Stephane Gauger (August 30, 1970 – January 11, 2018) was a Vietnamese-born American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer.

Biography

Born in

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, South Vietnam to an American civilian contractor and his Vietnamese wife, Gauger was raised in

Fountain Valley, California Fountain Valley is a suburban city in Orange County, California. The population was 57,047 at the 2020 census. History The area encompassing Fountain Valley was originally inhabited by the Tongva people. European settlement of the area ...

and graduated from

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

in theatre arts and French literature.

Cinematography work

He met cinematographer Matthew Libatique at CSUF and apprenticed under him as a camera loader and lighting technician. While working on thesis films at Loyola Marymount University, he met filmmaker brothers Tony Bui and Timothy Bui and worked as a lighting technician on their feature films '' Three Seasons'' (1999), directed by Tony Bui, and '' Green Dragon'' (2001), directed by Timothy Bui. Gauger also worked as a key grip on the feature film ''

Six-String Samurai ''Six-String Samurai'' is a 1998 American post-apocalyptic action comedy film directed by Lance Mungia and starring Jeffrey Falcon and Justin McGuire. Brian Tyler composed the score for this film along with Red Elvises, the latter providing the m ...

'' (1998), directed by Lance Mungia, as a gaffer in the Vietnamese action film '' The Rebel'' (2007), directed by

Charlie Nguyen Charlie may refer to: Characters * "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the Charlie's Angels (franchise), ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise * Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Ba ...

, and as a gaffer in

Ham Tran Ham Tran () is a Vietnamese American film writer, editor, and director. He is of Hoa (Chinese Vietnamese) ancestry, specifically Teochew. He earned an MFA in film directing from the UCLA Film School and is most famous for his thesis film '' Th ...

's '' Journey from the Fall'' (2006). Gauger also served as a cinematographer on short films such as ''Moonlight'' (2006), directed by Alice Chen; ''Good Bad Karma'' (2006), directed by David Takemura; ''Jim and Kim'' (2010), directed by Victor Teran; and ''Finding Gauguin'' (2010), directed by Lee Donald Taicher. Gauger also served as his own cinematographer on films he directed, including ''Vietnam Overtures'', ''

Owl and the Sparrow ''Owl and the Sparrow'' (''Cú và chim se sẻ'' in Vietnamese) is a 2007 film by Stephane Gauger that follows the fictional story of three Vietnamese individuals (a runaway child, a zoo keeper and a flight attendant) over a period of five days a ...

'' (2007) and '' Saigon Electric'' (2011).

Films

''Owl and the Sparrow''

Gauger directed the short film ''Seabirds'' (1998) before his first feature ''

'' (2007), which premiered at the

Rotterdam International Film Festival The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

and won over 15 awards at international film festivals. It was released theatrically in the U.S. in January 2009. ''

'' also won the audience award at the 2007

Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...

, a NETPAC award at the 2007

Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is h ...

, the Crystal Heart Award at the 2007

Heartland Film Festival The Heartland International Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. The festival was first held in 1992, its goal is to "inspire filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion pict ...

, the emerging filmmaker award (for Gauger) at the 2007 Denver Film Festival, a best narrative feature award at the 2007 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, a jury award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2007

San Diego Asian Film Festival The San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) is an annual event organized by Pacific Arts Movement (formerly the San Diego Asian Film Foundation) that takes place every November in San Diego, California. Background SDAFF is the flagship event for t ...

, the Critic's Choice Award and the Best Foreign Co-Production Awards at the 2009 Golden Kite Awards in

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...

, and the Festival Prize at the 2007 Big Apple Film Festival.Stephane Gauger, Bio, Saigon Electric - Crew, Gauger also was nominated for a Gotham Award in 2007 ( Best Breakthrough Director) and the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2008 for the film.

''Vietnam Overtures''

Gauger's music documentary (and first documentary) ''Vietnam Overtures'' (2008) is about a music exchange program between Norway and the music institutions of Vietnam, and premiered at the 2008

''Saigon Electric''

Gauger's second feature film '' Saigon Electric'' was made in 2011, and it covers the various dance cultures in Vietnam. The film won Best Film and Best Actress (Quynh Hoa, who played the lead character, Kim) at the Golden Kite Awards in

. The film also won Best Narrative Feature Film and an audience award for narrative feature at the 2011 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and won a Special Jury Prize for Best Screenplay - Narrative at the 2011 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The film screened at festivals such as the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, the

Spring Showcase, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, The Chicago Asian American Film Showcase at the

Gene Siskel Film Center The Gene Siskel Film Center, formerly The Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and commonly referred to as The Film Center or The Gene Siskel, is the cinematheque attached to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It ...

, the Vietnamese International Film Festival, the

Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival The Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival was a 10-day film festival held annually in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to show the most recent films and music by artists with Asian ethnic origins, such as from Japan, China, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Ind ...

, the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

, the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, the

Asian American International Film Festival The Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) is the first and longest-running film festival to showcase the works of emerging and experienced Asian and Asian American filmmakers and media artists in the US. The programming includes a di ...

, the DC APA Film Festival, the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, the

, the Berlin Asian Film Festival, the

and more.

