Maria Tran

Maria Tran is a Vietnamese-Australian filmmaker, actor, martial artist, cultural practitioner, and TEDx Speaker based between Sydney and Las Vegas. In her TEDx talk, We Need to Embrace Conflict, she explores how tension and challenge can fuel creative resilience, drawing from her refugee family background and martial arts training. Creator of the Echo 8 Trilogy and founder of Phoenix Eye Films—a female-led, culturally diverse production company dedicated to championing equity, inclusion, and representation in the screen and arts sector—Maria produces documentaries and microbudget action films through community-led productions. Phoenix Eye not only develops film content but also runs community-based workshops and training programs to uplift emerging creatives from underrepresented backgrounds. Notable works include Hit Girls, Tiger Cops, Quest for Jackie Chan, and Echo 8—Australia’s first female-led action feature—which has earned awards at the Tokyo Film Awards and World Carnival Singapore. As an actor, Maria has appeared in TV series such as Fat Pizza: Back in Business, Street Smart, and Maximum Choppage, and in international action films including Fist of the Dragon, Tracer (Truy Sát), Death Mist, and Bleeding Steel. She also plays “Madame Tien” in Paramount+’s Last King of the Cross, co-wrote and starred in the autobiographical theatre work Action Star, and served as fight director for Bell Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Through her filmmaking practice, Maria continues to challenge traditional boundaries between art and activism, proving that action films can be as socially conscious as they are entertaining. A 2025–26 Sundance Collab Community Leader, she champions bold, diverse storytelling that empowers underrepresented voices and bridges cultures through her creative work.