On 13/1, the Sundance Institute announced its jury list for this year, featuring Vietnamese-American director Bao Nguyen in the world cinema documentary competition. Last year, Nguyen's film The Stringer, which explores the copyright investigation of the "Napalm Girl" photo, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and garnered positive reviews from experts. Two of his other films, Be Water and The Greatest Night in Pop, also debuted there.

Director Bao Nguyen, who holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from New York University and a master of fine arts in documentary film from The School of Visual Arts, New York. *Photo: Courtesy of subject.*

Bao Nguyen expressed his honor at being invited to judge. According to the director, the event is a place where he meets many filmmaking collaborators and finds creative inspiration. Nguyen believes the world cinema documentary competition is one of Sundance's most important sections, reflecting voices from around the world. "I eagerly await the surprises filmmakers will bring," he said.

Bao Nguyen has made his mark with works themed on identity and culture, which have premiered at major festivals such as Sundance and Tribeca, and been broadcast on HBO, PBS, ESPN, and Netflix. His debut documentary, Live from New York! (2015), about the history of the Saturday Night Live program, first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The Bruce Lee project Be Water (2020) received an Emmy 2021 nomination for outstanding research: documentary. In 7/2024, his film The Greatest Night in Pop received three Emmy nominations, including outstanding documentary.

Trailer for Bao Nguyen's documentary "The Stringer". *Video: Netflix.*

Joining the world cinema documentary competition jury are producer Toni Kamau and Kirsten Schaffer, executive director of Women in Film. On the website, Eugene Hernandez, Sundance Film Festival director, stated that jurors are selected based on diverse backgrounds, experience, and creative perspectives. This selection reflects the festival's spirit of innovation and support for independent projects, a pursuit spanning over 40 years.

Sundance, founded by actor Robert Redford and his partners in 1978, is considered the largest independent film festival in the US and the first major film festival of the year. The event is held annually in Park City, Utah, showcasing independent American and international cinematic works. Several notable films from this event have later become contenders for major film awards, including Get Out, Call Me by Your Name, Reservoir Dogs, and Manchester by the Sea.

This year's film festival features over 90 feature films and 50 short films, running from 22/1 to 1/2 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. The awards ceremony will take place on 30/1 at The Ray Theatre, with the Grand Jury Prize being the highest award selected by the jury. From 2027, Sundance will move from Utah to Boulder, Colorado.

Que Chi