ABOUT NADINE TRUONG

A Passionate Storyteller

A German-born Vietnamese filmmaker, Nadine Truong worked in talent representation and production prior to earning her MFA degree in Directing in 2009 from the American Film Institute Conservatory. She received her BA degree in Anthropology from UCLA in 2003 and splits her time between Los Angeles and New York.

Her short film credits include CHOPSTICKS, IN THE DARK and INITIATION. In 2006, she became an Armed With A Camera Fellow at the Los Angeles Asian American Pacific Film Festival, which funded her short film THE MUSE. Additionally, she received the George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker Award in 2010 from the San Diego International Asian Film Festival. After completing her first year at AFI, Nadine received the Mary Pickford Scholarship for Excellence in Directing. She was one of three female directors in AFI’s competitive program, and the only fellow to write and direct two award-winning thesis films: the coming-of-age dramedy EGGBABY and SHADOW MAN, a Vietnam War drama shot on 35mm film featuring a vivid portrayal of US Army forces during the Mỹ Lai Massacre. The US State Department subsequently invited and sponsored Shadow Man to be shown at SKENA UP, a festival in the newly declared independent Republic of Kosovo.
Truong premiered her first feature film SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW (written by West Liang), starring Brian Yang (Hawaii 5-0), Rex Lee (Entourage) and Tzi Ma (Rush Hour), in 2013. Two years later, she directed the teen comedy feature SENIOR PROJECT, (written by J. Lin) with Ryan Potter (Big Hero 6), Vanessa Marano (Switched At Birth), Sterling Beaumon (Red Widow) and comic Margaret Cho in the lead roles.

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Truong directed two episodes of the 2017 web comedy MISERY LOVES COMPANY (created and written by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini). Her episode titled “Racist” went on to become a semi-finalist at the NBCU Shorts Festival and was exhibited at the Independent Television Festival and the New York Television Festival. The show is currently being developed by Sony into a long form television series.

Truong's 2017 indie drama I CAN I WILL I DID marks the first time she is in both the writer and director seat for a feature length film. Starring Tony Award nominee Mike Faist as the main protagonist, the film was a finalist for the Grand Jury Award for Excellence in Narrative Feature Filmmaking at the Los Angeles Asian American Film Festival. At Florida’s Sunscreen Film Festival, it received the awards for Best Feature and Best Supporting Actress for Selenis Leyva (Orange is the New Black). In July 2017, the film garnered the Audience Choice Award at the Asian American Film Festival, New York. It is an official selection of the Boston Asian American Film Festival, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis, Hawaii International Film Festival, and the Napa Valley Film Festival.

Nadine Truong is the owner and main contributor of The Pen and Camera Blog, where she discusses novels, memoirs, screenplays, movies, and the creative life.

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Since 2024, Truong has been an adjunct professor at Chapman University, Loyola Marymount University, and UC Irvine, where she teaches directing, production, and screenwriting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.