Romance Archives - VAALA Presents Viet Film Fest

Festival News

The Importance of Queer Stories with Van B. Nguyen, Director of All I Ever Wanted

In a genre underrepresented of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters, Van B. Nguyen’s short film, All I Ever Wanted, presents a groundbreaking narrative. What if a rom-com can be lead by Asian-American actresses telling a queer-centered story? We interviewed Van B. Nguyen, a queer woman herself, on her inspiration of the Read more…

By Communication Specialist, 3 yearsOctober 4, 2022 ago

Viet Film Fest

3 weeks ago

✨Congratulations to "On Healing Land, Birds Perch" on being shortlisted for the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Film!👏 We’re proud to have featured this remarkable film at #VietFilmFest2025 and to celebrate its journey from #VietFilmFesttotheOscars!At #VietFilmFest, audiences engaged with the filmmaker through an in-person Q&A following the screening alongside “Year of the Cat” on Saturday, October 11, 2025 at 4:00 PM. Watch the full Q&A now on our YouTube channel—link below.youtu.be/-h0oNLneE9Q“On Healing Land, Birds Perch” is a short documentary that tells the remarkable stories behind one of the most iconic photos in history, while acting as a portal into the “varied carols,” to borrow from Walt Whitman, of trauma and the American journey. This is the first documentary, from a Vietnamese born filmmaker that explores the continuing aftershocks of the Vietnam War from the perspectives of both sides of the war: North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese including Vietnamese Americans alive today. The story is told through the iconic Pulitzer winning photo of General Loan shooting a Vietcong captain Nguyen Van Lem in the head on the second day of the 1968 Tet Offensive.🎥 #VietFilmFest2025 was an unforgettable celebration of Vietnamese creativity and community! Over two inspiring weeks (October 4–19), audiences from around the world came together—virtually and in person at The Frida Cinema in Downtown Santa Ana (October 10–12)—to honor the vision and artistry of Vietnamese filmmakers. ... See MoreSee Less

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Viet Film Fest

4 weeks ago

✨Congratulations to "We Were the Scenery" on being shortlisted for the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Film!👏 We’re proud to have featured this remarkable film at #VietFilmFest2025 and to celebrate its journey from #VietFilmFesttotheOscars!Featured as part of our Remember My Forgotten Man short film set, "We Were the Scenery" traces Vietnam, the Philippines, and the USA through the lens of lived experience and cinema. Following their escape from Vietnam in 1975, Hoa Thi Le and Hue Nguyen Che, along with nearly 100 other refugees, became background extras in Apocalypse Now. Guided by their memories, "We Were the Scenery" explores past and present, truth and fiction, life and film.At #VietFilmFest, audiences had the chance to engage with the filmmakers through both virtual and in-person Q&As. Our virtual session featured director Christopher Robert Radcliff, and the in-person discussion included Cathy Linh Che and her mom. Watch the full Q&As on our YouTube channel—link belowwww.youtube.com/@vietfilmfest9619/videosWE WERE THE SCENERY is now available on the Criterion Channel! 🎥 #VietFilmFest2025 was an unforgettable celebration of Vietnamese creativity and community! Over two inspiring weeks (October 4–19), audiences from around the world came together—virtually and in person at The Frida Cinema in Downtown Santa Ana (October 10–12)—to honor the vision and artistry of Vietnamese filmmakers.#AcademyAwards #OscarsShortlist #DocumentaryShort #VietnameseCinema #RememberMyForgottenMan ... See MoreSee Less

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Viet Film Fest

1 month ago

Photos from VAALA: Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association's post ... See MoreSee Less

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