The man who directed ‘La La Land’ is a 32-year-old wunderkind from N.J.

If all the glitzy awards season buzz pans out Sunday night in Los Angeles, a 32-year-old man from New Jersey will become the youngest best director winner in Oscar history. Even if Damien Chazelle, who grew up in Princeton, doesn’t take the coveted prize — some say “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins may triumph instead — his modern-day movie musical ” La La Land ” has an good chance at bringing home plenty of gold .