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 Audience Award and a Grand Jury Prize. The film was based on Bui's own experiences dealing with the changing landscape and people of his ancestral home of Vietnam. The film starred Harvey Keitel.

Biography

Early life

Bui was born in Vietnam and in 1975 came to the U.S. at the age of two years with his family, as a refugee of the U.S.-Vietnamese war, leaving Vietnam approximately one week before the Fall of Saigon. He was raised in Sunnyvale, California, where his father ran a video store which led to his interest in cinema. He studied film at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Career

Bui visited Vietnam several times before making his first short film, the highly successful Yellow Lotus, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to play at festivals around the world. His feature debut, Three Seasons, received the Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award and Best Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival and two Independent Spirit Awards nominations. He is a recipient of the Humanitas Prize and a graduate of the Sundance Institute's Screenwriting and Directing Labs. He has written and developed projects for NBC, Warner Bros and HBO, and is currently developing a narrative feature film about Nick Ut's [https://aboutphotography.blog/blog/the-youngest-pulitzer-prize-winner-and-his-impact-on-war-photography#:~:text=At%20the%20age%20of%2021,global%20perceptions%20of%20the%20conflict. Pulitzer Prize winning "Napalm Girl" photo]. He also co-wrote and produced Green Dragon, starring Patrick Swayze and Forest Whitaker, for his older brother Timothy Linh Bui. He was associated with Lazarus, a film in development at Warner Brothers. Bui has taught film directing at Loyola Marymount University and previously served on the Board of Directors of Film Independent. In 2023, Bui became Artist in Residence at Columbia University's Weatherhead East Asian Institute and teaches in the university's graduate film program. Three Seasons returns to the 2024 Sundance Film Festival's 40th edition as one of ten feature films chosen to represent the festival's four decades.

Personal life

Bui is the brother of Timothy Linh Bui, a film director and producer. The two have worked together on several films. He is also the nephew of the Vietnamese actor Đơn Dương.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Sundance Film Festival 49th Berlin International Film Festival Portland International Film Festival Stockholm International Film Festival Independent Spirit Award Golden Satellite Awards Humanitas Prize Austin Film Festival