Attending the Academy Awards is an honor so few of us will experience, but if you go, better take mom.

Daniel Scheinert, the co-director of 11-time Oscar nominee “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” will do that on Sunday, March 12, in Los Angeles.

Scheinert’s film — which he wrote and directed with filmmaking partner Daniel Kwan — leads all Oscar nominees with 11 total, including best picture, director, screenplay, actress, supporting actor and supporting actress. It just swept the Screen Actors Guild Awards, winning best acting ensemble, lead actress (Michelle Yeoh), supporting actress (Jamie Lee Curtis) and supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan), putting it on a collision course with Oscar glory.

But his proud parents are not surprised.

Co-writer/director Scheinert was born in Birmingham, where he attended Oak Mountain Elementary and Middle Schools before going to high school at Shades Valley. His parents, Ken and Becky, now live in Guntersville where his dad practices law while his mom is retired from a career in marketing. His dad said Scheinert got into filmmaking through local competitions and musical theater during high school.

The Scheinerts were caught off guard by the volume of award shows leading up to the Oscars. “I didn’t know there were that many guilds out there in Los Angeles,” Ken said, referring to the film’s key wins at the Directors, Producers and Screen Actors Guilds. “It’s a credit to the Daniels and certainly the cast. They really pulled if off getting some of the folks they did acting in that movie.”

The film features four Oscar-nominated performances from Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu. The entire cast also won the best ensemble award from SAG. You can stream it on Showtime Anytime and Paramount+ (with a Showtime subscription). One of the best-reviewed movies of the year, the film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95%. The consensus says, “Led by an outstanding Michelle Yeoh, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ lives up to its title with an expertly calibrated assault on the senses.”

It also earned $107 million at the global box office, making it the highest grosser in distributor A24′s history. The film follows an aging Chinese immigrant (Michelle Yeoh) swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.

While the film explores communication breakdowns between parents and children, Daniel Scheinert told AL.com last spring, shortly after the film released in theaters, that he felt lucky to have parents who encouraged creative endeavors, and encouraged him and his older brother Brett (now a game designer living in Stockholm, Sweden) to enter creativity competitions as they eventually transitioned into filmmaking. Why did they encourage that creativity?

“For one reason,” their mom Becky said, “they can entertain themselves. They would never say that they were bored because they’d go off and figure out something to entertain themselves.”

“Both of the boys are highly intelligent,” Ken added. “I think that gave them a good outlet to take advantage of that intelligence in terms of doing things that stretch their limits.” But their mom also insisted, while laughing, that filmmaking “kept them out of trouble.”

Scheinert told AL.com about how he and Daniel Kwan made a name for themselves making what he called “somewhat bizarre” music videos and short films that the internet would talk about. Part of the process for putting it out into the world, Scheinert said, involved explaining to their parents why on Earth they would use our college tuition to make them, which he said partially inspired “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” It’s true; some of the subject matter didn’t initially click. But his parents know that going in each time.

“We always caveat our opinions with, ‘We know we’re not your target audience,’” Becky joked.

Above all, their primary concern remains Scheinert’s safety. They said he only recently told them he rode on top of a moving car to secure a shot while making a film for a Sidewalk Scramble competition. “We found out about that one within the last month or two,” Ken said. “That really fired us up. Sometimes the subjects were something we’d be going, ‘Why would you be doing that?’ It’s just something he really likes, to make people step back and think.”

One year, for his older brother’s birthday, they gifted tickets to the Sidewalk Film Festival. They chaperoned a group of teenagers, including tagalong Daniel, as the kids became enamored with the experience. He would intern at the festival in high school and participate in Sidewalk Scrambles and other high school competitions. One of the prizes was Avid editing software, which Ken said helped him learn “how to put a movie together.” Becky credited Sidewalk as “a huge influence” on Daniel, so much so that he gave the festival a shout-out during an acceptance speech.

They gained a better understanding of the actual production process roughly a decade ago, when they suggested Daniel shoot a music video in Alabama so they could join “the peanut gallery” and watch it happen. The Daniels would then film Manchester Orchestra’s video for “Simple Math” in Marshall County, where the Scheinerts hosted anywhere from 20 to 40 people in their home and got a crash course in that type of filmmaking.

“That was just wonderful for us,” Becky said. “What blew our minds was how disconnected the shooting was compared to the final product. Everything was shot based on where the locations were, not the sequence that it ended up in in the video. So that really helped us a lot going, ‘Oh so that’s what you do.’”

Ken said they could actually see how their son interacts with the cast and crew and what it really took to make something, including the sheer number of people needed to accomplish it. “We were much more educated than if we walked into a set later in terms of knowing the people he’s got to work with,” he said. “That was really fascinating.”

