NEWS: Awkwafina Wins Maui Film Festival’s Shining Star Award1 min read
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Now a rising star among Hollywood’s elite, Awkwafina arrived on Maui earlier this week to accept the Maui Film Festival’s Shining Star Award on Saturday night in Wailea. A packed outdoor cinema crowd then screened her first lead role in a dramatic comedy, “The Farewell,” which is slated for the big screen debut on July 12.
Honoring a “film artist who dares to dream big dreams and delivers brilliantly charismatic and revelatory performances every time that opportunity knocks,” the recognition has gone in previous years to young artists on the cusp of superstardom, including Adam Driver, Zac Efron, Andrew Garfield, Jake Gyllenhaal, Amber Heard, Freida Pinto, Emma Roberts and Olivia Wilde.
Awkwafina, 31, whose real name is Nora Lum, was born in Queens, N.Y., to a Chinese American father and South Korean immigrant mother. When Awkwafina was 4, her mom died due to an illness. Her grandmother helped raise her, along with her father, who would let her be a tomboy and watch “Howard Stern,” she said.
She started rapping at 16 under the stage name Awkwafina, which loosely translates to, “I’m very awkward, but it’s fine,” according to The Associated Press. Soon, Awkwafina generated a substantial fan base for YouTube rap videos and a web chat show named Tawk, both of which featured her grandmother Grammafina at times.
One particular video got Awkwafina fired from her publicity job in her early 20s, various media reports said. Little did she know that the video would skyrocket her to fame and get the attention of major players in the film industry.
Photo Credit: The Maui News
