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 the
Sundance and
Tribeca festivals and aired on
HBO,
NBC,
PBS,
ESPN, and
Netflix.
2030 (2014) In 2014, Bao Nguyen worked in
Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam as a cinematographer and producer for the film
2030 (known in Vietnam as
Nước), a science fiction romance written and directed by
Nguyễn Võ Nghiêm Minh. The film screened at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Live from New York! (2015) Nguyen’s debut feature documentary,
Live from New York!, examines the then-40-year history of the television series
Saturday Night Live and its cultural impact. The film premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Critics highlighted the ambitious archival scope of the project.
Be Water (2020) 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. It premiered at Sundance and later aired on ESPN/Disney+.
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024) Nguyen’s 2024 feature documentary
The Greatest Night in Pop chronicles the record-setting 1985 charity single
We Are the World, which brought 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. The documentary received several major nominations and awards: • Nominated for three 2024 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special; Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program (for Nguyen); Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program. • Won the 2024 Critics’ Choice Documentary Award for Best Historical Documentary. • Nominated for the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Music Film. • Won the 2025 Producers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures.
The Stringer (2025) 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.
BTS: The Return (2026) In 2026, Nguyen directed
BTS: The Return, a documentary following the long-awaited return of South Korean boy band
BTS as the seven members gathered in
Los Angeles to create new music.
Other works Alongside his work as a director, Bảo Nguyễn is one of the founding members of EAST Films—a production company established by Vietnamese filmmakers both within the country and abroad, such as Hàm Trần, Phan Gia Nhật Linh, Jenni Trang Lê, and Kenneth Nguyen, along with numerous collaborators, with a focus on attracting investment and developing Vietnamese film projects. == Personal life ==