Viet Film Fest – VAALA Presents Viet Film Fest
The Vietnamese Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) is proud to announce that Viet Film Fest will return September 30 through October 15, 2023 for its 20th year anniversary! Founded in 2003 by VAALA members, Ysa Le and Tram Le, Viet Film Fest is the largest international festival promoting Vietnamese culture, stories, and artists through film. In its earliest beginnings, there were not enough films to hold the festival annually, so organizers decided on a bi-annual format until 2014. Then, as the filmmaking community continued to grow all over the world, Viet Film Fest began to hold annual festivals, receiving from 60 to 100 submissions each year from all over the world such as Vietnam, Canada, France, Israel, Germany, Australia, and more. Viet Film Fest 2023 will continue the legacy of showing the best works from, by, or about the Vietnamese community.
For over two decades, Viet Film Fest has drawn attention and acclaim for being the cultural hub for the Vietnamese movie industry. Prominent industry members including Ham Tran (Journey from the Fall and Maika: The Girl from Another Galaxy), Tran Anh Hung (The Scent of Green Papaya), Trinh T. Minh-ha (Surname Viet Given Name Nam, and What About China?) Charlie Nguyen (The Rebel), Leon Le (Song Lang), and Victor Vu (Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass) have all been notable filmmakers of the Viet Film Fest community. In addition, Viet FIlm Fest has awarded the talent of actors such as Kieu Chinh and Kelly Marie Tran.
VAALA has also organized community screenings for prominent movies that promote the AAPI experience like Everything, Everywhere All at Once, Bao Nguyen’s Be Water, and Disney Animation Studio’s Raya and the Last Dragon, whose screenplay was written by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim. The nonprofit organization has received grants from organizations like the California Arts Council and Sundance Institute’s Uprise Grant Fund for its impact and representation in the arts and film communities. VAALA has also taught emerging filmmaking classes through its Youth in Motion program, which teaches youth ages 16-26 the basics of filmmaking like screenwriting, editing, and cinematography. This program has mentored and developed up-and-coming filmmakers such as Quyên Nguyên-Lê and Michi Que Doan. Key community partners of Viet Film Fest over the years include Visual Communications, San Diego Asian Film Festival, and Hawaii International Film Festival, CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), and Gold House.