Daniels (directors) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daniels
Scheinert (left) and Kwan promoting Swiss Army Man in 2016
Born	Daniel Kwan (1988-02-10) February 10, 1988 (age 37) Westborough, Massachusetts, U.S. Daniel Scheinert (1987-06-07) June 7, 1987 (age 38) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Alma mater	Emerson College (BFA)
Occupation	Film directors screenwriters producers
Years active	2007–present
Notable work	Swiss Army Man Everything Everywhere All at Once
Spouse(s)	Kwan: Kirsten Lepore ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	Kwan: 1

Daniel Kwan (born February 10, 1988) and Daniel Scheinert (born June 7, 1987) are a filmmaking team from the United States. They are known as the Daniels. They started their careers by directing music videos for famous artists.

Later, they moved into making movies. They wrote and directed the unique comedy-dramas Swiss Army Man (2016) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). Their movie Everything Everywhere All at Once became a huge success. It won many awards, including Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

How the Daniels Started in Film

Meeting at College and Making Music Videos

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert first met when they were studying film at Emerson College in Boston. Kwan finished college in 2010, and Scheinert in 2009. They even went to college with Sunita Mani, who later starred in one of their music videos.

Since 2011, the Daniels have directed many music videos. Some of their well-known videos include "Houdini" (2012) for Foster the People and "Turn Down for What" (2013) for DJ Snake and Lil Jon. Both of these videos were nominated for Grammy Awards.

Moving to Movies and TV Shows

In 2016, the Daniels made their first full-length movie, Swiss Army Man. They wrote and directed this film, which starred Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. The movie received good reviews, and the Daniels won an award for directing at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

In 2019, Daniel Scheinert also directed a movie by himself called The Death of Dick Long. This film also got good reviews. The Daniels have also directed episodes for TV shows like Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (2024).

Everything Everywhere All at Once

In 2017, the Daniels announced they would write, direct, and produce a new science-fiction movie. This film was Everything Everywhere All at Once. It starred Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

The movie was released in March 2022. It was loved by critics and earned a lot of money at the box office. Everything Everywhere All at Once received 11 nominations at the 95th Academy Awards, which was more than any other film that year. It won seven of these awards, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director for the Daniels.

Before the Oscars, some people even said that Everything Everywhere All at Once had won more awards than any other movie in history!

Future Projects

The Daniels have signed deals to create more movies and TV shows in the future. In 2022, they were even included on the Time 100 Next list, which highlights rising stars.

Their next movie is planned to be released on June 12, 2026.

About Their Lives

Daniel Kwan was born in Westborough, Massachusetts. His mother is from Taiwan and his father is from Hong Kong. He married fellow filmmaker Kirsten Lepore in 2016, and they have one son.

Daniel Scheinert was born and grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. He went to Oak Mountain Elementary and Middle School. He also attended the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School.

In 2023, both Daniels received a special award from their old college, Emerson College.

Filmography

Feature Films

Scheinert only

Television Work

Kwan only

Scheinert only

Music Videos

Awards and Achievements

The Daniels have won many awards for their amazing work in film and music videos. Here are some of their most notable achievements:

For Music Videos

• Grammy Awards:
  • 2013: Nominated for Best Short Form Music Video for "Houdini"
  • 2015: Nominated for Best Music Video for "Turn Down for What"

For Swiss Army Man (2016)

• Sundance Film Festival:
  • 2016: Won the Directing Award (Dramatic)
• Gotham Independent Film Awards:
  • 2016: Nominated for Breakthrough Director
• Independent Spirit Awards:
  • 2017: Nominated for Best First Feature

For Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

• Academy Awards:
  • 2023: Won Best Picture
  • 2023: Won Best Director
  • 2023: Won Best Original Screenplay
• Critics' Choice Movie Awards:
  • 2023: Won Best Picture
  • 2023: Won Best Director
  • 2023: Won Best Original Screenplay
• Directors Guild of America Awards:
  • 2023: Won Outstanding Directing – Feature Film
• Producers Guild of America Awards:
  • 2023: Won Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
• Writers Guild of America Awards:
  • 2023: Won Best Original Screenplay
• Golden Globe Awards:
  • 2023: Nominated for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy
  • 2023: Nominated for Best Director – Motion Picture
  • 2023: Nominated for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
• British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA):
  • 2023: Nominated for Best Film
  • 2023: Nominated for Best Director
  • 2023: Nominated for Best Original Screenplay
• Independent Spirit Awards:
  • 2023: Won Best Feature
  • 2023: Won Best Director
  • 2023: Won Best Screenplay
• Saturn Awards:
  • 2022: Won Best Fantasy Film
• Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards:
  • 2023: Won Best Picture
  • 2023: Won Best Director
  • 2023: Won Best Original Screenplay
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:
  • 2022: Won Best Film
• Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association:
  • 2022: Won Best Film
  • 2022: Won Best Director
  • 2022: Won Best Original Screenplay
• Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards:
  • 2022: Won Best Picture
  • 2022: Won Best Director

See also

In Spanish: Daniels (directores) para niños