Quyen Tran

Quyen Tran /ˈkwiːɛn ˈtræn/[1] is a Vietnamese-American director and cinematographer based in Los Angeles.[2][3] She has worked on multiple Sundance films such as Palm Springs, The Little Hours and Deidra & Laney Rob a Train.[4]

After witnessing the 9/11 attacks in New York City, Tran applied to film school and was accepted to UCLA.[3][5] Roger Deakins was a cinematographer-in-residence at the time of her attendance and became one of her mentors.[5]

Tran began her artistic career as a still photographer.[3][6] Her photos have appeared in the New York Times,[7][8] LA Times,[9] USA Today, New York Post, New York Daily News, Dateline NBC, HBO's In Memoriam, BBC, CNN International News, PBS, Sacramento Bee, The Age (Australia), Scientific American, Variety, TV Guide, and more. She was nominated for the World Press Photo Award.

Tran has worked as a director and cinematographer on short films, television, and full-length films.[10] In 2021, Tran became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.[11]

• Best Cinematography UCLA Spotlight: 2008, 2007, 2006
• Best Feature Cinematography - Wild Rose Film Festival
• Federico de Laurentiis Memorial Scholarship
• National Theater Goers Alliance Scholarship[12]

Tran's parents were refugees from South Vietnam. She is bilingual,[13] fluent in English and Vietnamese.[12] Tran is Catholic.[14] She is married to voice actor Sam Riegel and they have two children.

Source:[12]

Year Title Director Notes Ref. 2008 Vietnam Overtures Stephane Gauger [15] 2009 16 to Life Becky Smith The People I've Slept With Quentin Lee [16] 2010 Troublemaker Geeta Malik Girlfriend Justin Lerner [17][18][19] 2011 A Bag of Hammers Brian Crano Mulberry Child Susan Morgan Cooper 2013 Free Ride Shana Sosin American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs Grace Lee 2014 Peabody Award[20] [3][21] 2015 Off the Menu: Asian America Grace Lee Pali Road Jonathan Lim The Automatic Hate Justin Lerner [17] 2016 The Night Stalker Megan Griffiths To The Moon & Back Susan Morgan Cooper 2017 Deidra & Laney Rob A Train Sydney Freeland The Little Hours Jeff Baena [22] 2018 Dark Was the Night (formerly Behold My Heart) Joshua Leonard 2020 Life in a Year Mitja Okorn Palm Springs Max Barbakow [23] 2024 Brothers Max Barbakow Kingship Julien Favre TV series and TV mini series Year Title Episodes Notes Ref. 2008 Imaginary Bitches 13 Season 1, Episodes 1-13 Emmy Nomination[24]

[25]

2009 Atom TV 1 Episode 2.1 [26] 2012 Dark Wall 2 "Whispers"

"Home: A Ghost Story"

[27] 2015 Dr. Mona Vand: The Modern Pharmacist 1 "Is There a Difference Between Physical Dependence and Addiction?" [28] 2018 Camping 8 [All 8 episodes] [29] Here and Now 5

• "It's Coming"
• "If a Deer Sh*ts in the Woods"
• "Fight, Death"
• "Wake"
• "Dream Logic"

[2][6][30] 2019 Unbelievable 3 Episodes 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 [31][32][33] 2020 A Teacher 10 [All 10 episodes] [34] 2021 Maid 4 as Cinematographer

1 as Director

As Cinematographer

• "Dollar Store"
• "Ponies"
• "Sky Blue"
• "Snaps"

As Director

• "Bear Hunt"[35]

[36][35] 2022 Minx 1 "Not like a shvantz right in the race" 2022 Roar 2 as Cinematographer

1 as Director

As Cinematographer

• "The Woman Who Found Bite Marks on Her Skin"
• "The Woman Who Solved Her Own Murder"

As Director

• "The Woman Who Returned Her Husband"

[37] 2023 Ahsoka 2

• "Part Two: Toil And Trouble"
• "Part Three: Time To Fly"

2024 The Emperor of Ocean Park 2 as director

As Director

• "Chapter Seven"
• "Chapter Eight"

2024 The Madness 2 as director

As Director

• "Icarus"
• "No More Madness"

2025 The Pitt 2 as director

As Director

• "3:00 P.M."
• "5:00 P.M."

[38][39] 2025 Sirens 2 as Director

As Director

• "Monster"
• "Persephone"

2025 The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox 2 as Director

As Director

• "U were there"
• "Libertà"

Shorts Year Title Director Notes Ref. 2005 Echostop Justin Lerner [40] 2006 Chinese Dumplings Michelle Hung [41] Hurricane Party AP Gonzalez [42] Maggie's Not Here Justin Lerner [43] 2007 A Watermelon Seed (Gua zi) Miqi Huang [44][45] Beast Geeta Malik [46] Joburg Thabo Wolfaardt [47][48] 2009 The Fence Matt Silas [49] Waiting Room Katharine O'Brien [50] The Empty Space in Between Maria Tornberg [51] 2013 Noel Joe Holt [52] 2014 The Learning Curve Phil McCarty [53] 2015 SMILF Frankie Shaw Winner, Jury Award for Sundance Shorts[54][55] [56][54] 2019 Stucco Janina Gavankar

Russo Schelling

[57] Keystone Brandon Fayette Monkey Yoshie Suzuki Swallow Emily Taylor-Mortorff Appearance in documentaries Year Title Role Crew role, notes Ref. 2011 "Sam Riegel and Quyen Tran on 9/11"[58] Herself Documentary footage on 9/11 attack, used in 102 Minutes That Changed America and other documentaries

Between the Sheets: Quyen Tran, Critical Role interview with Brian W. Foster[59]

#belowthelinesowhite? Hollywood's Rank & File Leaders Tackle Diversity[60]

Four Asian-American Women Share Their Experiences Working in Hollywood, by Peter Caranicas[61]

How 'The Little Hours' DP Used 'Crazy Rigs' to Recreate Film School on an Unpredictable Set, by Hawkins DuBois[22]

“How to Sell the Outrageous Premise of the Film”: DP Quyen Tran on Deidra & Laney Rob a Train, by Filmmaker Staff[62]

International Women’s Day: 17 female cinematographers to celebrate, by Nikki Baughman[63]

Interview: Cinematographer Quyen Tran on the Minute Details of Filming “The Little Hours," by Stephen Saito[64]

Motion picture academy invites largest class ever in continued push for diversity, by Josh Rottenberg[65]

Sundance 2017 Q+A — Cinematographer Quyen Tran, by David Alexander Willis[66]

Quyen Tran on Shooting Frankie Shaw’s Sundance-Winning SMILF, by Scott Macaulay[54]

• Quyen Tran at IMDb