Kelly Marie Tran is getting ready to make a comeback to the acting scene after a relatively quiet few years in which she has focused on voice work. With the addition of a film producer to her list of accomplishments, Tran is making a spectacular return. Her upcoming feature-length film will be a biopic about civil rights pioneer and philanthropist Amanda Nguyen. Tran is attached to producing the film in addition to playing Nguyen, with whom she has a strong personal friendship. The documentary will follow Nguyen as she goes from being a survivor of sexual assault in college to being an outspoken advocate for others in similar situations. Nguyen’s non-profit, Rise, through which she carries out her advocacy, has seen tremendous success.
She called her organisation Rise to “remind us that a small group of thoughtful, devoted individuals can rise up and change the world,” and Rise was instrumental in getting a UN resolution passed to provide justice for victims of sexual assault. The Survivors’ Bill of Rights, also written by Nguyen, was a major factor in the passage of the 2016 federal statute protecting survivors. The organization’s mission is to facilitate the bill’s passage in all 50 United States. For her part in Star Wars, Tran has been the target of vulgar, sexist, and racist insults. She remarked, “Over the years, Amanda’s work has affected the lives of billions, as she continues to make our world safer for sexual assault survivors everywhere,” highlighting the significance of Nguyen’s tale.
The actress is known for her roles in Raya and The Last Dragon. To be a part of sharing her story is an honour, and she inspires me every day with her bravery. Tran already has two films in post-production (The Young Wife and Me and Myself & The Void), and this is an addition to that slate. This Year’s Short Films at the Cannes Film Festival Yi Tang, whose film All the Crows in the World won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, is reportedly in discussions to pen the script and helm the production. Stories about women and societal concerns are very dear to Tang’s heart.
Together with Carlos López Estrada, director of Raya and The Last Dragon, Tran will produce the film under their label, Antigravity Academy. Nguyen, Jeff Thaler, and Nina Yang Bongiovi are a few of the other producers in the team. The project will be a joint effort between Yang’s Significant Productions and Thaler’s Madica Productions. Forest Whitaker of Significant and Shawn Sachs of Sunshine Sachs serve as executive producers. Nguyen thanked Tran for telling her story and discussed the significance of speaking out against sexual assault.
Here is her whole statement: Sincere appreciation goes out to Kelly Marie Tran, Madica Productions, and Significant Productions for sharing our collective experience, which includes not only mine but that of billions of survivors throughout the world. Narratives help us believe that everything is possible. Rape victims who manage to speak out are often silenced by the society around them. No one person or event is responsible for my background. Countless survivors have told me they find inspiration in hearing the experiences of others.
For them, I pray, this will be a step toward feeling less isolated. Kelly has been an incredible friend and inspiration to me because of her compassion, insight, and conviction that this story ought to be told, as well as because of our common Vietnamese American background. The film’s creators have yet to settle on a title for the unfinished biography.