Viet Culture in Motion 2026: launch of the short documentary film festival in Paris

The international documentary short film festival Viet Culture in Motion 2026 opened on the evening of June 11 at the Saint-André des Arts cinema in Paris, marking the launch of a series of screenings and film meetings which will take place in several European cities until July 5.

>> “Viet Culture in Motion”: a unique festival dedicated to Vietnamese culture launched in Europe

This initiative highlights the commitment of the young Vietnamese generation and those of Vietnamese origin to discover the culture and people of the country through documentary cinema.

The international documentary short film festival Viet Culture in Motion 2026 opened on June 11 in Paris.

Photo: Comité d’organisation/CVN

The festival relies on a jury made up of directors, screenwriters and cultural actors from Vietnam and abroad. Among them are Trinh Quang Tung, deputy general director of the Central Studio of Documentary and Scientific Films of Vietnam, French director and actor Stéphane Ly-Cuong, as well as Paul Abela, audiovisual attaché of the French embassy. From more than 100 works received, the organizers selected the 25 best films, screened during 14 screenings organized in Paris and Lorient (France), Prague (Czech Republic) and Brussels (Belgium).

The particularity of this festival lies in the fact that all the selected works were made by young filmmakers under 30, some of whom are under 18. In addition, the entire program is managed by Vietnamese teenagers and of Vietnamese origin living in several countries, Mostly aged 14 to 20 and members of the international Toucher Arts project.

The films present various aspects of contemporary Vietnamese life and culture, such as the daily life of traditional theater artists behind the scenes, the journey of a teacher in a high mountain area, the preservation of traditional weaving by women of the Ta Oi ethnic group, or even a discovery of Hanoi through the five senses. Before the opening, the program was presented in more than 35 schools and universities in Vietnam.

As soon as reservations opened, the four sessions planned in Paris were sold out, bringing together more than 600 spectators, including French citizens, members of the Vietnamese community, students and researchers.

The director of the Vietnam Cultural Center in France, Ä inh Ngoc Duc, praised the work of the teams, stressing that cinema constitutes an effective means of presenting the national culture to expatriate compatriots as well as to the French public.

For their part, the members of the jury expressed their enthusiasm. Stéphane Ly-Cuong indicated that these short films allowed him, as a Frenchman of Vietnamese origin, to discover local customs from a new angle. Anne Le Van Ra, for her part, expressed her surprise to see such young directors interested in traditional themes and popular arts.

VNA/CVN