Listening to Academy Award-nominated director Sean Wang break down key movie-making shots and ruminate on his creative and technical choices was eye-opening for Vincent Bottaro, a third-year cinema studies major.
Bottaro took the award-winning director’s masterclass in April as part of the Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Series, which brings professional filmmakers to campus to provide mentorship and practical guidance for students in the Department of Cinema Studies.
“Having the ability to sit down and talk to someone else who’s gone through similar processes and talk about all of the steps that he took to get there made it seem a lot more achievable,” Bottaro said.
—Vincent Bottaro, a third-year cinema studies major
The masterclass followed a screening of Wang’s feature film, "Dìdi (弟弟)," which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
In addition to the awards and recognition his film received from Sundance, Wang was nominated by the DGA for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a First-Time Feature Film. "DìDi" was also named a "New York Times" Critics Pick; was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards, winning two for Best First Screenplay and Best First Feature; and was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2024 by the National Board of Review.
During his masterclass, Wang and Associate Professor Michael Aronson broke down the process of how he wrote and made "DìDi," including the many editing and mentoring opportunities that helped him get to the final script and finished movie.
“Students could see themselves in him,” Aronson said. “That’s important. It’s one thing to hear from a director who’s been in the industry 20 years, but it’s another to meet someone whose first film is doing well.”
Wang engaged students by showing them the process of filmmaking, which isn’t as effortless as it looks, Aronson added.
"He was willing to show how the sausage gets made—how much you have to not be precious about your work,” he said. “That’s an essential lesson for filmmakers. And he had an Academy Award nomination at 26!”
"DìDi" centers on Chris, a Taiwanese-American teenager, to explore themes like adolescence, middle-school friendships, sibling dynamics and what it’s like to have an absentee father. But at its core, the movie is a mother-son story.
“It was really cool to learn from Sean and see him break down the process of creating these characters that feel so real and personal,” Bottaro said. “He talked about how "DìDi" is almost two movies in one: a coming-of-age movie that transitions into a piece between a mother and son. I think he really highlighted the level of depth that can be added to stories and screenplays.”
Wang answered countless questions during the two days he visited campus. Students, hungry for his expertise, sat rapt through multiple events.
“Getting to attend the screening, Q&A, and masterclass felt like such a privilege,” said Hannah Bard, a first-year cinema studies major. “The rooms were filled to the brim with young aspiring filmmakers, and I swear you could feel the buzz of minds exploding with ideas and creativity.”
—By Jenny Brooks, College of Arts and Sciences