Introduction
Quyen Tran /ˈkwiːɛn ˈtræn/ is a Vietnamese-American cinematographer based in Los Angeles. She has worked on multiple Sundance films such as The Little Hours and Deidra & Laney Rob a Train.
Education
After witnessing the 9/11 attacks in New York City, Tran applied to film school and was accepted to UCLA. Roger Deakins was a cinematographer-in-residence at the time of her attendance and became one of her mentors.
Photography
Tran began her artistic career as a still photographer. Her photos have appeared in the New York Times, LA Times, 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.
Film and television
Tran has worked as a cinematographer on short films, television, and full length films. In 2021, Tran became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
Awards and honors
- Best Cinematography UCLA Spotlight: 2008, 2007, 2006
- Best Feature Cinematography – Wild Rose Film Festival
- Federico de Laurentiis Memorial Scholarship
- National Theater Goers Alliance Scholarship
Personal life
Tran's parents were refugees from South Vietnam. She is bilingual, fluent in English and Vietnamese. Tran is Catholic. She is married to voice actor Sam Riegel and they have two children.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Vietnam Overtures | Stephane Gauger | ||
| 2009 | 16 to Life | Becky Smith | ||
| The People I've Slept With | Quentin Lee | |||
| 2010 | Troublemaker | Geeta Malik | ||
| Girlfriend | Justin Lerner | |||
| 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 | ||
| 2015 | Off the Menu: Asian America | Grace Lee | ||
| Pali Road | Jonathan Lim | |||
| The Automatic Hate | Justin Lerner | |||
| 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 | |||
| 2018 | Dark Was the Night (formerly Behold My Heart) | Joshua Leonard | ||
| 2020 | Life in a Year | Mitja Okorn | ||
| Palm Springs | Max Barbakow | |||
| 2024 | Brothers | Max Barbakow | ||
| Kingship | Julien Favre |
| Year | Title | Episodes | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Imaginary Bitches | 13 | Season 1, Episodes 1-13 | Emmy Nomination
|
| 2009 | Atom TV | 1 | Episode 2.1 | |
| 2012 | Dark Wall | 2 | "Whispers" "Home: A Ghost Story" | |
| 2015 | Dr. Mona Vand: The Modern Pharmacist | 1 | "Is There a Difference Between Physical Dependence and Addiction?" | |
| 2018 | Camping | 8 | [All 8 episodes] | |
| Here and Now | 5 |
| ||
| 2019 | Unbelievable | 3 | Episodes 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 | |
| 2020 | A Teacher | 10 | [All 10 episodes] | |
| 2021 | Maid | 4 as Cinematographer 1 as Director | As Cinematographer
As Director
| |
| 2022 | Roar | 2 as Cinematographer 1 as Director | As Cinematographer
As Director
| |
| 2023 | Ahsoka | 2 |
| |
| 2025 | The Pitt | 2 as Director | As Director
|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Echostop | Justin Lerner | ||
| 2006 | Chinese Dumplings | Michelle Hung | ||
| Hurricane Party | AP Gonzalez | |||
| Maggie's Not Here | Justin Lerner | |||
| 2007 | A Watermelon Seed (Gua zi) | Miqi Huang | ||
| Beast | Geeta Malik | |||
| Joburg | Thabo Wolfaardt | |||
| 2009 | The Fence | Matt Silas | ||
| Waiting Room | Katharine O'Brien | |||
| The Empty Space in Between | Maria Tornberg | |||
| 2013 | Noel | Joe Holt | ||
| 2014 | The Learning Curve | Phil McCarty | ||
| 2015 | SMILF | Frankie Shaw | ||
| 2019 | Stucco | Janina Gavankar Russo Schelling | ||
| Keystone | Brandon Fayette | |||
| Monkey | Yoshie Suzuki | |||
| Swallow | Emily Taylor-Mortorff |
| Year | Title | Role | Crew role, notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Sam Riegel and Quyen Tran on 9/11" | Herself | Documentary footage on 9/11 attack, used in 102 Minutes That Changed America and other documentaries |
Article mentions and interviews
Between the Sheets: Quyen Tran, Critical Role interview with Brian W. Foster
#belowthelinesowhite? Hollywood’s Rank & File Leaders Tackle Diversity
Four Asian-American Women Share Their Experiences Working in Hollywood, by Peter Caranicas
How 'The Little Hours' DP Used 'Crazy Rigs' to Recreate Film School on an Unpredictable Set, by Hawkins DuBois
“How to Sell the Outrageous Premise of the Film”: DP Quyen Tran on Deidra & Laney Rob a Train, by Filmmaker Staff
International Women’s Day: 17 female cinematographers to celebrate, by Nikki Baughman
Interview: Cinematographer Quyen Tran on the Minute Details of Filming “The Little Hours," by Stephen Saito
Motion picture academy invites largest class ever in continued push for diversity, by Josh Rottenberg
Sundance 2017 Q+A — Cinematographer Quyen Tran, by David Alexander Willis
Quyen Tran on Shooting Frankie Shaw’s Sundance-Winning SMILF, by Scott Macaulay