. Facebook and YouTube are prominently featured throughout the movie. In 2008, most people didn’t have the types of smartphones that exist today, so phones were mainly used for calling, texting and taking photos.

Chris has a crush on a classmate named Madi Peters (played by Mahaela Park), a popular girl who will be going to the same high school a Chris. He looks at Madi’s Facebook page to find out what her interests are—she’s a big fan of Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams and the 2002 romantic drama “A Walk to Remember”—so Chris pretends to be a fan of the same things. Chris has a nervous conversation with Madi at a house party, and the movie shows how their relationship develops from there.

Youth skateboard culture is also a big part of the movie. Chris and his friends Soup (played by Aaron Chang), Fahad (played by Rahul Dial) and Hardeep (played by Tarnvir Kamboj) like to skateboard. However, Chris prefers filming videos of people skateboarding rather than skateboarding himself. He posts videos that he’s filmed on his YouTube channel, which is an indication that he has an interest in filmmaking.

Later, Chris meets three friends named Donovan, Corey and Nugget, who take skateboarding more seriously than Soup, Fahad and Hardeep. Chris thinks Donovan (played by Chiron Cillia Denk), Corey (played by Montay Boseman) and Nugget (played by Sunil Maurillo) are a lot cooler to hang out with than Soup, Fahad and Hardeep. It should come as no surprise that Chris wants to join a new clique and is desperate for this new clique’s approval.

One of the things that “Dìdi” shows with credibility is how teenagers are often embarrassed by their parents, no matter what their parents do. There’s a scene that’s uncomfortable to watch (but very realistic) when Chungsing goes in Chris’ room while Donovan, Corey and Nugget are visiting. Chungsing is friendly, but Chris’ hostile reaction to her is a reflection of his insecurities about himself.

“Dìdi” is told from Chris’ perspective, but the movie gives glimpses into Chungsing’s interior life. She’s married but she has to raising her kids like a single mother. One child is moving away from home. The other child acts like he doesn’t want to be around her. Chungsing is a loving mother who wants the best for her family, but it’s easy to feel empathy for her because she’s obviously going through her own identity crisis. As way to find solace from her pain, she does paintings that she feels no one appreciates.

Chris is socially awkward but he is not always a likable dork. He often doesn’t know the difference between saying something that he thinks is “cool” and something that is very offensive. He’s also very rude and verbally cruel to his mother. There’s a scene where Chungsing and Chris are eating together in a fast food restaurant. She is using a fork and knife to eat her hamburger. Chris mutters in disgust but loud enough for her to hear this racist comment: “So Asian.” The wounded look on Chungsing’s face could say a thousand words, even though she says nothing in response.

“Dìdi” has a well-cast ensemble but the best acting performances are from Joan Chen and Izaac Wang, who both are utterly convincing as a mother and a son having a hard time with each other because they both feel misunderstood and frustrated by how their lives are going. The tension-filled relationship between Chungsing and Chris is a reflection how they want to feel accepted in a world that is not always welcoming to them. They are both experiencing emotional pain for reasons that are similar and different.

“Dìdi” is not a perfect film (some of the movie’s scenes could have used better pacing), but what this movie does perfectly is not overstate or over-explain things that are realistically left unsaid. Many people in life have a hard time admitting what’s really bothering them because they often don’t want to admit it to themselves. “Dìdi” is snapshot of one month in the life of a teenager experiencing emotional growing pains and finding out in his desperate search for peer acceptance if he can ultimately have self-acceptance.

Focus Features released “Dìdi” in select U.S. cinemas on July 26, 2024, with an expansion to more U.S. cinemas on August 16, 2024.

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