Bob Nguyen Biography
Bob Nguyen is an accredited, critically acclaimed and highly awarded member of the Australian Cinematographers Society and an award winning Director of Photography celebrated for his mastery of celluloid film. He has always had a deep passion for moving images. After enrolling at Swinburne University in 2008, he learned from many great cinematographers, most notably Ellery Ryan ACS, who helped spark his interest in cinematography.
While at Swinburne he shot his first project on Super 16mm and recalls: "When I saw the prints for the first time, I saw magic, and I told myself I would not stop." Bob began his professional career as a Director of Photography in 2011 when he shot his first feature film in Australia. In 2012 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of working with celluloid.
In January 2013 he enrolled at the New York Film Academys Burbank campus, where he earned his MFA in Cinematography, served as director of photography on several short films, and built a strong professional network. After graduating, he continued to find work internationally, including in Italy, Australia and Vietnam. During his early years in Los Angeles he shot numerous projects on both 35mm and 16mm, received a Panavision LA sponsored prize for his 35mm feature work, and quickly established himself as one of the young cinematographers most devoted to the original medium of motion picture film.
From 2015 onward Bob has worked exclusively on feature films, collaborating with directors from diverse backgrounds and traveling extensively, particularly throughout Europe and Asia. Working on feature films in Thailand and Canada significantly changed his mindset and approach to image making, inspiring him to explore new cultures and materials. In 2016 he shot his first Vietnamese feature film, Sut, for which he won the 2016 Golden Kite Award for Best Cinematography, the highest cinema award in Vietnam.
He followed this with Song Lang in 2018, which has received more than 30 international awards. Bob Nguyen has been repeatedly recognized by the Australian Cinematographers Society. He won a Gold Award in the Features Cinema category and the Judges Choice Award at the ACS Victoria Tasmania State Awards in 2018. In 2019 he received the Golden Tripod and the prestigious Milli Award for Australian Cinematographer of the Year at the ACS National Awards.
His cinematography on Black Hen and Muoi The Curse Returns earned him double Gold Awards at the ACS Victoria Awards and two additional Golden Tripods at the 2023 ACS National Awards. His latest feature, Ky Nam Inn (2025), shot entirely on 35mm, is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival. Although Bob was trained on film, giving him a strong foundation in the principles of cinematography, he embraces all visual formats that best serve each stories unique concept.
His experience across different mediums, styles, scales and shooting conditions allows him to adapt his visual language while maintaining a timeless cinematic quality rooted in the original medium.
