MARIA TRAN - ACTOR BIO

Maria Tran, 28 years old, graduate with a Bachelor of Psychology is an avid guerilla filmmaker and actor in hot pursuit of the martial arts action film genre. She is one of the original key members of the Maximum Choppage: Round 2; a local community kung fu comedy movie made in 2008. Since then, she has made numerous comedy action genre award-winning short films including Gaffa (2012) and Hit Girls (2012). Both of which she performed in the screen fight action. Maria was awarded Best Female Breakout Action Star category for Hit Girls at the 2013 Action on Film Festival in Los Angeles. Marias day-to-day job is being a workshop trainer in film and acting for young people in at-risk communities. She works occasionally for AFTRS on the Stage Combat and film courses. In Jan 2013, played a key role in the Australian Fight Choreography Team and was casted as lead female assassin in Roger Corm ans upcoming Hollywood mixed martial arts action film in China Fist of the Dragon. This film will be released in February 2014. With the same team, she is currently in concept development stages and working on a China-based TV series Dragon Quest alongside one of Chinas top actors; Wu Xiubo (Whom actor Jet Li is signed up with). Sho oting for this project begins in mid-2014. Overall, Maria is passionate about the martial arts action genre and sees a great future where Australia will embrace this and use it to forge stronger relationships with the Asian film industry; which is booming and in particular China is forecasted to overtake Hollywood in the next 20 years.

MARIA TRAN -FILMMAKER BIO

Maria graduated from the University of Western Sydney with a Bachelor of Psychology in 2008. Since then, she has been developing screen culture in Western Sydney as a community and cultural practitioner and workshop trainer for culturally diverse communities. Maria is an emerging producer working with Screen NSWs Development and Production Unit and currently she is completing the m ixed genre movie project "Quest for Jackie Chan! Prior to this, she had produced ABC/ JTV micro series Downtown Rumble and in 2012 was employed as a researcher and producers assistant for SBS TV documentary Once Upon A Time In Cabramatta. She has directed award-winning short "Happy Dent" and action Kung Fu comedy movie "Maximum Choppage". Her current mockumentary short "Hot Bread Shop" was officially selected for the 2011 Colourfest Film Festival. In Jan 2013, she played a lead female assassin in Roger Cormans upcoming action film in China Fist of the Dragon. Maria is currently working on Australias first Vietnamese TV series Change of Our Lives which is a partnership with Cancer Council and ICE for the Vietnamese community.

MARIA TRAN - DOCUMENTARY BIO

Maria holds a Bachelor of Psychology and extensive experiences as a community and cultural practitioner and workshop trainer for culturally diverse communities. She has worked extensively with the Vietnamese community through various projects such as Vi etnamese Stories; a digital storytelling project with Vietnamese young people, Vietnamese Storycubes; a visual story sharing projec t with the Vietnamese elders across Western Sydney as well as Vietnamese Storyexchange; an intergenerational arts exhibitio n. She has directed award-winning short "Happy Dent"; a film about a kid living off the streets of Vietnam, Vietnamese Mosaic: a pseudo documentary style cross section celebration on being Vietnamese in Australia and her current mockumentary short "Hot Bread Shop" was officially selected for the 2011 Colourfest Film Festival. Maria co-founded Vietlish TV! in 2009; a Vietnamese-English speaking online channel that was aired in the US. In 2012 she was employed as a researcher, interviewer and producers assistant for SBS TV documentary Once Upon A Time In Cabramatta. She has directed award-winning short "Happy Dent" and action Kung Fu comedy movie "Maximum Choppage". Her current mockumentary short "Hot Bread Shop" was officially selected for the 2011 Colourfest Film Festival. Maria is currently working on Australias first Vietnamese TV series Change of Our Lives which is a partnership with Cancer Council and ICE for the Vietnamese community.