Burlee Vang (right) and Abel Vang (left) are a writing/directing duo. The brothers won the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Nicholl Award for their war-drama screenplay, THE TIGER’S CHILD. They are California born and bred, and are oldest children of Hmong political refugees from Laos. Despite their two-year difference, they are often mistaken as identical twins. Maybe their likeness has something to do with the two of them getting haircuts at the same barbershop, shopping at the same stores, and having held the same jobs at the same places for the last decade. On occasion, family members still confuse them with each other.

The Vang brothers are currently adapting a horror/fantasy novel into a live-action feature for Disney. They are also reimagining Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as a series for a major television studio. They’ve recently worked with game developer Ubisoft on the narrative story of an upcoming AAA title, first-person shooter video game. All current projects are to be announced.

Their latest feature film THEY LIVE IN THE GREY, starring Michelle Krusiec (HOLLYWOOD Netflix tv series) and Ken Kirby, (GOOD TROUBLE, DYNASTY) is currently available on AMC Networks’ premium horror streaming platform Shudder.

Burlee is an award-winning author and poet. His books include “The Dead I know: Incantation for Rebirth” (Swan Scythe Press, 2010) and “How Do I Begin? A Hmong American Literary Anthology” (Heydey, 2011). His writing has also appeared in many reputable literary journals and anthologies, including “20 Something Essays by 20 Something Writers: Best New Voices of 2006” (Random House, 2006) and “New California Writing” (Heyday, 2011). In 2006, Burlee founded HAWC (The Hmong American Writers’ Circle) to promote and nurture creative writing within the Hmong community. His long-time efforts were highlighted in The New York Times (“A Hmong Generation Finds Its Voice in Writing”).

Abel produced the feature WHAT LIES BELOW, a thriller starring Ema Horvath (Lord of The Rings tv series) and Mena Suvari (AMERICAN BEAUTY). The film recently sold to Vertical Entertainment (CAPONE) and XYZ Films (THE RAID series). Abel also worked on Clint Eastwood’s GRAN TORINO as a voice actor, an assistant to casting, and as a 2nd Unit on the exclusive Blu-ray documentary GRAN TORINO: NEXT DOOR. He worked as a script consultant for Oscar-winner, Lynne Littman on her screenplay adaptation of Anne Fadiman’s National Book Critics Circle Award Winner, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.”

Burlee holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from California State University of Fresno and a BA in English from the University of California, Davis. Abel holds an MFA in Cinema & Television Production from USC and a BS in Biology from California State University of Fresno.

The brothers currently reside in Los Angeles, CA.