Vietnamese International Film Festival


First started in 2003, the Vietnamese International Film Festival is a biennial film festival organized by the non-profits Vietnamese-American Arts & Letters Association and UCLAs VietNamese Language and Culture. ViFF takes place at the University of California, Irvine, the University of California, Los Angeles, and other locations in and near the Little Saigon area of Orange County, California.
Part film festival and part community-service event, to date ViFF is the only film festival reserved for filmmakers of Vietnamese heritage in the world outside of Vietnam.

VIFF 2003 and 2005

ViFF 2003 and ViFF 2005 showcased 48 and 37 films, respectively, directed/produced by filmmakers of Vietnamese descent from the U.S., France, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Vietnam. As a result, many films by Vietnamese-heritage filmmakers, both new and previously released, have gathered here. Films by Academy Award nominated director Trần Anh Hùng have been shown at ViFF. Notable premieres at ViFF include the world premiere of Victor Vu's First Morning, The Rebel, directed by Charlie Nguyen, and the North American premiere of Pham Nhue Giang's Deserted Valley.

VIFF 2007

In 2007, the eight-day festival took place from April 12 to April 15 and from April 19, to April 22. If featured record number of films: a total of 51, including 13 features submitted by filmmakers of Vietnamese descent from around the world. The festival opened with the world premiere of the martial arts drama film, The Rebel, directed by Charlie Nguyen and closed with the feature debut, Dust of Life, directed by Le Van Kiet. The Spotlight Program on April 14 showcased screenwriter Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc, whose work is featured in Living in Fear, directed by Bui Thac Chuyen and Journey From the Fall, a film by Ham Tran.

VIFF 2009

In 2009, the festival was held on April 2–5 & 9-12, 2009 at UC Irvine.

VIFF 2011

In 2011, the 5th festival with Reel Momentum is the theme, was held on April 7 to 17, 2011 presented over 60 short and feature movies of 100 received.
The Awards presented at ViFF 2011:
ViFF 2013 ran from April 4–7 & 11-14, 2013 at Edwards University Town Center 6, UC Irvine, UCLA, and Bowers Museum, with record number of films and audience members.
Viet Film Fest is now an annual event. The festival moved closer to the heart of the Vietnamese community with a majority of the screenings centralized at the UltraLuxe Cinemas at Anaheim Gardenwalk.
From April 10–13, 2014 Viet Film Fest received unprecedented support from the community, with a turnout of about 4,000 attendees over four days.
Viet Film Fest 2014 showcased 29 films, including 8 features and 21 short films, from countries all over the world such as Vietnam, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Japan, the United States, and Korea.
The award recipients this year are:
In 2015, the 8th festival will be held on April 16–19 at UltraLuxe Anaheim Cinemas.