2017 Nevada Woman Filmmaker of the Year: May May Luong
May May Luong sat down with Danette Tull in 2017 for an in-depth conversation about the art of the producer! Be sure to check out our 2017 highlights below to see clips from the interview!
May May Luong is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Film and a minor in Theater. She also holds an M.F.A. in Writing for Dramatic Media from UNLV.
While studying at UNLV, May May was a teaching assistant for Michel Hugo, ASC. She focused on directing and cinematography and has shot on many digital formats 16mm and 35mm film as a camera operator and 1st Assistant Camera. She discovered that she has a talent for seeing the big picture and refocused her work on producing. This led to a long and extensive career producing award winning short and feature-length films. These films have screened at festivals around the world and have been distributed on major broadcast and streaming networks.
May May produced and edited “Spanking Lessons,” a short film directed by David Schmoeller. It was an official selection at the 2007 CineVegas Film Festival and won the CineVegas Nevada Short Film Jury Prize. Soon after, she produced “Wedding Day,” a short film also directed by David Schmoeller. It was shown at various film festivals around the world including the Objectifs Film Distributors Program at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, Syracuse International Film Festival, the Dam Shorts Film Festival and CineVegas.
May May’s first feature film, “Thor at the Bus Stop,” directed by Mike and Jerry Thompson received the Narrative Feature Special Jury Recognition for Independent Filmmaking at the Austin Film Festival. Her second feature film, “2 Little Monsters,” continues to play on rotation on the Lifetime Movie Network. “Popovich and the Voice of the Fabled American West,” her third feature film, also directed by Jerry and Mike Thompson, won the Audience Award at the 17th Annual Dances with Films festival and an Audience Choice Award from the Austin Film Festival. In total, May May has produced eight feature-length films.
May May also has extensive experience producing commercials and corporate videos. She has spearheaded branding and digital campaigns for clients such as MGM Resorts International, NBCSports, NHL, WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and Piff the Magic Dragon. She produced MGM Resorts’ first national campaign, “Welcome to the Show,” which premiered during the Academy Awards, played during the Emmy’s, Super Bowl and on late night talk shows.
In 2017, May May was named the Nevada Women Filmmaker of the Year and March 24, 2017 was declared “May May Luong Day” by the City of Las Vegas.
May May teaches Film courses in Production at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is also working on the development of a number of feature film and television projects.