Throughout the month of May, the Pan Pacific Asian Steering Committee will highlight Asian American members—past and present—celebrating their achievements and contributions.
What is your name?
Thien Nguyen
What is your classification or job?
Assistant Editor
List the credits you’re most proud of.
I’m proud to have been part of the post-production team on an Apple TV+ series called Pluribus, where I worked as an assistant editor. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and a testament to how strong, thoughtful teams elevate the work at every level.
Other projects I’m deeply proud of include In Your Dreams on Netflix and Shape Island on Apple TV+.
Who are your influences or mentors?
Anita Brandt Burgoyne. The sincerity and steadiness in the way Anita mentors make a lasting impact. Her advice isn’t just practical; it’s grounded. In an industry that can often feel uncertain, having someone who offers unwavering support, backed by experience and genuine care, has been invaluable.
It’s about longevity and community within this field. It’s a reminder that mentorship, at its best, is as much about presence and belief as it is about direction.
What are you watching right now?
For television, I’ve been drawn to Power Book IV: Force. It operates in a completely different register, propulsive, high-stakes, and sharply paced, yet just as compelling in how it builds tension and character within its world.
On the feature side, Train Dreams is a beautiful film. The character moves vastly through physical spaces, but the real movement is internal. How life can be shaped by small, accumulated moments rather than dramatic turning points. Pacing allows scenes to breathe so that emotion surfaces gradually, with an almost elegiac tone.
What would be your dream project to work on?
A big-budget feature film in any genre.
What was your favorite childhood food dish?
Vietnamese Baked Fish (Cá Nướng) is a dish that demands your time and attention: assembling, wrapping, and balancing textures. My fondest memories are of sitting with my mom, slowly putting each bite together, talking for hours in between. It’s not just a delicious meal, but a space. One that encourages connection, presence, and a kind of quiet intimacy. Best enjoyed, always, in good company.
What’s a meaningful film to you as an Asian American that you would recommend?
Any film directed and written by Wong Kar Wai in the 90’s. What makes his work resonate so deeply with me as an Asian American is the way he renders emotion as atmosphere rather than exposition. There’s a kind of diasporic poetry in that. The awareness of distance, of lives that might have unfolded differently, of belonging that is always partial. He doesn’t explain identity, so he lets you feel it through rhythm, color, and silence.
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