mai moua thao

filmmaker

BIOGRAPHY

Mai Moua Thao is a multidisciplinary storyteller whose work spans film, photography, and writing, using these mediums to amplify narratives rooted in identity, place, and lived experience. A first-generation Hmong American and graduate of Macalester College, Mai earned a B.A. in Media & Cultural Studies and Theatre & Dance, where she honed her creative voice at the intersection of performance and visual storytelling.

Mai’s artistic journey has been deeply shaped and supported by a wide network of community-based organizations, including Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, Asian Media Access, the Asian American Organization Project, and the Southeast Asian Diaspora Project. Through these collaborations, she has contributed to community-centered narratives that uplift underrepresented voices and celebrate cultural resilience.

In recognition of her dedication to inclusive media, Mai was selected as a 2022 recipient of the Filmscore Fest BIPOC Scholarship. She is also an alumna of the prestigious Imagining America Fellowship, which supports publicly engaged artists and scholars committed to social justice through the arts. Her commitment to storytelling is both personal and collective—grounded in the desire to document, remember, and reimagine the stories that shape communities.

Whether behind the camera, at the editing desk, or on the page, Mai’s work is fueled by a passion for representation, artistic experimentation, and collaborative creation. She continues to develop new projects that explore memory, migration, and the possibilities of multimedia storytelling.

Qualifications

Mai Moua Thao is highly skilled in both photography and videography, with a strong ability to capture compelling visuals that evoke emotion and narrative depth. She has extensive experience in video editing, working fluently with Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects to produce polished and engaging visual content. As a film producer and director, Mai has led creative projects from concept to completion, managing story development, production logistics, and post-production processes.

Her design and visual storytelling skills are supported by proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, allowing her to integrate still image design with motion-based media. Through both solo and collaborative projects, Mai demonstrates a strong command of the tools and techniques needed to create impactful, community-informed media.

Skills

  • photography

  • videography

  • video editing 

  • film Producer

  • film Director

  • software applications: Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator

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