IMDb's 2024 Sundance Cheat Sheet: The Festival Films You Need to Know About3 of 12
Dìdi
Coming-of-age stories have been a Sundance staple throughout the festival’s 40-year history, but this early-2000s time capsule from first-time feature director Sean Wang is a standout. Inspired by his own upbringing in Fremont, California, 'Dìdi' (meaning "little brother" in Mandarin) spotlights a winning ensemble of mostly unknown actors — kids discovered via street casting and in skate parks — whose youthful energy lights up the screen and hits home the pressures of teenage conformity in the MySpace era. Amidst the nostalgic 2000s references to Tech Decks, flip phones, and chats with beloved AIM bot SmarterChild, there's a palpable awareness of how Wang’s cultural identity as a Taiwanese American is tied to his sense of self. Wang emerged from Sundance on an upwards trajectory with an Oscar nomination for his documentary short ('Nai Nai & Wài Pó'), plus a handful of jury awards for 'Dìdi' (including the U.S. dramatic audience award) and the news that Focus Features purchased the film, a funny and heartfelt love letter to his younger self.
Coming-of-age stories have been a Sundance staple throughout the festival’s 40-year history, but this early-2000s time capsule from first-time feature director Sean Wang is a standout. Inspired by his own upbringing in Fremont, California, 'Dìdi' (meaning "little brother" in Mandarin) spotlights a winning ensemble of mostly unknown actors — kids discovered via street casting and in skate parks — whose youthful energy lights up the screen and hits home the pressures of teenage conformity in the MySpace era. Amidst the nostalgic 2000s references to Tech Decks, flip phones, and chats with beloved AIM bot SmarterChild, there's a palpable awareness of how Wang’s cultural identity as a Taiwanese American is tied to his sense of self. Wang emerged from Sundance on an upwards trajectory with an Oscar nomination for his documentary short ('Nai Nai & Wài Pó'), plus a handful of jury awards for 'Dìdi' (including the U.S. dramatic audience award) and the news that Focus Features purchased the film, a funny and heartfelt love letter to his younger self.
PeopleIzaac Wang
TitlesDìdi