Samantha Quan

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Samantha Quan
Samantha Quan at the 2024 New York Film Festival.jpg
Quan at the New York Film Festival, 2024
Born (1975-09-02) September 2, 1975 (age 49)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation(s)Film producer, actress
Years active1997–present
Spouse Sean Baker

Samantha Quan (born September 2, 1975) is a Canadian independent film producer and actress. She is best known for producing the films Red Rocket (2021) and Anora (2024) which were directed by her husband Sean Baker. [1] The latter won Quan the Academy Award for Best Picture. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Samantha Quan was born in September 2, 1975 in Vancouver. Her parents were Hoa people who were forced to leave Saigon after the collapse of the Republic of Vietnam on April 30, 1975. [3] Growing up, her father owned a Chinese restaurant. [4]

In 1998, Quan graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater. She graduated with an MFA from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 2001. [5]

Career

As an actress, Quan has played minor roles on various television shows. She received praise for her theatre role as Huong in the stage play Poor Yella Rednecks by Qui Nguyen. [6] [7] [8] She was instrumental in providing three weeks of acting classes to Bria Vinaite prior to filming The Florida Project , owing to the latter having no prior acting experience. [9] Quan was on set throughout filming and would work with Vinaite at the end of each shooting day. [10] Vinaite's performance was lauded as a breakout, receiving multiple film critics nominations. [11]

In 2025, Quan won a PGA Award for producing Anora alongside Baker and Alex Coco. [12] All three later won the Academy Award for Best Picture. [13] She was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film. [14] Quan won the Critics Choice Association's Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema and Television Producer Award for her work on Anora. [15] [16]

At a press conference at Cannes Film Festival, Mikey Madison said that Baker and Quan would act out different sex positions to demonstrate what they wanted the actors to do. This led to a conversation in the press about the relevance and importance of intimacy coordinators in film that generated some controversy. [17] [18]

Personal life

She is married to director Sean Baker, and produced several of his films. [17]

Filmography

As producer

YearFilmDirectorNotes
2017 The Florida Project Sean Baker Associate producer
2021 Red Rocket
2024 Anora

As actress

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997 Breaker High Pretty Girl1 episode
2003 How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Lori
2004 CSI: NY Joanne Cho1 episode
2008 CSI: Miami Jane Bartlett4 episodes
House Nicole1 episode
2010 NCIS: Los Angeles Diane Vincent1 episode
Castle Kathleen Park1 episode
2013 The Mentalist Megan Parker1 episode
2016-2018 Elementary Lin Wen5 episodes
2020 Home Before Dark Winnie Witherspoon3 episodes

References

  1. ↑ Montgomery, Daniel (23 January 2025). "Quadruple Oscar nominee Sean Baker thought 'Anora' would be too 'divisive' for awards". Gold Derby. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "Oscar Nominations 2025 List: Nominees by Category - Oscars 2025 News | 97th Academy Awards". ABC.com. 2025-01-23. Archived from the original on 2025-02-01. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  3. ↑ Gheciu, Alex Nino. "Canadians behind Oscar-nominated residential school doc 'Sugarcane' hope to 'illuminate the truth'". Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  4. ↑ "Renegades Samantha Quan on Seeing Those Unseen". Gold House. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "2025 Academy Award Nominations | Alumni News". tisch.nyu.edu. 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  6. ↑ Miller, Deb (2 November 2023). "Vietnamese immigrants' personal journey in the wildly funny and insightful 'Poor Yella Rednecks' at Off-Broadway's New York City Center". DC Theatre Arts. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  7. ↑ Snook, Raven. "Review - Poor Yella Rednecks". Time Out New York. Time Out. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  8. ↑ Brutus, Bianca (8 November 2023). "Review: "Poor Yella Rednecks"– One of the Most Memorable Shows of the Year". The Knockturnal. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  9. ↑ Villo, Mariah (21 November 2017). "'The Florida Project' Star Bria Vinaite on Being Discovered on Instagram - In Studio". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  10. ↑ Crucchiola, Jordan (19 October 2017). "How The Florida Project's Bria Vinaite Became an Oscar-Caliber Actress in 3 Weeks". Vulture. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  11. ↑ Lang, Brent (December 2023). "Fusion Entertainment Signs 'The Florida Project' Breakout Bria Vinaite (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  12. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (9 February 2025). "PGA Awards: 'Anora' Wins Best Picture Prize; 'Shōgun', 'Hacks' & 'Baby Reindeer' Top TV – Full Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "Oscars 2025: Anora sweeps the Academy Awards with five awards including best picture". Sky News. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  14. ↑ "2025 BAFTA Nominations". chairs.tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  15. ↑ Gelb, Andy. "The Critics Choice Association Anounces Full Slate of Honorees for the 3rd Annual Celebration of AAPI Cinema & Television". Critics Choice. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  16. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (13 November 2024). "Joan Chen on the State of AAPI Storytelling in Hollywood: 'The Progress We Have Made Is Worth Celebrating'". Variety. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  17. 1 2 Hailu, Selome (19 December 2024). "Mikey Madison Declined an Intimacy Coordinator on 'Anora,' but Professionals Say There Should Always Be One: Actors and Directors 'Can't Speak for How Every Extra Felt'". Variety. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  18. ↑ Ritman, Ellise Shafer,Alex (2024-05-22). "Sean Baker Makes Movies About Sex Workers in Hopes of 'Helping Remove the Stigma' — and He's 'Already Talking About the Next One'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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