Focus Features Lands Sundance Coming-Of-Age Film ‘Dìdi (弟弟)’
Izaac Wang on set of Dìdi. Photo by Iris Lee.
Coming-of-age Sundance Audience Award-winning breakout Dìdi (弟弟) has been acquired by Focus Features out of the festival for theatrical release.
The film is the feature debut of Sean Wang, an Oscar nominee this year for Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó, who wrote, directed, and produced the film.
Dìdi (弟弟) follows Chris Wang (Izaac Wang), a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy in the month leading up to his freshman year of high school. The film takes place in Fremont, California, in 2008 and is laced with the awkwardness and growth associated with that age.
Chris has his first love, makes friends with older boys who skate, fights with his older sister, and learns to love his mom (Joan Chen).
Behind the scenes of Dìdi. Photo by Iris Lee.
Sean Wang said the film is inspired by — but not directly copied from — the events of his own childhood, ala Lady Bird.
“Dìdi (弟弟) is the movie I’ve always wanted to see: a coming-of-age story set in a place I know, starring people who look like those I knew, during a time when we are the worst versions of ourselves having the best time of our lives,” said Wang in a statement.
Since the film’s Sundance premiere, it’s garnered universal acclaim from critics and audiences, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94% (based on 18 reviews as of writing on January 31).
Dìdi (弟弟) is produced by Antigravity Academy and Spark Features. UTA and WME negotiated the deal as representatives of the filmmaking team.
Sean Wang’s Oscar-nominated doc Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó is set to release on Disney+ and Hulu on February 9.