The Scheinerts have had part of a year now to process this whole “Everything Everywhere” journey since its spring 2022 release, and they have gained perspective on Scheinert’s evolution as an artist. They’ve had a front-row seat to watch his talent grow since he partnered with Kwan at Emerson College in Boston.

“Daniel did very well in both high school and also theater in Alabama. I never was sure, was he a big fish in a small pond or could he ever be a big fish in a big pond?” Ken said. “I think going to college in Boston helped him get a good perspective and get out of Alabama, to be able to understand if he could make a living doing that. And he certainly has.

“In terms of what he’s accomplished now, no, I’m not real surprised,” Ken said. “He’s an incredibly talented, focused individual. The trick now, from a parent’s perspective, is how do you handle it going forward? His mom and I certainly hope he’s grounded enough that this is just the start of bigger and better things. My perspective is I think that’s going to be the case.”

Where does one go after reaching the summit of 11 Oscar nominations and potentially several wins for a film many consider the best of a given year? The Daniels (with producing partner Jonathan Wong) last summer signed an exclusive five-year deal with Universal, giving them more resources and power to develop original ideas on a much larger Hollywood scale.

“They’re trying to put together the framework of how they can move forward with both TV shows and movies and still maintain the creative spark that they have,” Ken said. “I know Daniel is struggling with that in terms of they’re used to working on such a low budget. They don’t want to get too big or too complex that they can’t do what they’ve done in the past. So that’s their big challenge right now. How do they top and continue what they’ve done in a different structure?”

Becky said the success of “Everything Everywhere” and the subsequent awards circuit, where they’ve had the opportunity to meet other talented industry professionals, have given the Daniels a sense of whether various actors share a similar aesthetic and if they could work with them in the future. “I know that’s what he’s thinking, ‘Oh, let me see where this guy’s head is. What is he like really?’”

During the annual Oscar nominees luncheon in February, the Daniels mixed and mingled in the same room as Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise and Guillermo Del Toro. As they took their places for the nominee class photo, you can see Scheinert standing next to “Elvis” star Austin Butler as the two carry on conversation for several minutes while others get set for the picture. “He talked about meeting Cate Blanchett,” Ken said. “He said he was really kind of intimidated initially talking to her, then realized, ‘Wait, she’s kind of wild and crazy like me. This is fun.’”

Ken said they even got a phone call from Spielberg, who invited the Daniels to lunch where they spent the time talking and sharing ideas, which he called “a big deal for Daniel.” His mom said Spielberg shared advice on how to manage being a director with other components in life. “Some real philosophical things that Steven Spielberg can certainly pontificate on, if he so chooses,” Becky said, “that would give a pathway and good insight for the Daniels.”

Becky will attend the 95th Annual Academy Awards ceremony with her son, but make no mistake: This is not her first time on the red carpet. “Well, I do understand the process a little bit because 10 years ago, he took me to the Grammys when one of his music videos was nominated,” she said. “I got to see the whole process, how the nobodies like me get shuffled off to the side so the somebodies can have full view for the photographers. And that’s fine. I know that he will make it a party for all the cast and crew … so that they all celebrate what they’ve achieved regardless of what trophies come home.”

By now, Scheinert is an award show pro. The Daniels have attended the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and Film Independent Spirit Awards — just to name a few — where they’ve given one acceptance speech (and made one fashion statement) after another. And yes, the Scheinerts are proud, but still parents.

“He’s always been articulate,” Becky said. “I still make him crazy by telling him he says ‘like’ too much. A mother always nitpicks. But I think he’s done very well. Now, he and I will continue to arm-wrestle and argue about what he wears.”

Scheinert wore a large camouflage raincoat to the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which Ken said he thought he might have gotten from his grandfather, whom they called “a big hunter in Shelby County.”

For the Oscars, Daniel plans to wear a tuxedo from Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro. His mom said they bought several years ago when he began gaining notice as a filmmaker and needed a tux for certain occasions. “Lo and behold, it fit his very tall, very skinny frame.”

The 95th Annual Academy Awards will air live on ABC at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 12.

While Scheinert could walk away with three Oscars if they win picture, director and screenplay, his parents insist he’s most excited for his collaborators, including Birmingham native and best editing nominee Paul Rogers.

“He’s really proud for his cast and crew,” Ken said. “That really fires him up.”

More on ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’:

Daniels shout out Sidewalk Film Festival during Independent Spirit Awards sweep

Stephen Colbert calls on Alabama filmmaker to save ‘Late Show’ opening

What Steven Spielberg learned from Oscar-nominated Alabama filmmaker

One of the Daniels on his Alabama roots, fitting his state into ‘Everything Everywhere’