Santa Ana, CA (September 18, 2025) – The Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) is excited to announce that tickets are now on sale for Viet Film Fest 2025, a celebration of Vietnamese stories from around the world. The largest international Vietnamese film festival in the diaspora will take place virtually from October 4 to 19, allowing audiences to enjoy films from home, with in-person screenings, red carpet events, and filmmaker Q&As at The Frida Cinema in Downtown Santa Ana on October 10, 11, and 12.Founded in 2003 to spotlight underrepresented Vietnamese stories, Viet Film Fest has grown into a cultural destination for global audiences. This year marks another milestone, with over 100 submissions for the second year in a row. From those, 60 films were selected—47 shorts and 13 features—representing filmmakers from the U.S., Vietnam, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, the Czech Republic, and for the first time, India. The 2025 lineup also highlights a diverse range of directors, with strong representation from women, genderqueer, and mixed-gender filmmaking teams.
Special Events
For more information, please contact Jade Tu, our Hospitality Manager, at jadetu@vaala.org
- Viet Film Fest Trống Đồng Awards GalaSunday, October 12 | 6:30–9:30 PM PST | Bowers Museum, Santa Ana
- Celebrate the achievements of Viet Film Fest 2025 filmmakers at the Trống Đồng Awards Gala. This year, we’re excited to introduce a new Best Cinematography award, alongside honors for Best Actor, Best Actress, Spotlight Award, Inspiration Award, and the Grand Jury: Trống Đồng Award for Best Short and Best Feature—recognizing the artistry and storytelling of the Vietnamese community.
Festival Screenings & Spotlight Presentations
Most screenings will include a filmmakers Q&A post-screening.
Note: Final confirmation of panel participants, timing, and Q&A format is pending. For the complete schedule of all feature and short films, including synopses and screening dates & times, please visit our masterlist here: Feature Film Synopses & Short Film Synopses
Dual Opening Night Screening
Friday, October 10 at 7 PM
- The Ancestral Home (Nhà gia tiên) (2025, Vietnam; dir. Huỳnh Lập) The Ancestral Home (Nhà gia tiên) is a major Vietnamese studio film blending supernatural intrigue with heartfelt family drama. The story centers on Mỹ Tiên (Phương Mỹ Chi), a content creator, who returns to her ancestral home with the sole purpose of finding viral material for her online platforms. However, her quest for digital fame takes an unexpected turn when she encounters the restless ghost of her deceased brother, Gia Minh (Huỳnh Lập, who also directs). To bring peace to Gia Minh’s spirit, Mỹ Tiên reluctantly teams up with him. Their joint mission: to protect the ancestral home, which has become the center of a bitter family dispute. Greedy relatives are pressuring her grandfather to divide the sought after property, completely disregarding its historical and emotional significance to their family’s legacy.
- The Ancestral Home delves into the universal struggle between tradition and practicality, as Mỹ Tiên’s contemporary pursuits collide with ancient beliefs and familial obligations. The film delivers a visually rich experience, drawing upon its deep Vietnamese roots to create a compelling and authentic atmosphere. The emotional story alternates between the comic and the emotional gut punches, with a resonant relationship between the lead and her brother as they find their way through the film’s conflict.
- Detective Kien: The Headless Horror (Thám tử Kiên: Kỳ án không đầu) (2025, Vietnam; dir. Victor Vũ)
- Detective Kien: The Headless Horror (Thám tử Kiên: Kỳ án không đầu), through a mix of classic detective narrative and supernatural horror, brings audiences into a gripping mystery set during Nguyễn Dynasty Vietnam (the 19th century). The film follows the fearless Detective Kien (Quốc Huy) as he grapples with a series of concerning and chilling events that took place in a rural Vietnamese village. Kien must navigate a complex web of clues, suspicious characters, and unsettling local legends to uncover the truth behind a terrifying case. His investigation takes the audience deep into the heart of rural Vietnamese society, where ancient beliefs and tall tales clash with his rational approach – mapping out a thrilling and suspenseful journey.
- Set against the evocative landscapes and cultural rhythms of 19th-century rural Vietnam, Director Victor Vũ (VFF 2013’s Blood Letter, VFF 2015’s Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass)creates a captivating and compelling world that showcases his mastery of storytelling and visual style – complete with carefully-studied period details. With striking color cinematography, the film weaves together the tension of a thriller, lighthearted humor, and horrific violence – all enriched by echoes of traditional Vietnamese superstitions.
