Mattie Do (Lao: ແມດດີ ໂດ) is a Laotian-American film director. She is Laos's first and only female film director and the first horror film director from Laos.
Career
Chanthaly
Her directorial debut, Chanthaly (Lao: ຈັນທະລີ) (2012), was the first horror film written and directed entirely in Laos,[1][2] as well as the first to be screened at major film festivals outside of Southeast Asia[3] like the 2013 Fantastic Fest.[4]
Dearest Sister
Do's second feature film, Dearest Sister (2016), (Lao: ນ້ອງຮັກ)[2] was chosen to attend the 2014 Cannes Film Festival as part of the La Fabrique des Cinémas du monde program[5][6][7] and was selected as the Laotian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, the first time that Laos submitted a film for consideration in this category.[8] It was screened at more than 20 film festivals and was selected by Laos as its first Oscars submission for Best Foreign Language Film.[9]
Do was born in Los Angeles, California, to immigrant parents who left Laos during the communist revolution.[12] Do returned to Vientiane in 2010 with her husband to take care of her retired father.[13] She trained originally as a make-up artist and worked on film productions in Europe and America before becoming a consultant to the oldest film company in Laos, Lao Art Media, upon her return in 2010.[5] She, her husband and their dog Mango live in Vientiane, Laos.[14]
