Variety’s 2023 Creative Impact in Producing Honoree Nina Yang Bongiovi Aims to Champion Underrepresented Storytellers

variety.com:

Todd Gilchrist editor Producer Nina Yang Bongiovi admits her enthusiasm for being recognized for the profound social and cultural weight of her output. “Usually producers are kicked to the curb when a movie is released,” she says, laughing. “I always remember walking on a red carpet and they’re like, ‘Oh God, producer, can you step to the side?’ And you’re like, ‘I bled for this film!’” Born in Taiwan and raised in Los Angeles since age 5, Yang Bongiovi, who will receive Variety’s Creative Impact in Producing Award at the Sun Valley Film Festival and participate in a Coffee Talk on March 31, says she initially did not see any obvious cultural on-ramp into the film industry until her studies at USC made it begin to feel possible.

Even so, her first studio job was disappointing. “So I called my friends in Asia, I’m like, ‘Anybody know anyone that could get me into actual filmmaking?’” After several years in the Hong Kong film industry, she zeroed in her own producorial worldview: “I was like, ‘Gosh, these action sequences are really great, but if they only had a good script,’” she recalls. “And everybody’s like ‘Why is she so annoying?

Why is she asking about the script? It’s a storyline.’ And I was just like, ‘Hmm, maybe that’s what producing is: figuring out what their original script should be.’” After a long and frustrating stint trying to break into the U.S.

film business, she found a story that sparked the interest of actor Forest Whitaker, who was contemplating his own foray into producing. “I was so super naive and made an offer to a guy who won his Oscar not too long ago at that time,” she chuckles.