On Tues, Feb 13, 2024, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. PT, you and a guest are invited to a complimentary screening of the Academy Award® nominee for Best Documentary Short Film, Năi Nai & Wài Pó. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Director Sean Wang, moderated by Masashi Niwano, Creative Director of SFFilm. Sean is a lauded, up-and-coming filmmaker from Fremont, CA whose films capture the youth, energy, and cultural heart of growing up Asian-American in the Bay Area. Năi Nai & Wài Pó is a personal love letter from director Sean to his Nai Nai and Wài Pó, a grandma super team that dances, stretches, and farts their sorrows away.

Sean recently spoke with Asia Society Northern California at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Sean’s Academy Award® nominated Best Documentary Short Film, Năi Nai & Wài Pó, premiered at SXSW 2023 where it won the Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award and has been acquired by Disney+. Sean was also recently featured in the New York Times. 

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Agenda:

Date: Tuesday, Feb 13, 2023 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Pacific

• 6:30 p.m.     Registration and Networking 
• 7:00 p.m.     Short Film Screening + Moderated Q&A with the Director
• 8:00 p.m.  Program Concludes

Location: DELANCEY STREET THEATER, 600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107

Speakers:

Sean Wang is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker from Fremont, CA, currently based in Los Angeles. He is a Google Creative Lab 5 alum, former Sundance Ignite Fellow, and 2023 Sundance Screenwriters & Directors Lab Fellow.

His latest film, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma), premiered at SXSW 2023 where it won the Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award. It was acquired by Disney+ and was nominated for Best Documentary Short Film for the 96th Academy Awards®. It will be available to stream on Disney+ & Hulu on February 9th.

His debut feature film, Dìdi (弟弟), premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Cast, and was acquired by Focus Features for a Summer 2024 theatrical release.

Since 2021, Masashi Niwano has been the Director of Artist Development at SFFILM. He focuses his time on supporting global filmmakers through a slate of grants, artist support and fellowships. For over a decade, Masashi Niwano was the Festival & Exhibitions Director at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), the US’s largest media arts organization that amplifies Asian and Asian American storytelling. Prior to his time with CAAM, he was the Executive Director of the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF). He is a Bay Area native who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Production from San Francisco State University. Masashi has been a jury member or panelist at dozens of prestigious festivals including Sundance Institute, The Gotham (formerly IFP), International Development Association (IDA), New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF) and FRAMELINE LGBTQ+ Film Festival. He has also participated in various industry conversations with leading media entities including AT&T, XFINITY, WarnerMedia, and HBO. He is an active advisory board member for Firelight Media’s William Greaves Fund. Masashi’s life mission is to support the diverse media-making community, especially filmmakers from historically under-served communities.