Derek Nguyen

Derek Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American filmmaker and playwright best known for his 2016 feature film The Housemaid (Cô Hầu Gái), which was shot in Vietnam and produced by CJ E&M Film Division, HKFilm, and Timothy Linh Bui.

Derek Nguyen
Born1973 (age 46–47)
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
EducationUC Santa Barbara, New York University
OccupationFilmmaker, Playwright

Early life and education

Nguyen was born on February 19, 1973 in Saigon (currently Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. In April 1975, his family left Vietnam for the United States as refugees of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon. After being boat people, Nguyen’s family settled in Orange County, California, where Nguyen spent his childhood.

Nguyen studied at UC Santa Barbara[1] earning an undergraduate degree in Dramatic Arts, and attended the Film Producing Certificate Program at New York University’s School of Continuing & Professional Studies.

Career

Nguyen began his career as a playwright. His play Monster was produced at East West Players, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre.,[2] and Public Theatre New Work Now, and received an Edgar Award nomination for Best Play by the Mystery Writers of America.[3] In 2004, the Sundance Institute encouraged Nguyen to adapt the play into a film. Subsequently, Nguyen wrote the screenplay and participated in the 2004 Sundance Screenwriters Lab.[4][5][6]

In 2007, Nguyen collaborated with theater artist Soomi Kim on Lee/gendary,[7] a multidisciplinary theater piece about the life and death of Bruce Lee. It received three 2009 New York Innovative Theatre Awards,[8] including Best Production of a Play for its run at the HERE Arts Center in New York City.

Nguyen’s 2011 short film, The Potential Wives of Norman Mao,[9] starred Ed Lin, Tina Chen, Cindy Cheung, Ron Nakahara, and was narrated by George Takei. It screened at the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner, LA Shorts Fest, and the Asian American International Film Festival, among others.

In 2015, Nguyen wrote and directed The Housemaid (Cô Hầu Gái in Vietnamese[10]), a gothic romance horror film set in 1953 Vietnam during the First Indochina War. It tells the story of an orphaned country girl who falls in love with the French landowner at a haunted rubber plantation. Produced by HKFilm Vietnam, CJ E&M Film Division, and Timothy Linh Bui, the film has been released in 19 territories around the world and is the third-highest-grossing horror movie in Vietnam.[11] It had its North American premiere at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival.[12][13][14]

Nguyen is currently the Director of Operations & Creative Affairs at Gamechanger Films[15]

In 2019, Nguyen co-founded the production company The Population with producers Mynette Louie and Mollye Asher.[16][17][18] The company "...focuses on producing feature films by or about women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, and other underrepresented groups."[19]

Filmography

Awards
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gollark: It's a really cool axiom, too.
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gollark: And I have made the axiom of choice.
gollark: I mean, they have, but by us for convenience.

References
  1. Everett, Todd. "Theater Reviews: 'Voices' Accentuates Cultural Diversity : Derek Nguyen's anthology of monologues and sketches offers original views of Asian American life". L.A. Times. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  2. "Vietnam Project II—Monster". Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  3. "Category List—Best Play". Edgars Database. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  4. Harris, Dana. "Sundance scribe lab tabs 12 projects". Variety. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  5. Hernandez, Eugene. "Sundance Sets Slate of 12 Projects for January Screenwriters Lab". IndieWire.
  6. Kay, Jeremy. "Sundance names 12 scripts in prestigious Screenwriters Lab in Jan". Screen Daily.
  7. "Collaborators". Soomi Kim ✩ actor/performing artist ✩. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  8. "2009 IT Awards Nominees". New York Innovative Theatre Awards. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  9. Toyoshima, Tak. "Interview with The Potential Wives of Norman Mao writer-director Derek Nguyen". Secret Asian Man. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  10. "'Cô hầu gái' - Bó buộc nỗi sợ hãi trong sự lủng củng". Zing.vn. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  11. Kil, Sonia. "IFFAM: Korea's CJ Pushes Vietnam Productions as 'Housemaid' Debuts". Variety. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  12. Warren, Matt. "2017 LA Film Festival Competition Lineup Announced! What's Playing and How to See It". Film Independent. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  13. Erbland, Kate. "LAFF 2017 Announces Full Slate, Including Competition and Episodic Offerings". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  14. Hipes, Patrick. "Los Angeles Film Festival Unveils 2017 Lineup". Deadline Hollywood.
  15. "Meet the Team". Gamechanger Films. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  16. N'Duka, Amand. "Producer Trio Launches Indie Company The Population With Sundance Film 'I Carry You With Me'". Deadline. Deadline. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  17. Mueller, Carol. "Mollye Asher, Mynette Louie and Derek Nguyen found production company The Population". The Media Times. The Media Times. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  18. Galuppo, Mia. "'The Tale,' 'The Rider' Producers Team for New Production Banner". Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  19. "The Population". wethepopulation.com. wethepopulation.
  20. "NYTW Artistic Fellowships". New York Theatre Workshop.
  21. "The Edgars Database". TheEdgars.com. Mystery Writers of America.
  22. "NYFA Directory of Artists' Fellows 1985-2013" (PDF). New York Foundation for the Arts. New York Foundation for the Arts.
  23. Hernandez, Eugene. "Sundance Sets Slate of 12 Projects for January Screenwriters Lab". IndieWire. IndieWire. Retrieved 7 December 2003.
  24. "Asian American Arts Alliance Grantees". Asian American Arts Alliance. Asian American Arts Alliance.
  25. "2009 IT Awards". New York Innovative Theatre Awards. New York Innovative Theatre Awards.
  26. "2013 CAAM Filmmaker Support".
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