Hey folks! It's that time again. Gather 'round to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Kathy Uyen.
Who are you?
I go by Kathy Uyen. But my full name is Kathy Uyen Nguyen. Born and raised in San Jose, college bound to Orange County, chasing dreams in Los Angeles and wanting to make an impact in Vietnam.
What are you?
I'm a Vietnamese American Actress and film producer/storywriter. Daughter to loving and supportive Vietnamese parents, and sister to my biggest cheerleader. I'm a lover of all things creative from art, dance, music, film and fashion. I'm an MC/public speaker for live events, Ambassador for Film, Fashion, Women Empowerment, Operation Smile Vietnam and related events and brands in Vietnam. I have won two Golden Kite Awards* for Best Leading Actress in my debut film as a storywriter/producer and actress in How to Fight in Six Inch Heels in 2014 and Best Supporting Actress in Passport to Love in 2009. (The Golden Kite Awards are Vietnam's equivalent to the Oscars.)
Where are you?
I've been based in Saigon, Vietnam for the last six years. But I frequently travel back to Los Angeles, three to four times a year.
Where are you from?
I was born in San Jose, studied at UC Irvine with a double degree in Economics and Film Studies, studied acting and starred in indie films in Los Angeles. And now acting/producing/developing content in Vietnam and LA.
What do you do?
I've been acting for 14 years. My identity has always been that of an actress for the longest time. However, four years ago, I discovered my passion for being persistent, connecting people and being bossy qualified me to be a film producer. And the creative daydreams that I started to write down enabled me to become a storywriter. Discovering new passions has challenged and empowered me to do more projects and achieve dreams I never thought possible. I want to continue to produce and write more Vietnam-based films or Vietnamese-themed films in the U.S. My special interest is featuring and writing films with strong, sassy women characters and modern women themes, 'cause, well... I'm a girl. A girl's gotta tell GIRL stories.
What are you all about?
I like bringing people together, and would love to connect and support Vietnamese films/people/artist/creatives to the U.S. and connect U.S. creatives back to Vietnam. I love new ideas, stories and inspiration. If you've got one or two, let's talk, connect and make it happen. I would like to inspire upcoming generations of young artist/performers/artists to continue to be confident and empower themselves to make their dreams come true.
What makes you angry?
I get angry when I'm not empowered. When I don't have a choice or control. But then I realized I can decide to stop being angry and do something about it. Being an actress for the last decade, it's hard to "choose" your own roles to play, because we are "chosen," not the "chooser." So I decided to write my dream character and role about a girl that gets "ANGRY" because she finds evidence that her fiance might be cheating on her with supermodels in Vietnam. She goes on a mission to travel to Vietnam and befriend the supermodels to find out the truth.
Three years later, after doing everything possible to come up with the story, write a script, and make the film, I was able to produce it alongside Timothy Linh Bui, Irene Trinh with screenwriter Tim Tori and director Ham Tran. Conclusion: My Angry passion became an Angry Story that now has made me now less Angry. :)
I would like to do a shameless plug for the U.S. release of our film How to Fight in Six Inch Heels, which opens in theaters TODAY March 27, 2015 in Orange County, San Jose, Houston, Dallas, Seattle and San Diego. More information can be found on our distributor Wave Releasing Facebook. Tickets can be purchased on Fandango.com.
Here's a link to our official trailer.
All support is appreciated to further promote Vietnamese cinema here in the U.S. So us Asian/Vietnamese American filmmakers can continue to tell great Angry stories and be less Angry. :)
