James Nguyen
Nguyen speaking at a screening of Birdemic: Shock and Terror in 2010
Born
James Nguyen

(1966-09-01) September 1, 1966
Danang, South Vietnam
NationalityVietnamese
OccupationFilm director
Years active2003–present
ChildrenJennimai Nguyen

James Nguyen (born 1 September 1966)[1] is a Vietnamese filmmaker known for directing the 2010 romantic horror film Birdemic: Shock and Terror, as well as its sequels Birdemic 2: The Resurrection and Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle.

Life and career

Nguyen was born in Danang, South Vietnam.[2] He and his family fled the country shortly before the Fall of Saigon.[3] He never received any formal training in filmmaking, but instead grew up watching the films of director Alfred Hitchcock, including 1958's Vertigo and 1963's The Birds.[4] Nguyen went on to be a software salesman in Silicon Valley. He first picked up a camera in 1999.[5]

In 2003, he directed the low-budget romantic film Julie and Jack. In 2005, he directed the science fiction thriller Replica, inspired by Vertigo, but it was not released until 2017;[6] Nguyen blamed the outcome on the expensive storyboarding process and his casting decisions.[5] Nguyen's popularity as a director rose in 2010 with the release of the film Birdemic: Shock and Terror. He was inspired to write the script for the film while spending time relaxing in Half Moon Bay, California, and much of the filming took place in the area surrounding the community.[7] The film's under $10,000 budget was financed with his own income.[8] Nguyen has cited The Birds and An Inconvenient Truth (2006) as inspiration for directing Birdemic.[9]

During and since its release, Birdemic has become famously considered one of the worst films of all time.[10][11] Birdemic was featured as a movie riffed on by the cast of RiffTrax both as a standalone product and during one of their live shows, drawing further attention to the film and Nguyen. In February 2012, Nguyen began production on a sequel to the film, entitled Birdemic 2: The Resurrection.[12] The film was released in 2013 to negative reviews.[9]

In a 2016 Vice interview, Nguyen said that he is hoping to eventually make Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle, which would be his last film in the Birdemic series.[13] Nguyen attempted to crowdfund for the film, first launching a project on Indiegogo which only raised $596 of its $500,000 goal[14] and later on Kickstarter only raising $230 of its $200,000 goal.[15] Despite this, it was announced in March 2021 that production on the third installment had begun with a planned release in late 2022. Birdemic 3 premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2022, and later released on streaming services on January 24, 2023.[16][17]

Due to the gain in popularity with Birdemic's showing through RiffTrax, Nguyen agreed to allow RiffTrax to give a similar treatment to his unreleased Replica. The un-riffed version was available through RiffTrax in January 2017 and the riffed version was released on February 10, 2017.[6]

Filmography

Feature films

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
2003 Julie and Jack Yes Yes Yes Also Director of Photography/Camera Operator/Lighting/Art Director/Costume Designer/Production Designer/Set Decorator/Songwriter - "Spiritual Love"/"Professor Tran"[18]
2010 Birdemic: Shock and Terror Yes Yes Executive Also uncredited cameo as "Patron looking at menu"[18]
2013 Birdemic 2: The Resurrection Yes Yes No Also cameo role as "Auteur Walking out of Vietnamese Restaurant" [18]
2017 Replica Yes Yes Yes[19] Shot in 2005
2022 Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle Yes Yes Yes

Documentary short films

Year Title Director Writer Producer Actor Notes
2017 The Man with the Wooden Face Yes Yes Yes Yes [20]
2019 Cosmic Beauty Yes Yes Yes No Also editor
"Cosmic Beauty". letterboxd.com.
2023 Climate Fix Yes No No Yes Also narrator

References

  1. ↑ "James Nguyen – Biography". Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Savlov, Marc (2 July 2010). "When Bad Movies Attack: James Nguyen's underground oddity 'Birdemic' cries fowl". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (24 April 2010). "A Cheesy Horror Turkey Becomes a High-Flying Cult Hit". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Amy Rosner (producer), Patrick Lee (editor) (2 May 2010). The Worst Movie Ever Made? (Television production). CBS News. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  5. 1 2 Riley, Jenelle (23 March 2010). "For the Birds". Backstage. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 Vanderbilt, Mike (January 12, 2017). "Exclusive: RiffTrax takes on another Hitchcock clone from the director of Birdemic". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  7. ↑ Miska, Brad (11 March 2010). "Video Interview with 'Birdemic' Director Part 2, New York Premiere Announced!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  8. ↑ O'Neill, Phelim (26 May 2010). "Why I'm looking forward to Birdemic: Shock and Terror". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  9. 1 2 Gilchrist, Todd (21 February 2011). "'Birdemic' Director on Shooting His Sequel… in 3-D". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  10. ↑ "Is Birdemic worst film ever made?". BBC News. 6 April 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  11. ↑ Fabio Periera (8 May 2010). "Review: Birdemic: Shock and Terror". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  12. ↑ Barton, Steve (23 January 2012). "Exclusive Birdemic II: The Resurrection News Flys In: Casting News, Start Date, and More!". Dread Central. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  13. ↑ The Worst Movie Ever Made? The True Story of 'Birdemic'
  14. ↑ "BIRDEMIC 3 - Sea Eagle". Indiegogo. Retrieved 2017-11-10.
  15. ↑ Nguyen, James. "BIRDEMIC 3 - Sea Eagle". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  16. ↑ Tabor, Dan (September 26, 2022). "Fantastic Fest 2022: BIRDEMIC 3: SEA EAGLE the Birds are BACK!". Medium. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  17. ↑ "BIRDEMIC 3: SEA EAGLE Lands On Streaming Platforms This Week". FANGORIA. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  18. 1 2 3 "James Nguyen". imdb.
  19. ↑ "Rifftrax: Replica". Tubi.
  20. ↑ "Birdemic Director James Nguyen Returns With The Man With The Wooden Face". The Reprobate.
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