Storyteller
Barney Cheng works as a director, writer and producer. His award-winning films have collectively screened in over 100 film festivals worldwide.
Barney was a Tribeca Film Institute's All Access Fellow for his feature film Baby Steps. He has participated in Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative, NBCUniversal Director's Program and is actively directing and creating episodic television and film projects.
Barney is currently creating Born Doing Time, an 8-part limited series about the Asian-American civil rights trailblazer Mia Yamamoto. Inspired by the true events in Mia's life, the show tells her compelling journey of fighting to liberate marginalized people who have no voice, while trying desperately to liberate herself from her own death sentence.
At the age of sixty, Mia transitioned to become the first openly transgender trial lawyer working in America. Mia continues to fight for marginalized voices today. 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 and Amazon for streaming.