Oscar-nominated short film 'Nai Nai and Wài Pó' and its unlikely stars head to Disney+

The director of the award-winning short talks about his eclectic cast.

ByMichael Goldfine OTRC logo
Friday, February 9, 2024
Award winning short heads to Disney+
"Nai Nai & Wai Po," the heartwarming Oscar nominated tale of two grandmas, will leave you smiling.

LOS ANGELES -- "They are movie stars. I joke about it like they are my movie stars!" That's Sean Wang talking about his two grandmothers, the stars of his celebrated short, "Nai Nai & Wài Pó," when he recently sat down with On the Red Carpet.

The film centers around the daily life of his stars who, at an advanced age, make an ordinary life seem extraordinary. Despite their age and lack of experience, Wang says the two were easy to work with.

"No one has ever really given them the opportunity to play like this," he said. "And I think for us, we didn't have to yank it out of them, it was already there."

The film made its world premiere at SXSW where it received both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. And now it has reached the pinnacle of awards season, an Oscar nomination.

"Saying the sentence out loud is insane," he said. "My grandmothers are nominated."

And if they win, Wang has a special celebration planned.

"We need to bring the grandmas on stage for a dance party," he said. "Forty five seconds, no speech, just dancing."

"Nai Nai & Wài Pó" premieres on Disney+ on Feb. 9.

March 10 is Oscar Sunday! Watch the 2024 Oscars live on ABC.

Red carpet coverage starts at 1 p.m. ET | 10 a.m. PT with "Countdown to Oscars: On The Red Carpet Live." At 4 p.m. ET | 1 p.m. PT, live coverage continues with "On The Red Carpet at the Oscars," hosted by George Pennacchio with Roshumba Williams, Leslie Lopez and Rachel Brown.

Watch all the action on the red carpet live on ABC, streaming live on OnTheRedCarpet.com and on the On the Red Carpet Facebook and YouTube pages.

The 96th Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, begins at 7 p.m. ET | 4 p.m. PT, an hour earlier than past years.

The Oscars are followed by an all-new episode of "Abbott Elementary."

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