Lan Nguyen is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees and was raised in Cambodia Town, Long Beach. Lan is a filmmaker, educator, and community organizer and cares deeply about issues such as immigration, incarceration, and racial justice. Lan utilizes documentary filmmaking as a tool for community organizing and social change. She has directed several short films about social justice issues, which have been screened in festivals, community centers, and universities. She was a 2019 NeXt Doc Fellow and teaches ethnic studies at California State University, Long Beach.