“The Line Producer Megan Qiao Behind the Award-Winning Film “Bienvenido Juanito”

The Los Angeles Producers Collective hosted its monthly Producing Chapter this week, showcasing filmmakers whose leadership have quietly shaped some of the year’s most compelling festival contenders. This month’s spotlight fell on Line Producer Megan Qiao. Her line produced award-winning film Bienvenido Juanito has been recognized across Academy-qualifying festivals including LA Shorts, AFI Fest, the Santa Fe International Film Festival, and the Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival.

The film, a drama about a mother and 12-year-old son reconnecting at the U.S. border after years of forced separation. “According to the producer, Megan Qiao’s ability to guide the team quietly and effectively in helping the film reach the finish line with confidence.”

Directed by Anna Lo Westlin, originally from Stockholm, Sweden, a producer of Oscar-nominated film A MAN CALLED OVE and Cannes-laureled film THE HAPPIEST DAY IN THE LIFE OF OLLI MÄKI, co-producer on BORG MCENROE, which opened the 2017 Toronto Film Festival, amongst others. Anna Lo wrote and directed the short film LADIES WHO LUNCH, which premiered at Way Out West, Scandinavia’s largest film and music festival. Bienvenido Juanito assembled a world-class team:

Cinematographer Augusto, AFI i alumni. an associate member of the Society of Camera Operators (SOC) since 2022. In July 2022, Augusto filmed the feature documentary “La Raiz de Mi Ombligo” in Oaxaca, Mexico. This project was accepted for the mentorship program “Talent Demo” part of the Camerimage film festival in November 2022 at Toruń, Poland. His mentors were the documentary filmmaker Jon Kasbe and award-winning cinematographer at Cameraimage, Alejandro Mejía AMC.

Writer David Orantes, and storyteller rooted in immigrant narratives. A pursuant of the more human journey, , an storyteller rooted in immigrant narratives.

Editor Larissa Stang grew up in Berlin, Germany. For the past four years, she was the editor for Vegas.com and Remark Entertainment working with clients like MGM, the Venetian and many local Las Vegas personalities, like Carrot Top and Tapeface. Independently, she has worked on several narrative and music video shorts. Her short films, BREAK and THREE COURSES, have been awarded Audience Awards and Best Short at various festivals throughout the United States.

Hidden depths revealed

“The team is hired by the producer — the line producer runs it.”

With a crew and cast of more than fifty, including minors requiring studio teachers, child labor compliance, and Spanish language accommodations with casts, Megan’s role became the connective tissue of the whole operation.

There was big amount of paperwork needed for this film that involved kids, labor, a non-English-speaking cast and multi-location road shoot with LAPD support.

At one point, the production needed over 50 signed neighbor notices for a location where approval requirements were strict from “Film LA” — a logistical nightmare in normal times.

Discover what lies beneath

But Megan handled it with calm precision, she chose to treat the neighborhood as a community rather than a roadblock. She visited some homes which didn’t reply or not willing to support personally, explained the project in accessible terms, and won all signatures needed to protect production.

The Parking Lot Issue

That was at one point of the film. An unexpected parking issue came up.

The manager of the parking promised them 45 parking spots before. But after an early check, Megan found that there weren’t enough spots available at all.

Instead of escalating this issue, she efficiently found street parking nearby in advance, arranged shuttles cars, as well as adjusting the traffic flow. By the time the first shot started, the crew settled in without realizing there was an issue ever happened.”

A Line Producer Who Carries the Heart of the Story

I’d also like to talk about Megan’s emotional intelligence even though there were so many things going on— permits, compliance, union rules, scheduling.

She thought crew care is very serious as well as giving to budget numbers. She said recognizing crew members stress from different department before it became a problem is important.

This might be why her colleagues often describe her as the person who sees 20 steps ahead.

“Behind a story with many layers, you need a trustworthy line producer making sure the foundation doesn’t crack. Thanks again for Megan sharing the BTS story with us.