Vietnam-themed short documentary festival opens doors to international entries
The festival targets filmmakers under 30, including students and young creatives exploring documentary filmmaking.
THE HANOI TIMES — A new international short documentary film festival dedicated exclusively to Vietnamese culture has opened for submissions, marking a first on the global cultural and cinematic landscape.
Titled “Viet Culture in Motion”, the festival organized by ART SPACE, a France-based association promoting cultural development, is positioned as the world’s first film event dedicated solely to exploring Vietnamese culture through documentary cinema.
The poster of the Viet Culture in Motion Documentary Film Festival 2026
Selected films will be screened in several European countries, including France, Czech Republic and Belgium, to bring contemporary Vietnamese stories to international audiences.
The festival targets filmmakers under the age of 30, including non-professionals such as high school and university students, as well as young creatives interested in experimenting with documentary filmmaking.
Candidates are encouraged to present fresh, original and unconventional perspectives on Vietnam to a global audience.
Entries are accepted in two categories, namely short documentaries under 10 minutes and those under 40 minutes, with submissions open from January 16 to April 5 and results announced in late May.
Winning and selected films will be screened from June 11 to July 5 at cinemas in Paris and Lorient, Prague and Brussels, alongside art exhibitions, professional exchanges and cultural dialogue programs.
Director and Meritorious Artist Trinh Quang Tung, Head of the festival’s jury, said the event offers a chance to engage with a new generation of documentary filmmakers, noting that each film reflects its creator’s ideas and aspirations and provides insight into how young people approach documentary storytelling today.
Paul Abela, Audiovisual Attaché at the French Embassy in Vietnam, said he is honored to support the initiative and looked forward to discovering emerging voices and accompanying young filmmakers in their creative journeys.
"Viet Culture in Motion" is part of the broader Toucher Arts initiative, which aims to bring Vietnamese stories to global audiences through young creators’ perspectives, with support from cultural, educational and artistic partners in Vietnam and abroad.
