Vietnamese Australian Women in the Spotlight

This Vietnamese Australian Forum places the spotlight on four remarkable artists: Diana Nguyen, Ngoc Phan,  HaiHa Le and Maria Tran. As actors, directors, writers and producers they are champions of creativity and courage. This open discussion will explore the wonders and challenges of their careers and offer insights into how to break a leg and make it big on the screen, stage and in public life. The VAF recognises this year’s UN International Women’s Day and its theme “Count Her In”.

Panellists:

Ngoc Phan is an actor, director and playwright. She has appeared in several main stage theatre, commercial, web series, television and film productions. As an actor, some of her screen credits include: Kidnapped, Audrey, Pawno, Schapelle and The Black Balloon. A few of her theatre credits include: Boy Swallows Universe, Laurinda and A Streetcar named Desire. She recently co-directed Vietgone for Queensland Theatre and was an Artist-in-residence and an Artist Company core member for La Boite Theatre. Her piece in The Village has been published and she is currently working on an autobiographical piece about her family’s migration to Australia from Vietnam. She is a graduate of the WAAPA Acting program

HaiHa Le has worked extensively in TV and Theatre since 2003. Most recently HaiHa can be seen as Bich Dang on Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix). Recently HaiHa was a lead cast member in Back To The Rafters (Amazon Prime), where she played Cassie Rafter. Other television credits include; Hungry Ghosts, Hardball, Mr Inbetween 2, Bed of Roses, Soul Mates, Betterman, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Neighbours, Sea Patrol, Rake, City Homicide, Seven Types of Ambiguity, and more.  HaiHa received a Green Room Award nomination for her performance in Shrimp. Other theatre credits include; Dream Home (Ensemble Theatre, Dir: David Williamson), Hello, Goodbye and Happy Birthday (Malthouse, Dir: Roslyn Oades), Rupert (MTC; Washington D.C Tour, Dir: Lee Lewis), The Good Person of Szechuan (LaMama), 4000 Miles (RedStitch), The Seizure (Hayloft Project), TAXI (Green Room Award - Outstanding Production, Dir. Susie Dee) and more. HaiHa also moonlights as a TV editor and has edited hundreds of hours of television!

Maria Trần, a Vietnamese-Australian artist based in the US, is a versatile talent—actor, filmmaker, and martial artist—with roots in Fairfield. She founded Phoenix Eye Films, championing female leadership from Australia to the US. With a background in psychology and a decade as a Youth Digital Arts facilitator, Maria recently portrayed Madame Tien in "Last King of the Cross; on Paramount+, showcasing her commitment to the craft. Through Phoenix Eye Films, she collaborated with the Western Sydney community to produce the award-winning action thriller 'Echo 8,' soon debuting on Amazon Prime Video. Maria Tran is a trailblazer, impacting community, culture, and the film industry.-- Vietnamese action blockbuster Tracer and Echo 8. Tran has been cast as "Tien" in the Last King of the Cross 10 x 1 hour TV series, which will be shown on Paramount.

Diana Nguyen (facilitator) is a comedian, creative entrepreneur, and snorter. You might hear it! She has worked in this industry for 19 years, and in 2021 was the official Asian Australian Leadership winner. You might have seen her in the award winning Phi and Me (www.phiandme.tv), on tv including The Project, How to stay Married and QandA. Her short story 5 ways to disappoint your Vietnamese mother is featured in Alice Pung’s anthology Growing Up Asian in Australia, and in 2022, she cowrote Alice’s book Laurinda which premiered at Melbourne Theatre Company. 

Diana is on her comedy tour Sunny Side Up around Australia.

www.diananguyen.com.au/sunnysideup