VIFF

Cinema Symposium

Cinema Symposium was created in 2002 by VAALA (Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) and VNLC (Vietnamese Language & Culture) and held every other year at UCLA to create a network between Vietnamese American professionals working in the film industry and students with an interest in film and the Vietnamese culture. The Cinema Symposium is held alternating between the bi-annual Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF). It seeks to promote works that are by or about Vietnamese Americans. The event also highlights the achievements of professionals in front of and behind the camera. Their accomplishments in this highly competitive industry help pave the way for other Vietnamese Americans and are an inspiration to many in the community at large.

This year's Cinema Symposium will be hosted at UCLA in Spring 2009. This year Operation Greenlight: Breaking into the World of Vietnamese Cinema is sponsoring a short film competition in conjunction with Cinema Symposium, Hidden Genius. Learn more about the competition and the upcoming event here.

See http://www.vaala.org/ for more information!

Vietnamese International Film Festival

Founded in 2003, the Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) is a biennial event presented jointly by Vietnamese Language and Culture and the Vietnamese-American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA), showcasing the talent of Vietnamese filmmakers from around the world. Over the course of eight days, this festival presents a wide range of short and feature-length films that celebrate the Vietnamese narrative and provide important perspectives on issues facing people of Vietnamese heritage today. Past entries have included The Rebel, Journey From the Fall, and Saigon U.S.A. The fourth annual Vietnamese International Film Festival took place on April 2009, with showings in UC Irvine, UCLA, and Westminster, CA.

To learn more, go to http://www.vietfilmfest.com/2009!