Contact: Ysa Le, Festival Co-Director (714) 914-2260 
Jenni Trang Le, Public Relations (310) 873-7333
Mai-Phuong Nguyen, Publicist-Norcal (714) 323-8078

ViFF 2007 TO SHOWCASE 13 FEATURES AND SELECTED SHORT FILMS FROM 7 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD!

Westminster, CA:  The Vietnamese-American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) and the VietNamese Language and Culture (VNLC) at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will present the 3rd biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF). April 12 – 15 & 19 – 22, 2007

Screening Locations: University of California, Irvine (UCI)’s Film & Video Center with selected screenings and panel discussions at UCLA and in Westminster, California.  Opening Night will be at the Edwards University Cinema 6, Irvine.

Tickets are available online and Tu Quynh Book Store (714) 531-4284

OPENING NIGHT – Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 6:00 pm
World Premiere of THE REBEL (Dong Mau Anh Hung), directed by CHARLIE NGUYEN (THOI HUNG VUONG 18, CHANCES ARE). 
ViFF alum Charlie Nguyen recreates French Colonial Saigon in the 1920’s with action/drama romance epic THE REBEL.  A Vietnamese agent goes against his French superiors to help the daughter of a Rebel leader warn her village of an impending attack.  Loyalties are questioned and all must ask, who do you trust?  Starring Dustin Nguyen, Johnny Tri Nguyen, Ngo Thanh Van, Nguyen Chanh Tin, and Nguyen Thang.

SPOTLIGHT AWARD – Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 7:00 pm
LIVING IN FEAR (Song Trong So Hai), directed by BUI THAC CHUYEN, screenplay by NGUYEN THI MINH NGOC (Spotlight Award recipient)
Post Viet Nam war, Binh Xuan is now plagued with the threat of unmarked landmines.  Screenwriter Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc challenges the notion of authority and social normalcy in this explosive tale.  LIVING IN FEAR won Best Film in the New Asia Talent section of the 9th Shanghai International Film Festival.

CLOSING NIGHT – Sunday, April 22, 2007 at 6:00pm
World Premiere of DUST OF LIFE (Bui Doi), directed by LE-VAN KIET
Le-Van Kiet’s feature-length directorial debut throws us straight into the gritty reality of displaced teens living in Westminster during the 1990’s, as they struggle to find a home in a foreign country and accept the love they are given.  

ALSO FEATURING:  ASIAN STORIES (BOOK 3) (Ron Oda & Kris Chin), FINDING MADISON (Tuan Tran), THE JOURNEY OF VAAN NGUYEN  (Duki Dror), STORY OF PAO (Chuyen Cua Pao) (Ngo Quang Hai), THE QUEEN FROM VIRGINIA (David Ngo), KIEU (Vu T. Thu Ha), JOURNEY FROM THE FALL (Vuot Song) (Ham Tran), BRIDE OF SILENCE (Doan Minh Phuong & Doan Thanh Nghia), THE WHITE SILK DRESS (Ao Lua Ha Dong) (Luu Huynh), SOULS ON SWING (Hon Truong Ba, Da Hang Thit) (Nguyen Quang Dung)/US Premiere

SPECIAL EVENTS
Thursday, April 12 - Opening Gala at Chakra Restaurant
Friday, April 13 - High School Day (FREE for High School students)
Sunday, April 15 - Following JOURNEY OF VAAN NGUYEN (Duki Dror) - Panel Discussion: Cultural Identity Relations in a Changing World
Thursday, April 19 - Senior Citizen Day (FREE for Seniors over 65)
Friday, April 20 - UCLA Day of the Bruins (FREE for All Ages)
Saturday, April 21 - Following THE WHITE SILK DRESS (Luu Huynh) – Panel Discussion:  Images of Women in Vietnamese Cinema
Sunday, April 22 - Feature Presentation of Bolinao 52 & Stateless Vietnamese in the Phillippines (Duc Nguyen)– Panel Discussion: An Unforgettable History: The Boat People Saga
Sunday, April 22 – Awards Ceremony & Closing Night Gala featuring the musical stylings of Thomas’ Apartment