''Chinatown Squad''

Gauger directed and produced a TV pilot written by

Feodor Chin Feodor Chin is an American actor, producer, writer and director. Chin starred as the antagonist "Benny" in Juwan Chung's '' Baby'' opposite David Huynh, the protagonist. ''Baby'' won a Special Jury Award for Best Feature Length Film, Narrative at ...

and Will Henning entitled ''Chinatown Squad'', which focuses on a four-man squad of San Francisco police officers in the 1980s that attempt to clean up Chinatown from corruption. The pilot stars

(as Chinese mob boss villain, Pistol Pete) as well as

Kelvin Han Yee Kelvin Han Yee (born June 14, 1961, San Francisco, California) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films such as '' Destroyer'', ''Milk'' (as Gordon Lau), '' Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star'' (as Vietnamese Crime Boss), '' Lucky You ...

(as Uncle Wong), David Huynh (as Fong), and Robert Wu (as the translator specialist of the squad). Gauger also directed a short film titled ''The Moral Paper Route'' (2012), that starred actors from ''Chinatown Squad'', including Feodor Chin as the father, Rita Huang as the mother, and David Huynh as the son.

''Cheetah: The Nelson Vails Story''

Gauger directed a documentary in 2014 entitled ''Cheetah: The Nelson Vails Story'' on former Olympic road and track cyclist Nelson Vails.

''Kiss and Spell'' (''Yêu Đi, Đừng Sợ!'')

Gauger's penultimate film, ''Yêu Đi, Đừng Sợ!'' (Translated as "Kiss and Spell") (2017) is a Vietnamese romantic comedy about a magician who is afraid of ghosts who falls in love with a girl that appears to have some connection to the supernatural. It was released on August 25, 2017, in Vietnam and distributed by

CJ Entertainment CJ Entertainment ( Hangul: CJ 엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean film production and distribution company under CJ ENM. The company operates as a film production company, film publishing house, investment and exhibition. History During early ...

Vietnam. It was also a Vietnamese language remake of a similar Korean film known as '' Spellbound'' and won the Audience Award at the 2017 National Film Festival (or Da Nang Film Festival) in

Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is o ...

''My Brother Vincent''

Gauger's final film (released posthumously) was the documentary ''My Brother Vincent'' (2018), which was about the play initially written and performed by

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...

in the 1970s on the life of painter

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

. French actor Jean-Michel Richaud brought the play back in 2018, and the documentary features interviews with Nimoy, Richaud and various Van Gogh historians, as well as segments covering Van Gogh's career and important regions during his life such as south of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

(where he painted most of his work),

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

(where he was a preacher to coal miners) and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

(his birthplace).

Writing Work

Gauger wrote the story for the crime drama film '' Powder Blue'' (2009), directed by Timothy Bui and starring

Jessica Biel Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. She has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Biel be ...

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his fil ...

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. Known for his roles in biopics and blockbusters, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Olivier Awards. ...

, Ray Liotta,

Lisa Kudrow Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She rose to fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004), which has since been named one of the greatest television cha ...

, and

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

. Gauger wrote the screenplay for a short film entitled ''Finding Gauguin'' (2010), directed by Lee Donald Taicher. Gauger also wrote screenplays for the films he has directed, including ''

'' and '' Saigon Electric''.

Awards and nominations

Gauger is a nominee of the Breakthrough Director Award at the 2007

Gotham Awards The Gotham Awards () are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of ''Salmagundi'', published on ...

and the

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and direc ...

Award at the 2008

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass ...

(for his work with ''

'' (2007). Also for his work for that film, he received the emerging director award at the 2007 Starz Denver Film Festival. Gauger was also featured in

Filmmaker Magazine ''Filmmaker'' is a quarterly publication magazine covering issues relating to independent film. The magazine was founded in 1992 by Karol Martesko-Fenster, Scott Macaulay and Holly Willis. The magazine is now published by the IFP (Independent Fi ...

’s 25 new faces of 2007.

Death and legacy

On January 11, 2018, Gauger died after a stroke at the age of 48 in Vietnam.Sao Viet, Director of the Film "Love Do Not Fear" Passes Away at the Age of 48, http://www.yan.vn/dao-dien-phim-yeu-di-dung-so-dot-ngot-qua-doi-khien-vbiz-bang-hoang-152971.htmlVietnam.net, Vietnamese Director passes away at age 48, http://vietnamnet.vn/vn/giai-tri/phim/stephane-gauger-dao-dien-phim-cua-nha-phuong-dot-tu-o-tuoi-48-423148.html

Filmography as director

* ''Yêu Đi, Đừng Sợ!'' (Kiss and Tell) (2017) * ''Cheetah: The Nelson Vails Story'' (Documentary) (2014) * ''The Moral Paper Route'' (Short) (2012) * ''Chinatown Squad'' (TV movie) (2012) * '' Saigon Electric'' (2010) * ''Vietnam Overtures'' (Documentary) (2008) * ''

'' (2007)

Partial filmography as writer

*'' Saigon Electric'' (2010) *''Finding Gauguin'' (2010) (short film) *'' Powder Blue'' (2009) *''

'' (2007)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gauger, Stephane 1970 births 2018 deaths American film directors of Vietnamese descent California State University, Fullerton alumni Film directors from California People from Ho Chi Minh City People from Orange County, California Vietnamese emigrants to the United States Vietnamese film directors Vietnamese people of American descent