At tonight’s DGA Awards, directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert landed Best Theatrical Feature with their A24 smash Everything Everywhere All At Once — besting competition that included Todd Field (Tár), Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) in their first time out at the ceremony.
Kwan began his remarks by noting what “an incredible year” it’s been for his and Scheinert’s “little film that somehow keeps going,” which launched its journey towards awards glory all the way back at SXSW 2022.
Kwan subsequently thanked Everything Everywhere star Michelle Yeoh, who “made this movie” with a performance that had her appearing “in every single frame,” gracing the filmmakers with “everything.”
Also thanked by Kwan was A24, which took a chance on his and Scheinert’s film when “many people” didn’t. “Films like this oftentimes don’t get a launchpad, [but] you are the craziest studio, and you always do somehow take risks on movies like ours. So, thank you,” he said.
Kwan shared in closing that what he’s going to take away from this awards season, “more than anything,” is the “warmth,” “curiosity” and “enthusiasm” of his fellow nominees. “Every time we break bread or we get to share a stage with each other, I leave so inspired, and it’s just a beautiful reminder that even the best filmmakers in this industry, even the legends in this industry, deep down, are just kids who are excited to be making movies,” said the director. “Thank you so much for that reminder.”
Scheinert went on to thank just one person — that being his co-director, Kwan. “Thank you for putting up with me when I asked to make our movie weirder, and thank you for making our movie so much braver and more vulnerable,” he said. “What an honor.”
While almost impossible to summarize via a traditional logline, Everything Everywhere is a martial arts-packed multiverse film that centers on Evelyn Wang (Yeoh), an aging Chinese immigrant who is swept up in an insane adventure, in which she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.
In addition to the highest-grossing of any film in the history of A24, Everything Everywhere is the most nominated film of any at the upcoming Academy Awards, having scored a total of 11 noms, including in the categories of Best Picture and Director. Kwan and Scheinert produced the pop culture sensation alongside Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca and Jonathan Wang, with Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr. and James Hong among those rounding out the cast.