Storyteller
Barney Cheng works as a director, writer and producer. His award-winning films have collectively screened in over 100 film festivals worldwide.
He's in the inaugural cohort of Dan Lin's Rideback Rise, and has participated in Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative, NBCUniversal Director's Program and was a Tribeca Film Institute's All Access Fellow for his feature film Baby Steps.
Barney is currently creating a feature film and a TV series about the Asian-American civil rights trailblazer Mia Yamamoto. Inspired by the true events in Mia's life, these projects tell Mia's compelling journey to liberate marginalized people who have no voice, while liberate herself as the first openly transgender trial lawyer in America. Hollywood honors Mia's contribution and inspiration with a mural, located at Hollywood Blvd & N. McCadden Place.
Previously, Barney collaborated with Oscar-winning Producer Li-Kong Hsu (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman) and directed his feature film Baby Steps.
The San Francisco Chronicle calls Baby Steps an "engaging" and "touching film. "Baby Steps is becoming more and more relevant by the second," raves Huffington Post, "a film created by and starring Asian-Americans that is definitely worth applauding."
Baby Steps was released theatrically in numerous territories worldwide and acquired by Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and Paramount+ for streaming.