Centerpiece Screening
Saturday, October 11 at 7 PM
- The Stringer (2025, United States; dir. Bao Nguyen) – California Premiere
On June 8, 1972, the South Vietnamese Air Force attacked the North Vietnamese-occupied village of Trảng Bàng with napalm. As children fled the scene of the strike, a photojournalist took one of the lasting images of the Vietnam War. That photo, The Terror of War (commonly known as “Napalm Girl”, in reference to then-nine-year-old girl Phan Thị Kim Phúc, who is central in the picture) was quickly published worldwide. It won the Associated Press’ Nick Út the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography. In the years after, Út, who fled Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon, channeled the fame he garnered from the photo into furthering his photojournalism career at the AP and to advocate for peace worldwide. - Bao Nguyen’s The Stringer asks whether the authorship of The Terror of War has been wrong since publication. Nguyen (VFF 2021’s Best Feature winner Be Water), along with his team, investigated these allegations – which began when a former photo editor in the AP’s Saigon bureau reached out to a photo agency, stating that Út did not take the photo. Since premiering at the Sundance Film Festival last January, The Stringer has become a lightning rod of controversy in the world of journalism, including multiple rebuttals from the AP (most recently in May, as of this synopsis’ publication) and a fierce disagreement from Kim Phúc herself.
Retrospective Screening:
Sunday, October 12 at 4 PM
- From Saigon to Dien Bien Phu (Từ Sài Gòn tới Điện Biên Phủ) (1967, South Vietnam; dir. Lê Mộng Hoàng) – Partial Restoration Premiere
In the sultry, neon-lit underworld of a Saigon nightclub, a covert operation unfolds as the Joint Chiefs of Staff mobilize ARVN troops for a secretive mission to Điện Biên Phủ. Kiều Loan/Chiao Luen (Kiều Chinh), an undercover agent posing as a flight attendant, navigates the city’s nightlife to protect the movement of these troops. Her efforts are challenged by Chin Hsia (Chen Chiao), a Chinese spy raised in Vietnam, whose mission directly opposes her own. As both women’s paths collide, a tense rivalry forms – heightened by their shared connection to Major Ngọc Minh (Lê Quỳnh) and the presence of troubled club hostess Lê Hằng (Thẩm Thuý Hằng). What begins as a tale of espionage becomes entangled in emotional and ideological conflict, set against the glamorous backdrop of 1960s Saigon. - From Saigon to Ðiện Biên Phủ is a recently partially restored espionage drama newly digitized from vibrant 35mm Eastmancolor stock, offering a rare glimpse into pre-1975 South Vietnamese cinema. Co-produced with Taiwanese and Hong Kong partners, the film features a notable pan-Asian cast including Kiều Chinh (1993’s The Joy Luck Club, VFF 2007’s Journey from the Fall) and Chen Chiao. This version – found in the basement archives of the My Van Film Studio owners and preserved with the help of the UCLA Film & Television Archive – featured burned-in English and Chinese (in traditional Chinese characters) subtitles, indicating its historical intent for international circulation. As part of the My Van Preservation Project, this screening highlights early regional co-productions and ongoing efforts to revive and preserve the cinematic legacy of Vietnam.
Tickets Information
https://vietfilmfest2025.eventive.org/welcome
????️ Tickets for Viet Film Fest 2025 are now available on Eventive! Enjoy early bird pricing through September 28, with general screenings at $15, special screenings at $18, the Xinêphille Badge (an all film pass) at $150, and tickets to the Trống Đồng Awards Gala at $85.
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About Viet Film Fest: As the largest international Vietnamese film festival in the diaspora, Viet Film Fest showcases the best creative work by and about Vietnamese people. Our award-winning films have been screened in numerous cities and countries. Viet Film Fest was created in 2003 by the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) to celebrate the many stories about Vietnamese people. Through the universal language of film, Viet Film Fest brings together multiple perspectives to expand the horizons of Vietnamese cinema. Viet Film Fest provides a nurturing environment for artists and the public to engage in open dialogue across borders. 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.
About the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA): VAALA was founded in 1991 by a group of Vietnamese American journalists, artists, and friends to fill a void in the community and provide a space for newly resettled immigrant artists to express themselves. VAALA’s mission is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese art and culture. Historically run entirely by volunteers, VAALA is a community-based non-profit organization. Over the years, VAALA has collaborated with diverse community partners to organize numerous cultural and artistic events. VAALA’s four core programs include the annual Viet Film Fest and Viet Book Fest, the Gallery Beyond Walls program featuring art exhibitions, and free art and film workshops for youth, such as Youth in Motion: A Filmmaking Workshop for Emerging Filmmakers.
Poster from Detective Kien: The Headless Horror, Directed by Victor Vu (2025)
Poster from The Stringer, Directed by Bao Nguyen (2025)
Poster from The Ancestral Home (Nhà gia tiên), Directed by Lap Huynh (2025)
Poster from From Saigon to Ðiện Biên Phủ, Directed by Le Mong Hoang (1967)
