Watch: Awkwafina in the first trailer for ‘The Farewell’
Call your Nai Nai and say hello.
The first trailer for Lulu Wang’s Sundance hit The Farewell, starring Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, Ocean’s 8) is here. In the film, which is “based on an actual lie,” Awkwafina plays Billi, a Chinese-born but U.S.-raised woman who returns to her hometown of Changchuan, China under the auspice of a wedding but finds out that her family’s matriarch – her Nai Nai – is dying of terminal cancer. The family wants to keep the news from Nai Nai herself and Billi finds herself torn about what to do.
Writer/director Lulu Wang navigates the pitfalls of family, tradition and expectations through a heartfelt celebration of life, interweaving a sometimes uproarious humorous depiction of the good lie in action with a richly moving story of a family can unite and strengthen, often in spite of itself.
Official synopsis:
The Farewell stars Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen, Lu Hong, and Jiang
Yongbo and will hit theaters on July 12th from A24.

- 2026 Cannes Film Festival Winners: Cristian Mingiu’s ‘Fjord’ Takes the Palme, Seventh Win in a Row for NEON - May 23, 2026
- Cannes 2026: Sandra Wollner’s ‘Everytime’ Wins Un Certain Regard Grand Prize - May 22, 2026
- ‘Coward’ Review: Belgian Soldiers Find Love in Lukas Dhont’s Hidden Romance Masterpiece [A] Cannes - May 21, 2026

AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 345: Recapping the 79th Cannes Film Festival and Looking to the Awards Future
‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Makes a Meal Out of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Movie-Making Buffet [B]
‘The Dreamed Adventure’ Review: Valeska Grisebach’s Observant Thriller Examines the Grey Zones of Morality [B+]
‘Minotaur’ Review: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Timeless, Domestic Epic is an Unflinching Look at Putin’s Russia [A] Cannes