Steve Nguyen
| Steve Nguyen | |
|---|---|
 Steve Nguyen speaking at USC | |
| Born |
December 30, 1985 Torrance, California, US |
| Occupation | Film director, producer, animation director, voice actor |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Notable work | Hibakusha |
| Website |
steve-nguyen |
Steve Nguyen (born December 30, 1985) is a Vietnamese American director, writer, producer, and co-founder of Studio APA. Nguyen and director Choz Belen make up the Studio APA duo, specializing in the production of short films, animation, and music videos.
Film and television
From 2001 to 2005, Nguyen has made appearances as a young actor on films and network television programs such as Las Vegas, Scrubs, Freaks and Geeks, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Jarhead, and The Man Show. He also assisted as a script coordinator in the production department of Justin Lin's The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift.
In 2009, Nguyen directed and produced a short documentary film titled "The Making of a Memoir" in collaboration with Vietnamese author Lac Su in order to promote his HarperCollins published memoir, I Love Yous Are For White People.[1][2] The documentary helped Su gain national exposure and has been featured on CNN,[3] NPR,[4] the Saigon Broadcasting Television Network, and KSCI.
In 2010, Nguyen directed YouTube singer-songwriter Megan Lee's music video for her first official single, "Love, Laugh, & Live".[5]
Nguyen directed and produced an animated film, Hibakusha, which chronicles the early life of Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, Kaz Suyeishi.[6][7] The film stars Karin Anna Cheung, Daisuke Suzuki, Jane Lui and William Frederick Knight as the lead voice actors. The film was dedicated to the American Society of Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors in an effort to spread awareness for nuclear disarmament and was completed on the 67th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, August 6, 2012.[8] Nguyen and the Studio APA crew have toured with Hibakusha throughout the United States since October 2012, and the film has been screened at the Japanese American National Museum,[9] Vietnamese International Film Festival,[10] Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, Dragon Con in Atlanta,[11] University of Michigan,[12] UCLA, UC Irvine,[13] UC San Diego, San Diego State University, UC Davis, UC Riverside, DisOrient Film Festival, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, and California State University, Fullerton. Hibakusha received the Special Achievement Award and Best Animated Short in 2013 at the International Uranium Film Festival held in Rio de Janeiro.[14]
In association with the nuclear disarmament campaign, Global Zero, Nguyen hosted a travel documentary segment titled "Hiroshima Revisited" as a follow-up effort to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing.[15][16]
Online Media
Along with Kevin Hsieh, Nguyen was the co-founder of ChannelAPA.com, a defunct online news source that started in 2008 that posted current news updates and video interviews about Asian Americans in mainstream/independent media. According to KoreAm Magazine and Myx TV, it was featured as one of the top Asian American news sources to follow.[17] On November 2012, Nguyen and Belen launched a multi-media creative collective called Studio APA that serves as both a film production and dedicated YouTube channel.
