Established in 2003 by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA), Viet Film Fest (VFF) showcases the best creative work by and/or featuring Vietnamese people and culture. Viet Film Fest's award-winning films have been screened in numerous cities and countries. Now running successfully for over two decades, the festival has attracted thousands of national and international attention for its stunning showcase of shorts and features submitted from many corners of the world. Viet Film Fest is the largest Vietnamese film festival in the diaspora.

Through the universal language of film, VFF brings together multiple perspectives to expand the scope and horizons of Vietnamese cinema. As the hub of the Vietnamese movie industry, the festival hosts networking opportunities with prominent directors, media experts, and producers. We are proud to be a central platform for filmmakers of Vietnamese descent to tell their stories the way they want them to be told. Viet Film Fest welcomes your support in our collaborative project to use cinema as a tool for spotlighting our diversity of voices.

As per tradition, VFF's awards include the Grand Jury Trống Đồng Award for Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, the newly-introduced Best Cinematography, and the Spotlight Award. Audience members will also have a chance to vote for the Audience Choice Award for a feature and a short film.

Grand Jury Trống Đồng Award for Best Feature Film
Grand Jury Trống Đồng Award for Best Short Film
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Cinematography (newly added for VFF 2025)
Spotlight Award
Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film
Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film

We welcome feature-length and short productions made by persons of Vietnamese descent living anywhere around the world. We also welcome non-Vietnamese filmmakers whose feature- or short-length productions concern Vietnamese people or culture.

Films must have English subtitles if they are not in the English language. Vietnamese subtitles are encouraged (but not required) for films not in the Vietnamese language. Picture-locked rough cuts are acceptable (but you must make clear that your film is incomplete and must state what needs to be added). Final film versions will be shown in October 2025. The early bird deadline is April 14, 2025; the final deadline is May 6.

We are a hybrid film festival, offering both in-person and virtual screenings. Due to the limited capacity of our in-person programming, only select films will be shown in-person (and some will be shown both in-person and virtually). Other films will be featured exclusively on our "VFF at Home" virtual platform. By submitting your film, you acknowledge and agree that it may be considered for virtual screenings only.

Entries MUST BE UPLOADED ONLINE no later than May 6, 2025. We will announce the final selections in July 2025.

Exhibition Formats:
Feature-length: Digital; D-Cinema (DCP) with required Blu-Ray disc (NTSC)
Short film: Digital; D-Cinema (DCP) with required .MOV file conforming to Apple ProRes 422 HQ (1920 x 1080 24p 48kHz)

*Student entries must attach student ID or proof of enrollment at an accredited university/school and use the promo code VFFSTUDENT in checkout for student pricing.

Viet Film Fest reserves the right to cancel your screening with or without notice if the film is no longer suitable for the program.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Fred Le

    All of the staff are clearly very passionate about working on this festival, and it shows. Extremely hospitable and excellent with communications.
    The committee also takes the selection process very seriously, so it is an honor to have had my film picked for Viet Film Fest.

    November 2024
  • It's a lovely festival where Vietnamese filmmakers can gather and expand the circle of filmmaking. I love how well the festival divides the themes and curate a variety of art forms (not only for films but also for other film-related or film-aspected products) so that every filmmaker could have a chance to shine and get their film seen and heard. I also love that most of the filmmakers that I met this year festival are women. It's just so empowering and inspiring. Hope to see more female filmmakers out there to be seen in more film festivals.

    October 2023
  • Elliot Kotek

    Definitely submit to this festival if you have Vietnamese-themed subject matter! This is a well-run and welcoming festival with engaged audiences. Our film was in the virtual festival, they included a Q&A afterwards along with an artist interview that they promoted. Great connections with other partner arts organizations and other filmmakers in attendance as well.

    October 2023
  • Terry Ngo

    Thank you VAALA and Viet Film Fest for an amazing time! Thank you for holding space for us to recognize our culture, have meaningful conversations, and create movement. The staff, curators, judges, moderators, volunteers, sponsors, and everyone at VFF were professional, kind, and supportive.

    November 2022
  • jamie tran

    What a fantastic experience!! Well put together and amazing staff. Kind, friendly and professional!

    October 2022