Bao Nguyen (filmmaker)

Bao Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American documentary film director, cinematographer and producer.[1][2] He is best known for his work on the documentary films Julian, Live from New York!, Be Water, and The Greatest Night in Pop .[3][4]

Bao Nguyen
Born
Occupations
  • Director
  • cinematographer
  • producer
Years active2009 – present

Life and career

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Nguyen was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. His parents left Vietnam for the United States as refugees of the Vietnam War.[5] He graduated his BA at New York University and his MFA at the School of Visual Arts.[6] His work has aired on HBO, NBC, Vice, and PBS.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Director Writer Note
2015 Rhino Man Yes No Short film
2015 The Poll Dance Yes No Short film
2016 The Future of Social Security Yes No Short film
2021 Together Yes Yes Short film

As cinematographer

  • Killer Tranny (2011)
  • Saigon Electric (2011)


As producer

  • Ròm (2019)
  • Maika (2022)

Documentary

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Year Title Director Note
2009 Motoo Yes Also editor
2010 A Tree Falls in the Forest Yes Also editor
2011 Julian Yes Also editor
2015 Live from New York! Yes
2019 Where Are You Really From? Yes Also writer
2020 Be Water Yes
2024 The Greatest Night in Pop Yes

As cinematographer

  • Motoo (2009)
  • A Tree Falls in the Forest (2010)
  • It's a lonely life - Lillian Schwartz (2010)
  • Julian (2011)
  • Mr. Cao Goes to Washington (2012)
  • Why Am I Still Alive (2012)
  • Half the Sky (2012)
  • Once in a Lullaby: PS 22 Chorus Documentary (2012)
  • Where Heaven Meets Hell (2013)
  • Monk by Blood (2013)
  • 2030 (2014)
  • Live from New York! (2015)
  • Grit (2018)
  • Broken Harmony (2019)

As producer

  • Motoo (2009)
  • A Tree Falls in the Forest (2010)
  • Julian (2011)
  • Once in a Lullaby: PS 22 Chorus Documentary (2012)
  • Where Heaven Meets Hell (2013)
  • Monk by Blood (2013)
  • 2030 (2014)
  • Be Water (2020)

Television

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Year Title Director Note
2015 Employed Identity Yes TV series
2019 We Gon' Be Alright Yes 4 episodes

As cinematographer

  • Black Market: Dispatches (2016)

As producer

  • We Gon' Be Alright (2019)
  • See Us Unite for Change (2021)

Awards and nominations

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Year Result Award Category Work Ref.
2011 Won CINE Golden Eagle Award Student Division: Documentary Julian
2012 Won Doc NYC Special Jury Prize [7]
Won Palm Springs International ShortFest Best Documentary [8]
Nominated International Documentary Association Student Documentary Award [9]
Won VC FilmFest Best Cinematography Where Heaven Meets Hell
2015 Nominated Nashville Film Festival Best Documentary Live from New York! [10]
2020 Nominated Sitges Film Festival Documenta Award Be Water
Nominated Sundance Film Festival Best Documentary [11]

References

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  1. ^ "'Be Water' Director Bao Nguyen Puts An Honest Lens On Bruce Lee's Trailblazing Impact And Struggles As An Asian American Icon – Sundance". deadline.com. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  2. ^ "BAO NGUYEN SHOWS THE POTENTIAL OF STORY THROUGH FILMS". caamedia.org. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  3. ^ "Watch: How Bao Nguyen Whittled Down 40 Years of 'SNL' Into the 82-Minute Doc 'Live From New York!'". indiewire.com. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  4. ^ "In 'Be Water', Bao Nguyen looks at the giant shadow cast by Bruce Lee". espn.com. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  5. ^ "Be Water". sundance.org. Archived from the original on 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  6. ^ "Film School Alumni Advice: Live From New York! Director Bao Nguyen". moviemaker.com. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  7. ^ "DOC NYC ANNOUNCES AWARDS FOR 2012". docnyc.net. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  8. ^ "2012 Palm Springs Short Fest announces Award Winners". filmfestivals.com. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  9. ^ "The IDA Announces Nominations For the 2012 IDA Documentary Award" (PDF). documentary.org. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  10. ^ "2015 Nashville Film Festival" (PDF). nashvillefilmfestival.org. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  11. ^ "2020 Sundance Film Festival Panels". asiasociety.org. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
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