La La Land director's Calgary grandparents proud of 'wonderful' Oscar win

It was an Oscar snafu people will be talking about for years. And it's one that particularly shocked Calgary's John and Constance Martin.

When the presenter at the Academy Awards ceremony announced the wrong winner for best picture, the couple was dismayed by the mistake — because their grandson was one of the people standing on stage, ready to accept the award for La La Land. 

The Martins are the grandparents of Damien Chazelle, who wrote and directed the film. 

"Of course, we were very sorry for him. We were flabbergasted, because I don't think watching the Oscars I've ever seen a mistake like that before," John Martin told the Calgary Eyeopener. 

Thankfully, Chazelle had already won another Academy Award that night — for best director.

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"I thought it was wonderful — the whole thing. He did well, he speaks well, he's articulate and he said just what he needed to say. We're very proud of him, my wife and I," John said. 

"He got the best director and that's just his," Constance said. "They can't take that away from him."

Filmmaking has always been part of Chazelle's character, his grandparents said.

"I'm 95. He's 32. He's always been this way since I can remember," said John. "He was always fiddling with cameras from the age of four or five, he used to make murder mysteries, some of them set in the back seat of a car."

His sister was often the "victim" of Chazelle's murder mysteries, John recalled. 

"In spite of those episodes they got on very well, and she was in La La Land in a very minor role," he added.

Jazz has also long been an interest of Chazelle's. Both of his critically-acclaimed films, La La Land and 2014's Whiplash, both heavily feature the genre. 

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"Ever since we can remember he's liked music and mainly jazz," said John. "He took drumming lessons as a boy, and used to beat them to pieces in the house, so wherever you were in the house, you could hear him thumping away."

Chazelle occasionally visits Calgary to see his grandparents — and though he might be considered the best director, he's got some competition for "best grandson."

"We have other grandchildren, we love them all," Constance said.

"He's the only famous one so far," cut in John with a laugh. 

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With files from the Calgary Eyeopener