Malaysian Emmy winner Cheyenne Tan: Awards are fleeting, sustainable storytelling is the real prize

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Fresh off an Emmy win for her work on Netflix’s Turning Point: The Vietnam War, Malaysian filmmaker Cheyenne Tan says the accolade has neither reshaped her ambitions nor changed her definition of success.

The Kuching-born producer recently received an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Research category for her work as an associate producer on all five episodes of the acclaimed documentary series.

She became the latest Malaysian talent to earn one of television’s highest honours.

While the award marks the biggest achievement of her career on paper, Tan said years spent working in Los Angeles have taught her that recognition alone is not enough.

“On paper, yes, it’s probably the biggest achievement of my career so far,” Tan told Malay Mail in a Zoom interview.

“But my understanding of success has changed over the years.

“Living in Los Angeles teaches you very quickly that awards are important, but they’re not everything.

“Many people here have prestigious awards, and they still have to keep working, networking, and proving themselves.”

For Tan, success today is less about collecting trophies and more about building a sustainable creative career.

She hopes to continue telling meaningful stories while maintaining a healthy work-life balance and making time for family and friends.

That evolving perspective has also influenced the next stage of her career.

While producing remains her strongest professional skill, Tan is increasingly looking towards directing.

“Directing has always been my long-term goal,” she said.

“I love producing, and it’s what I do best professionally, but transitioning into directing is something I’ve been actively working towards, although it can feel intimidating.”

One role she has no interest in pursuing, however, is acting.

“Absolutely not,” she said, adding that she is much happier behind the camera.

As she develops future projects, Tan finds herself particularly drawn to stories about identity, belonging, and people navigating life between different worlds.

“After living in Los Angeles for more than a decade, I sometimes feel Malaysian and sometimes very Americanised.

“I see Los Angeles, Kuching, and Kuala Lumpur as home, which is why I’m fascinated by stories about people navigating similar experiences and trying to understand where they belong.

“I’m also very interested in telling stories centred on women and their experiences.”

That interest is reflected in several projects currently on her slate.

While she cannot discuss her main project at the moment, Tan revealed that a documentary series she helped work on, The American Experiment, will premiere on Netflix on June 24.

“The series explores the American Revolution and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,” she said.

She is also co-directing a short film, Becoming My Mother, alongside a friend.

“It’s about a Korean woman who was adopted by a white family and later reconnects with her birth family in Korea while confronting her own experience of placing a child up for adoption years earlier.”

Another project currently in early development is set in the world of competitive lion dancing — proof that for Tan, success is less about awards and more about stories that endure.