Kim Nguyen

In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Nguyễn, but is often simplified to Nguyen in English-language text. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Kim.

Kim Nguyen (born 1974)^[1] is a Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for his 2012 film War Witch (Rebelle) which received numerous honours including an Academy Awards nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.^[2]

Kim Nguyen
Kim Nguyen in 2013
Born	1974 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Education	Concordia University (BFA, 1997)
Occupation(s)	Film director, Screenwriter

Early life

Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec to a Vietnamese father and a French-Canadian mother,^[1][3] he is a 1997 graduate of Concordia University in Montreal, having earned a BFA.^[4] His knowledge of computer-assisted image manipulation was deepened while he taught cinematographic language and screenwriting at the Institut de création artistique et de recherche en infographie (ICARI) and Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montréal.^[1][5][6]

Career

Kim has directed a number of feature films including War Witch (2012) (also known by the French title Rebelle), Eye on Juliet (2017) and The Hummingbird Project (2018). For War Witch, the film was the top winner at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards, in addition to being named Best Picture and winning acting awards for two of its stars, Nguyen himself won the awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay,^[7] which also earned him an Academy Awards nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.^[8] Following War Witch, Kim Nguyen was one of 276 new members invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[9] In 2019 he was the patron and curator of the Festival Vues dans la tête de... film festival in Rivière-du-Loup.^[10][11]

In 2025 he was announced as entering production on Le Sablier, an adaptation of Édith Blais's non-fiction book about her experience being captured and held hostage by Islamist terrorists while travelling in Burkina Faso.^[12]

Filmography

Films

Feature film Year Film Original Title Ref. 2002 The Marsh Le Marais [13] 2008 Truffles Truffe [14] 2010 City of Shadows La Cité [15] 2012 War Witch Rebelle [16] 2016 Two Lovers and a Bear Two Lovers and a Bear [17] 2017 Eye on Juliet Eye on Juliet [18] 2018 The Hummingbird Project The Hummingbird Project [19]

Short film Year Film Original Title Ref. 2000 Soleil glacé Soleil glacé [20] 2004 The Glove Le Gant [21] 2012 Denis Marleau Denis Marleau [22] Documentary films Year Film Original Title Ref. 2007 Happiness Bound Happiness Bound [23] 2012 Blush Of Fruit Blush Of Fruit [24] 2014 The Empire Of The Scents Le Nez [25]

Television

Year	Title	Notes	Ref.
2006	La chambre no. 13	S1, E9: Le rat	[26]
2017	Bellevue	S1, E5: How Do I Remember? S1, E6: The Problem with the Truth	[27]
2019	Anne with an E	S3, E2: There Is Something at Work in My Soul Which I Do Not Understand	[28]
2022	Transplant	S2, E9: Between & E10: Shadows S3, Episode 5: Nadir	[29]

Accolades

Awards and nominations received by Kim Nguyen

Organizations[a]	Year[b]	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	2013	Best Foreign Language Film	War Witch	Nominated	[30]
Berlin International Film Festival	2012	Golden Bear		Nominated	[31]
		Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Special Mention		Won	[32]
Cambridge Film Festival	2012	Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature		Won	[33]
Canadian Screen Awards	2013	Best Director		Won	[34]
		Best Screenplay		Won
Cinema for Peace awards	2013	Most Valuable Film of the Year		Nominated	[35]
Directors Guild of Canada	2017	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film	Two Lovers and a Bear	Nominated	[36]
Fantastic Fest	2009	Best Fantastic Director	Truffle	Won	[37]
Film Critics Circle of Australia	2014	Best Feature Documentary	Blush of Fruit	Nominated	[38]
Fresh Film Festival	2009	Fresh Generation	Truffle	Won	[39]
Gala Québec Cinéma	2003	Best Director	The Marsh	Nominated	[40]
		Best Screenplay		Nominated
	2011	Best Director	City of Shadows	Nominated	[41]
	2013		War Witch	Won	[42]
		Best Screenplay		Won	[43]
		Most Successful Film Outside Quebec		Nominated
	2017	Best Director	Two Lovers and a Bear	Nominated	[44]
		Best Screenplay		Nominated
		Most Successful Film Outside Quebec		Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards	2013	Best International Film	War Witch	Nominated	[45]
Milwaukee Film Festival	2013	Herzfeld Competition Award		Won	[46]
Montreal International Black Film Festival	2013	Vanguard Award	—	Honored	[47]
Sitges Film Festival	2012	Noves Visions Award	War Witch	Won	[48]
Tribeca Film Festival	2012	Best Narrative Feature		Won	[49]
Vancouver International Film Festival	2012	Best Canadian Feature Film		Nominated	[50]
Venice Film Festival	2017	Venice Days – Fedeora Awards for Best Film	Eye on Juliet	Won	[51]
Vietnamese International Film Festival	2013	Grand-Jury Trống Đồng Award for Best Feature	War Witch	Won	[52]
World Cinema Amsterdam	2012	Audience Award		Won	[53]
Writers Guild of Canada	2017	Feature Film	Two Lovers and a Bear	Nominated	[54]

See also

• Asian Americans in arts and entertainment
• List of Academy Award winners and nominees of Asian descent

Notes

1. Awards, festivals, honors and other miscellaneous organizations are listed in alphabetical order.
2. Indicates the year of ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.