On February 4, 2013, Nguyen produced and released a short film with The Jubilee Project and Jeremy Lin titled "The Last Pick," which can be viewed on Lin's personal YouTube channel.[18]
On November 2013, it was announced on Allkpop that Nguyen and Korean hip-hop artists, Tiger JK and Yoon Mi-rae, have collaborated on an animated music video for their single, "Turn It Up", which is featured on CHOPS' upcoming album, Strength In Numbers. The full version of the music video was released on January 15, 2014.[19]
On April 18, 2014, Nguyen, Belen, and Queens-based rapper Awkwafina released an animated lyric video for her single, 'Flu Shot', off of her Yellow Ranger debut album.[20]
On September 28, 2015, Nguyen premiered a collaboration project with the global campaign, A World At School, titled, R I S E, at The Town Hall in New York City.[21] In association with Christian hip hop artist Lecrae and the help of Theirworld founder Sarah Jane Brown, the project was created to raise awareness and to pressure governments to act on providing universal education across the globe.[22]
Nguyen and Belen collaborated with Los Angeles electro-pop band, Mansions on the Moon, to produce a music video for their upcoming single, "Heart of the Moment". The project was released in October 2015.[23]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | Script coordinator |
| 2005 | Noah's Arc | Editor, post-production coordinator |
| 2005 | Code Monkeys | Writing assistant |
| 2008 | The Making of a Memoir | Director, Producer |
| 2009 | Party Down | Production coordinator |
| 2010 | Kill Joy, short film | Director, Producer |
| 2010 | Dilated, short film | Producer |
| 2011 | Love, Laugh, & Live, Megan Lee | Director, Producer |
| 2011 | Diamond Bars, David A. Romero | Director, Producer |
| 2012 | Hibakusha, short film | Director, Producer, Co-Writer |
| 2012 | Raskal Love | Producer |
| 2013 | The Last Pick, short film | Producer |
| 2013 | Hiroshima Revisited, short film | Producer, Host |
| 2014 | Dark House | Producer |
| 2014 | Turn It Up, Tiger JK & Yoon Mi-rae | Director, Producer |
| 2014 | Flu Shot, Awkwafina | Director, Producer |
| 2015 | R I S E, Lecrae | Director, Producer |
| 2015 | Heart of the Moment, Mansions on the Moon | Director, Producer |
References
- ↑ Gillian MacKenzie Agency (August 24, 2009). "I Love Yous Are for White People". Retrieved August 24, 2009.
- ↑ Asakawa, Gil. "visualizAsian.com has three great interviews coming up: Filmmaker Lane Nishikawa, Angry Asian Man Phil Yu & author Lac Su". Retrieved October 14, 2009.
- ↑ "CNN Newsroom : CNN Official Interview: Lac Su: 'I love yous are for white people'". Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ↑ MARTIN, MICHAEL (February 21, 2011). "Author: 'I Love You's Are For White People'".
- ↑ "Megan Lee reveals MV for new song "Love, Laugh & Live"". allkpop. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
- ↑ Thought, Gifted. "What is "HIBAKUSHA"?". Retrieved January 11, 2011.
- ↑ Choy, Ken. "'Hibakusha' Keeps Hiroshima-Nagasaki Voices Alive". Hyphen Magazine. Hyphen. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ↑ Mainuddin, Waseem. "Hibakusha: Hope and Peace in the Aftermath of Nuclear Destruction". OurChinatown.org. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
- ↑ Fukuda, Keiko. "Presenting HIBAKUSHA to the World: Animated film conveys the hibakusha experience". Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ↑ "'NORWEGIAN WOOD,' 'HIBAKUSHA' AT VIETNAMESE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ↑ "Dragon Con Independent Film Festival – Hibakusha". Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- ↑ Nahata, Harsha. "Harsha Nahata: Activate the 'quiet' generation". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ↑ Pham, Phuc. "Kaz Suyeishi Presents "Hibakusha"". New University. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Hibakusha". uraniumfilmfestival.org. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ↑ "ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATOMIC BOMB: HIROSHIMA REVISITED". angryasianman.com. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- ↑ Murakami-Tsuda, Vicky (September 3, 2013). "Hiroshima Revisited: Interview with Steve Nguyen". Discover Nikkei. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
- ↑ Eun, Elizabeth. "In Blog We Trust: Part III of III". KoreAm. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
- ↑ "Jeremy Lin's Youtube Page". YouTube. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ↑ "MV for CHOPS' 'Turn It Up' ft. Tiger JK and Yoon Mi Rae released". Allkpop. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ↑ "New Video: Awkwafina 'Flu Shot'". VIBE Magazine. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ↑ "#UpForSchool Town Hall blog: 10 million people stand up for education". AWorldAtSchool.org. September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ↑ "A Chibok girl recalls her escape from Boko Haram". New York Times. September 30, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Mansions on the Moon Premieres 'Heart Of The Moment' Video Starring Lindsey Haun". Billboard. October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.