VIFF coming to Little Saigon and name change to Viet Film Fest

From VAALA

Anaheim, CA – Organizers of the Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF), the nation’s premier film festival showcasing films by, for, and about the Vietnamese people and culture, announced today that they are changing their name to “Viet Film Fest,” making the event annual with screenings spanning four days instead of the previous biennial festival lasting for eight days. The screening location is also being moved closer to Little Saigon.

Viet Film Fest Poster

Changing the name and shifting it to an annual event comes ten years after the festival was founded in 2003.  “We made this decision because of the growth in Vietnamese cinema, which the festival has helped to expand by providing a high profile platform to showcase these films,” said Ysa Le, Co-Director for the new Viet Film Fest. “Changing our name has the dual purpose of highlighting our mission as well as avoiding confusion with other film festivals who share the acronym ‘VIFF.'”  She continues, “Screening the films over four consecutive days allows for filmmakers, producers, actors, and film industry people who fly in from around the country and the world more opportunities to network.”

The festival’s vision of celebrating the diversity of our communities by bringing together a multiplicity of perspectives and voices through the universal language of cinema remains unchanged.  Viet Film Fest is committed to expanding the horizons of Vietnamese cinema by providing a nurturing environment for artists to engage in meaningful dialogue with an international community.  It also serves as an important educational tool for learning about the historical and contemporary experiences of the Vietnamese in the United States and throughout the world.

Tram Le, Co-Director of Viet Film Fest, remarks, “Our goal in rebranding the festival is to support the filmmakers as well as to expand the audience for Vietnamese cinema.”  She adds, “Moving the festival closer to Little Saigon also maximizes the accessibility of the festival to the local Vietnamese community.”

Transitioning to the new name and design, including rebranding social media and other marketing material, will take place over the next six month as the organizers prepare for the seventh edition of the festival planned for April 10 – 13, 2014 at UltraLuxe Cinemas at Anaheim GardenWalk.

Viet Film Fest logo

About VAALA

Founded in 1991 by a group of Vietnamese American journalists, artists and friends, the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) is a community-based, 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.  VAALA has organized numerous cultural events such as art exhibitions, book fairs, book signings, recitals, plays, lectures, year-long art and music classes, the annual Viet Film Fest, and annual Children’s Moon Festival Art Contest.