Stephane Gauger (August 30, 1969 – January 11, 2018) was a Vietnamese-born American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer.

Biography

Born in

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

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 United States census, 2020 census. History Indigenous The Indigenous people of the Fountain Valley area are the Tongva. The closest ...

and graduated from

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

in theatre arts and French literature.

Cinematography work

He met cinematographer

Matthew Libatique Matthew José Libatique (born July 19, 1968) is an American cinematographer. He is best known for his collaborations with director Darren Aronofsky on the films '' Pi'' (1998), '' Requiem for a Dream'' (2000), '' The Fountain'' (2006), ''Black S ...

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 Tony Bui (born September 14, 1973) is a Vietnamese-born American independent film director in the U.S., most famous for his 1999 film ''Three Seasons'', which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and became the first film to win both an Audien ...

and

Timothy Bui Timothy Linh Bui (b. Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, South Vietnam, April 13, 1970) is a Vietnamese-born American filmmaker, film producer, and screenwriter. He directed ''Green Dragon (film), Green Dragon'', and co-wrote and produced ''Three Seasons ...

and worked as a lighting technician on their feature films ''

Three Seasons ''Three Seasons'' ( Vietnamese title: ''Ba Mùa'') is a 1999 film, shot in Vietnam, about the past, present, and future of Ho Chi Minh City in the early days of Doi Moi. It is a poetic film that tries to paint a picture of the urban culture un ...

'' (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 t ...

'' (1998), directed by

Lance Mungia Lance Mungia (born 1972) is an American screenwriter and film director of the film '' Six String Samurai'' and co-writer/director of '' The Crow: Wicked Prayer'' for Dimension Films. Mungia grew up in Central California, where his family operate ...

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

Charlie Nguyen Charlie may refer to: Film and television * ''Charlie'' (2015 Malayalam film), an Indian Malayalam-language film * ''Charlie'' (2015 Kannada film), an Indian Kannada-language film * ''Charlie'' (TV series), a 2015 political drama series based ...

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 '' The ...

's ''

Journey from the Fall ''Journey from the Fall'' () is a 2006 independent film by writer/director/editor Ham Tran, about the Vietnamese re-education camp and boat people experience following the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. This drama was released on March 23, ...

'' (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'' (2007) and ''

Saigon Electric ''Saigon Electric,'' also known as ''Sài Gòn Yo!'', is a 2011 Vietnamese hip hop film directed by Stephane Gauger. It was released on 22 April 2011 in larger cities and provinces in Vietnam, including Hanoi, Saigon, Da Nang and Can Tho Can may ...

'' (2011).

Films

''Owl and the Sparrow''

Gauger directed the short film ''Seabirds'' (1998) before his first feature '' Owl and the Sparrow'' (2007), which premiered at the

Rotterdam International Film Festival International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...

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

, a NETPAC award at the 2007

Hawaii International Film Festival Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

, the Crystal Heart Award at the 2007

Heartland Film Festival The Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF) is a high academy qualifying film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana, hosted by the nonprofit organization Heartland Film, Inc. The festival was first held in 1992, with the goal to ...

, the emerging filmmaker award (for Gauger) at the 2007

Denver Film Festival The Denver Film Festival is held in November, primarily at the Denver Film Center/Colfax, in Denver, Colorado, now the Anna and John J. Sie FilmCenter (Sie FilmCenter). Premiere events are held in the Buell Theatre and Ellie Caulkins Opera House ...

, a best narrative feature award at the 2007

San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival CAAMFest, known prior to 2013 as the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF), is presented every May (Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month) in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States as the nation's ...

, 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 film festival in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, ...

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

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

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 ''

'' 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 The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) is an annual film festival in Philadelphia that shows feature films and short films by and about Asian Americans. Run by the nonprofit Philadelphia Asian American Film and Filmmakers, the 10-day ...

and won a Special Jury Prize for Best Screenplay - Narrative at the 2011

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications (VC). It was established in 1983 by Linda Mabalot as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific Amer ...

. The film screened at festivals such as the

, the

Spring Showcase, the

, 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, In ...

, the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...

, the

Asian Film Festival of Dallas The Asian Film Festival of Dallas (AFFD) is an annual film festival that takes place in July or August in Dallas, Texas. The festival showcases a diverse range of international films from Asia alongside Asian-American features and short films. Sc ...

, 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 div ...

, the DC APA Film Festival, the

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a charitable cultural film festival organization located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that advocates Asian representations in media arts. Works include films and videos by artists in Canada, the ...

, 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, writer, and comedian from San Francisco, California. As an actor, he was classically trained at UCLA, the American Conservatory Theater, and has studied with renowned acting coach, Larry Moss. He was a Maude Nig ...

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 Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

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) is an American actor of Asian descent. His career spans over 30 years of film, television and theater. As a teenager, Yee became involved with the pioneering work of Asian American Theater Company. He was an ...

(as Uncle Wong),

David Huynh David Huynh (born February 5, 1983) is a Canadian actor. Early life Huynh was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, briefly studied at the University of Manitoba focusing on a major in theater and a minor in film studies. Huynh continue ...

(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

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 ENM Films & Television, formerly CJ Entertainment, () is a South Korean entertainment, film production, and distribution company under CJ ENM Entertainment Division. The company operates as a film production company, film publishing house, in ...

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 Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important p ...

''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 and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...

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 is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

. 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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(where he painted most of his work),

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

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

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

(his birthplace).

Writing Work

Gauger wrote the story for the crime drama film ''

Powder Blue __NOTOC__ Powder blue is a pale shade of blue. As with most colours, there is no absolute definition of its exact hue. Originally, ''powder blue'', in the 1650s, was powdered smalt (cobalt glass) used in laundering and dyeing applications, and i ...

'' (2009), directed by

and starring

Jessica Biel Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress. Biel began her career as a vocalist appearing in musical productions until she was cast as Mary Camden in the family drama series '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2007 ...

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne OBE (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Olivier Awards. Redmayne began his professional ac ...

Ray Liotta Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He first gained attention for his role in the film '' Something Wild'' (1986), which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. He was best known for his portray ...

Lisa Kudrow Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the American television sitcom ''Friends'', which aired from 1994 to 2004. The series earned her Primetime Emmy A ...

and

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...

. 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 '' Owl and the Sparrow'' and ''

''.

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 filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

Award at the 2008

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

(for his work with '' Owl and the Sparrow'' (2007). Also for his work for that film, he received the emerging director award at the 2007 Starz

. 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 Fil ...

’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) * ''

'' (2010) * ''Vietnam Overtures'' (Documentary) (2008) * '' Owl and the Sparrow'' (2007)

Partial filmography as writer

*''

'' (2010) *''Finding Gauguin'' (2010) (short film) *''

'' (2009) *'' Owl and the Sparrow'' (2007)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gauger, Stephane 1969 births 2018 deaths American film directors of Vietnamese descent California State University, Fullerton alumni Film directors from California Film directors from Ho Chi Minh City People from Orange County, California Vietnamese emigrants to the United States Vietnamese film directors Vietnamese people of American descent