Santa Ana, CA – September 23,  2024Viet Film Fest 2024, presented by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association, is proud to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Tony Bui’s award-winning feature, Three Seasons (Ba Mùa), in a special retrospective screening. The film, newly restored in 4K, will be screened on Sunday, October 13 at 2 PM, with director and writer Tony Bui in attendance for a post-screening discussion. As a pioneer in Vietnamese and Vietnamese diasporic cinema, Bui will also be honored in-person with the Inspiration Award at the festival’s Opening Night Gala: Trống Đồng Awards Ceremony.

“We are honored to screen Three Seasons at Viet Film Fest this year, marking its 25th anniversary,” Ysa Le, VAALA’s Executive Director and Viet Film Fest Co-Founder. “The film holds a special place in the history of Vietnamese American cinema, capturing the beauty, resilience, and kindness of the Vietnamese people. It’s an inspiring story that continues to resonate with audiences today, and we’re excited to share it with a new generation of viewers.”

“The long and emotional journey to restore the film wasn’t just about preservation, but about breathing new life into it. It ensures that this timeless story of love, loss, and hope after the Vietnam War can be shared with generations to come,” Bui said.

In 1999, Three Seasons was the first feature film in Sundance Film Festival history to ever receive both the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award. It was also the first American film to be made in Vietnam after US President Bill Clinton lifted the embargo on Vietnam.

Three Seasons was first shown at the inaugural Viet Film Fest in 2003, where it was featured alongside Green Dragon, a film directed by Tony’s brother, Timothy Linh Bui. In a fitting celebration of the brothers’ contributions to Vietnamese American cinema, Three Seasons will be screened again this year, along with the premiere of Timothy Bui’s latest feature, Daydreamers.

Event Details |

Date: Sunday, October 13

Time: 2 PM, with a special filmmaker’s Q&A to follow

Location: The Frida Cinema, 305 E 4th St #100, Santa Ana, CA 92701

Admissions: https://bit.ly/VFF24xThreeSeason

During the weekend of October 11, 12, and 13, 38 films (11 features and 27 shorts) will be screened in-person at The Frida Cinema. In addition, select films, along with 12 others available exclusively online, will be offered virtually for global cinema goers from October 5 to October 13, making a total of 50 films being shown across the entire Viet Film Fest. The Québec-set Canadian film Ru (which earned a Canadian Screen Award this year for actor Chantal Thuy) will take place opening night while the centerpiece screening will feature Elizabeth Ai’s critically acclaimed documentary, New Wave, which originally premiered at Tribeca Festival last June.

For the latest information on festival lineup and special events, please visit our website at vietfilmfest.com and follow us at @vietfilmfest on Facebook and Instagram.

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Viet Film Fest 2024
Online: October 5 to 20
In-person: October 11, 12, and 13
Follow @vietfilmfest on Facebook and Instagram

MEDIA CONTACTS
MINH PHAM Public Relations Manager Press@vaala.orgCOREY LINH Communications Specialist coreylinh@vaala.org

About Three Seasons | As a post-war Vietnam begins to adopt economic reforms (Đổi Mới), Bui’s film captures the stories of several individuals who intuit the impending Westernization of the country and the gradual erosion of traditional Vietnamese culture. An American (Harvey Keitel) in Saigon looks for a daughter he fathered during the war. He meets Woody (Nguyen Huu Duoc), a child hawking cigarettes. When Woody’s stock disappears, he blames the soldier and pursues him. Meanwhile, cyclo driver Hai (Đơn Dương) gives Lan (Zoe Bui), a hotel escort, a ride. Hai finds himself waiting for her daily, and, in the midst of his attraction towards her, attempts to break through her veneer. Lastly, Kien An (Nguyễn Ngọc Hiệp), a young woman, takes a job harvesting the lotuses in the pond of Teacher Dao (Trần Mạnh Cường), a recluse with leprosy. Her singing soothes his melancholy, and he asks her to write down poetry he dictates. The characters’ paths cross in small ways, around flowers and kindness.

About Tony Bui | Tony Bui is a writer, director and producer. He is the co-founder of LEAP (Lotus Entertainment and Arts Productions) which supports stories of diverse voices. His films include Yellow Lotus, Three Seasons, Green Dragon and The Throwaways. His short film, Yellow Lotus, received over 15 national and international festival prizes. He is a recipient of the Humanitas Prize and a graduate of the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriting and Directing Labs. He has written and developed projects for NBC, Warner Bros and HBO, and is currently developing a narrative feature film about Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Napalm Girl” photo.

Tony has taught film directing at Loyola Marymount University and previously served on the Board of Directors of Film Independent, and is currently on the Global Advisory Board of Fulbright University Vietnam. Tony is currently Artist in Residence at Columbia University and teaching in the School of Arts graduate film program.

About VAALA | Founded in 1991 by Vietnamese American journalists, artists and community members to fill a void and provide a space for artists to express themselves as a newly resettled immigrant community, the mission of the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese arts and culture. Celebrating its 30th year of service, VAALA collaborates with diverse community partners to organize community-centered artistic cultural events, including art exhibitions, book signings, music recitals, plays and its annual Viet Film Fest and Gallery Beyond Walls programming. More information about VAALA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Categories: Festival News