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	Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Occupations	Director cinematographer producer
Years active	2009 – present

Life and career

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

Film

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) Child of Dust (2025)

Documentary

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

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

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]