ViFF was established in October 2003 for Vietnamese filmmakers and those of the Vietnamese diaspora (aka Vietnamese outside of their homeland).  The mission of ViFF is to stimulate, bring together, and make visible a body of diasporic work through the lens of Vietnamese and Vietnamese-diasporic directors; to inspire future filmmakers and to recognize existing ones; to create an environment for the filmmakers to share their experiences in filmmaking with their colleagues and audiences.  This year’s festival theme is Sharing Visions, echoing the need to reach beyond the community and into the larger, mainstream public.

ViFF 2003 and ViFF 2005 showcased 45 and 38 films (both shorts and features), respectively, directed/produced by filmmakers of Vietnamese descent from the U.S., France, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Vietnam. 

VAALA is a community-based non-profit organization founded in 1991 by Vietnamese-American journalists, artists, and community activists in Orange County. VAALA promotes Vietnamese values in art, creates opportunities for artists and audiences to interact, and facilitates communication among different ethnic groups through various art forms. 

VNLC was established in 1994 to maintain and promote Vietnamese culture within the UCLA academic community and throughout the Vietnamese community in southern California via academic and cultural programs. 

ViFF is made possible with the sponsorships of:

UCI  School of Humanities, UCI Department of Film and  Media Studies, UCI Film and Video Center, UCI Department of Asian American Studies, UCI International Center for Writing and Translation, UCI Center for Asian Studies, UCI Department of East Asian Language and Literature, UCI Southeast Asian Archive, Corss Cultural Center, Vietnamese American Coalition (VAC), Mustard Seeds, Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA)

UCLA Cultural Affair Commission,  Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Contingency Fund, Melnitz Movie, Graduate Student Association, ASUCLA Waiver Pool. 

Wells Fargo, Karuna Healthcare, Breastlink, VW, Lee’s Sandwiches, Brodard Chateau, Elite 21st Insurance Agency, Southwest.com, Ngoc Hue Restaurant, Ramada Hotel – Little Saigon Areas, Aurora Yarcia: Your Land Specialist, New York Life – SVN Team, Nguyet Cam Music, American Jewish Committee (AJC), Orange County Ophthalmology Medical Group (OCO), and Real Capital Lending, Inc.

Media Sponsors: Nguoi Viet Daily News, Viet Bao Daily News, VNCR, NHA Magazine, VHN-TV, SBTN, Little Saigon TV, VATV, Saigon TV

Co-presenters: American Jewish Committee (AJC) – Orange County
Asian Elevation
Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Orange County & Los Angeles)
Asian Pacific American Program, Smithsonian Institution (Washington D.C.)
Club O’Noodles
Hung Vuong Heritage Foundation (Hiệp Hội Di Sản Hùng Vương)
Khmer Girls in Action (KGA)
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (Visual Communications)         
Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA)
Orange County Korean Cultural Center
Project MotiVATate (Mentoring Vietnamese American Teens)
San Diego Asian Film Festival (San Diego Asian Film Foundation)
Social Assistance Program for Vietnam (SAP-VN)
St. Anselm’s Cross-Cultural Community Center
The Cambodian Family
The Chance Theater
The General Association for the Development of World Martial Arts (Tổng Hội Phát Triển Võ Thuật Thế Giới)
UCLA Vietnamese Student Union (VSU)
UCLA Center for Asian American Studies
VASCON 3 (Vietnamese-American Student Conference)
Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking (VietACT)
Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation (Hội Ung Thư Việt Mỹ)
Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce in Orange County
Vietnamese American High School Alliance (VAHSA)
Vietnamese-American Public Affairs Committee-OC (VPAC)
Vietnamese Traditional Arts Development Organization (Hội Phát Triển Nghệ Thuật Truyền Thống Việt Nam)