Documentary 'The Dao of Thao' Follows Bay Area Artist for Six Years

The documentary 'The Dao of Thao' by filmmaker Khai Thu Nguyen makes its world premiere at CAAMFest on May 9, 2026, at AMC Kabuki in San Francisco. The film follows performance artist and Oberlin College professor Thao P. Nguyen over six years, capturing her life offstage as she balances creativity, motherhood, queerness, and family. Nguyen, a Vietnamese American artist, is shown developing her 2021 work 'Potty for the People: Anti-racist Toilet Training' with collaborator Martha Rynberg and comedian W. Kamau Bell, who co-founded Solo Performance Workshop. The documentary reveals intimate moments, including Nguyen communicating her gratitude to her parents through stick-figure flash cards about their immigration story. Filmmaker Thu Nguyen was drawn to Thao's insight, humor, and authenticity, and Thao expressed that the film enabled a deeper connection with her mother. The documentary premieres at CAAMFest, which also features other highlights such as 'The A List: 15 Stories From Asian and Pacific Diasporas' with Sandra Oh and Kumail Nanjiani, and the film 'Azores' by Lilian T. Mehrel.