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Bao Nguyen | |
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| Born | Bao Nguyen Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
Bao Nguyen is an American film director, cinematographer and producer. He is known for directing the feature documentaries Live from New York! (2015), Be Water (2020), The Greatest Night in Pop (2024) and The Stringer (2025). [1] [2]
Nguyen was born in Silver Spring, Maryland to Vietnamese parents who arrived in the United States as refugees following the Vietnam War. [3] His parents operated a small fabric store in Maryland, where he often worked during his youth. [4] [5] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics and International Relations from New York University and a Master of Fine Arts in film from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. [6]
Nguyen’s work often explores themes of identity, culture, and media — tracing how individuals and institutions shape collective memory and social meaning. His films have screened at major festivals such as the Sundance and the Tribeca and aired on platforms including HBO, NBC, PBS, ESPN, and Netflix.
Nguyen’s debut feature documentary, Live from New York! , examines the forty-year history of the television series Saturday Night Live and its cultural impact. [7] The film premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Critical reception highlighted the ambitious archival scope of the project.
In 2020, Nguyen directed Be Water , part of the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary series. The film explores the life and legacy of martial-arts legend Bruce Lee and situates that story within the broader context of Asian-American representation in media. [8] It premiered at Sundance and later aired on ESPN/Disney+.
Nguyen’s 2024 feature documentary The Greatest Night in Pop chronicles the record-setting 1985 charity single We Are the World , bringing together dozens of the era’s biggest pop stars to record the song for African famine relief. The film premiered at Sundance on January 19 2024 and was released globally on Netflix. [9] The documentary received several major nominations and awards:
In 2025, Nguyen directed The Stringer , a documentary investigating the authorship of the 1972 Vietnam War photograph popularly known as The Terror of War (“Napalm Girl”). The film follows photographer Gary Knight’s two-year investigation into whether the credited photographer was correct and explores issues around visual media, identity and conflict journalism. The film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. [14]
| 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
| As producer
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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 | |
| 2025 | The Stringer | Yes | |
As cinematographer
| As producer |
| Year | Title | Director | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Employed Identity | Yes | TV series |
| 2019 | We Gon' Be Alright | Yes | 4 episodes |
As cinematographer
| As producer
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