S'wakian filmmaker Cheyenne Tan inducted as national active member of US' Television Academy

Borneo Post

a day ago

Cheyenne Tan
KUCHING (Aug 4): Two-time Oscar-nominated Sarawakian filmmaker Cheyenne Tan has been officially inducted as a national active member of the US' Television Academy in its Documentary Programming Peer Group, making her eligible to vote for the prestigious Primetime Emmy Awards.
As a member of the academy, Tan, who is originally from Kuching and now based in Los Angeles, California, will have access to exclusive industry events, networking opportunities, private screenings, and annual voting privileges in the Primetime Emmys.
'I am incredibly grateful to be welcomed into the Television Academy. It's not just an honour; it's also a responsibility I take seriously.
'I hope to help elevate work that's not just excellent television but also bold, nuanced, and reflective of the diverse world we live in,' she told The Borneo Post in an email correspondence.
She said that as someone working in non-fiction, she has witnessed firsthand how award attention can open doors for vital, under-represented voices.
'Awards matter. They impact what gets funded, distributed, and platformed, and I want to use that influence responsibly,' she added.
The Television Academy, which was founded in 1946, is dedicated to honouring excellence in television.
Membership is offered to industry professionals actively working in television production and distribution, with eligibility based on peer group affiliation and a nominated or significant body of work.
Tan shared that as an active voting member for the Emmys, she will be eligible to cast votes in the general programme categories, which include Outstanding Drama Series, Comedy Series, Limited Series and so on.
'However, only specific peer groups can vote in the other categories. Since I am in the Documentary Programming Peer Group, I can vote in the documentary or non-fiction programmes as well.
'Only peer groups vote for the specific peer group categories, so, for example, actors vote for actors, directors for directors, and in my case, documentarians vote for their fellow documentarians,' she explained.
Tan's notable producing credits for television include 'Turning Point: The Vietnam War' (Netflix, 2025), a five-part docu-series that documents the Vietnam War, and its impact on those involved; 'The Romantics' (Netflix, 2023), a four-part documentary series about the history of Bollywood; and an Emmy nomination for 'Through Our Eyes: Shelter' (HBO Max, 2021) that follows three unhoused children and their parents over one summer in Los Angeles as they seek steady housing.
She has continued to make waves in the documentary film world where earlier this year, the short documentary 'I Am Ready, Warden'—which she co-produced—was nominated for an Oscar at the 97th Academy Awards.
The film, centred on a Texas death row inmate seeking redemption, premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and won the Jury Award at the Austin Film Festival.
She earned her first Oscar nomination in 2020 for 'St. Louis Superman', a short documentary which follows activist, battle rapper, and former politician Bruce Franks Jr. overcoming personal trauma and political obstacles to pass a critical bill for his community.
Named as one of Forbes Asia's 30 Under 30 list in 2022, Tan continues to represent Malaysian talent on the global stage. She is currently working on a new, unannounced documentary series slated for release in 2026. Cheyenne Tan lead Primetime Emmy Awards Television Academy