“Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó” Director Talks Journey to Academy Awards

Sean Wang, the director of the short documentary Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, is raking in the recognition, but the path wasn’t as easy.

What’s Happening:

The film, relaunching the Disney People and Places series, was recently nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the 96th annual Academy Awards.
The film follows Wang’s two grandmothers, Chang Li from his mother’s side and Yi Yan Fuei on his father’s.
In the film, the duo’s strong relationship is shared, alongside their thoughts on aging and mortality.
Wang finished Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó and developed his first feature, Dìdi, at the Sundance Institute. There, he received a grant from The Walt Disney Studios’ Project Advancement and Completion Fund to further his career.
Wang is humbled and excited to be reviving the People and Places series, which were produced from 1953 to 1960, with three going on to win Academy Awards.
You can read more from Wang on the short film here.
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó is now available to stream on Disney+.

What They’re Saying:

Sean Wang: “The hurdle of being a young filmmaker, obviously is resources and money and trying to get things off the ground, but I think there’s so much to be said about… someone you admire looking at you and being like ‘hey, I know you’re still figuring it out, but this thing that you’re trying to figure out… I see something special, and I want to just help you get to where I think you can get to.’”