Le-Van Kiet

Le-Van Kiet (Writer/Director)

Le-Van Kiet was born in Viet Nam. In 1982, when he was two-years-old, Kiet and his family were part of the Second Wave of Boat People who risked their lives to immigrate to the United States. For his short film, The Silence, Kiet received a grant from the UCLA School of Film and Television, which was awarded to the best student film in his class. Dust of Life, Kiet’s feature film debut, was the Closing Night film for ViFF 2007. His second feature film, Sad Fish, is an official selection for ViFF 2009.

Victor Vu

Victor Vu – Writer/director

Victor Vu was born and raised in Southern California and received his bachelor’s degree in film production at Loyola Marymount University. His thesis project, a short film entitled FIRECRACKER won the Short Film Award at the Newport Beach International Film Festival as well as the Student Showcase Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Vu spent the next six years working in Visual Effects for Sony Pictures Imageworks and Eastman Kodak’s Cinesite Digital Studios, on such films as STARSHIP TROOPERS, CONTACT, and X-MEN 2.
In 2002, he formed the company, Strange Logic Entertainment, with producing partner Philip Silverman. Vu’s feature film debut, FIRST MORNING (Buổi Sáng Đầu Năm), received the Best Feature Film Award at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and was released by Illuminare Entertainment in 2005. His second feature film, a supernatural thriller entitled OAN HỒN (Spirits), about which Kevin Thomas of the L.A. Times labeled “an exquisite ghost story; a unique and powerful film.” This film premiered at numerous film festivals including the Bangkok International Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, Fantasia Montreal and was distributed by MonteCristo International.
Most recently, Vu’s production company, in association with the MonteCristo Fund LLC, completed the first episode of MYSTERIOUS WORLD (Thế Giới Huyền Bí), an anthology series of supernatural stories created by Vu. Vu is currently developing THE INFORMER, an action/thriller set in Vietnam.

Jenni Trang Le

Jenni Trang Le

Film stills from “Oh, Mommy!” (”Me Oi!”)

Jenni Trang Le – (Writer/director/producer)

Jenni Trang Le graduated from UCLA with a BA in Anthropology. In 1999, she began crafting stories in performance art and cultural debauchery with Club O’ Noodles, a Vietnamese American theatre troupe. This led to her involvement with the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association and the Vietnamese International Film Festival in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Le kick-started her film career on Ham Tran’s Journey from the Fall (2003). She was an Associate Producer of Holly (2003, Guy Moshe), and now works as a 1st Assistant Director on such projects as Finding Madison (2005, Tuan Tran), Owl and the Sparrow (2006, Stephane Gauger), the action-packed romance period film The Rebel (2006, Charlie Nguyen), the Vietnam War film 21 & A Wakeup (2008, Chris McIntyre) and the Vietnamese mail order bride tale Tears from Afar (2009, Michael Gleissner). In January 2007, Le received the Armed with a Camera Fellowship through Visual Communications where she wrote, directed and animated a 5-minute claymation entitled Oh Mommy! (Mẹ Ơi!). She is proud to flow within the creative waters of the new Viet Film Wave, weaving stories and interlacing visuals that touch the soul.

Tony Bui

Three Seasons (1999)

Tony Bui – Writer/director/producer

Tony Bui graduated from Loyola Marymount University with his short film YELLOW LOTUS, winner of over 15 national/international film festival awards. Shortly after, he was invited to attend the highly acclaimed Sundance Institute Screenwriting and Directing Labs at the age of 23.
Bui made his feature film debut as writer and director of THREE SEASONS (starring Harvey Keitel), winner of the Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award and Best Cinematography Award at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, marking the first time in Sundance’s history that the same film won both the Grand Jury and Audience Award. THREE SEASONS was also selected for Official Competition at the 1999 Berlin International Film Festival, and received two Independent Spirit Award Nominations the following year, including Best First Film. THREE SEASONS was the first American film to shoot entirely in Vietnam.
Bui also co-wrote and produced GREEN DRAGON (starring Patrick Swayze and Forest Whitaker). GREEN DRAGON premiered in Competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, and was a recipient of a 2001 Humanitas Award. Bui has also written and directed national commercials, most recently for the new Pepsi/Mt Dew campaign. Bui is currently writing and directing the feature film THE WALK for HBO, with Ted Hope and Anne Carey producing. Bui serves on the Board of Directors of Film Independent and currently resides in Los Angeles.