Viet Film Fest 2026 at Frida Cinema Santa Ana

Viet Film Fest 2026 opens Thursday, October 8, at The Frida Cinema, 305 E. 4th Street in Santa Ana. In-person screenings run through Sunday, October 11. The virtual festival follows October 12–25. Tickets are on Eventive through the festival site.

VAALA, the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association, has run the festival since 2003. It bills this edition as the largest international Vietnamese film festival in the diaspora, and expands the in-person stretch to four days after shorter past years. The 2026 slate lists 64 films, including a record 20 features and 44 shorts, from thirteen countries: the United States, Vietnam, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, and Taiwan. Most in-person shows plan a filmmaker Q&A after the screening.

Opening night is A Little Dream of Me (Cảm ơn người đã thức cùng tôi) on October 8 at 7 p.m., a Vietnam musical about a young woman chasing stage dreams with her father cheering her on. Friday's Trống Đồng Awards Gala is at Bowers Museum from 7 to 10 p.m., where Vietnamese American actor and director Dustin Nguyen receives the Inspiration Award. Saturday holds the "Free to Love" shorts program with an LGBTQIA+ panel in partnership with OC Pride, then the centerpiece documentary Y Vân: The Lost Sounds of Saigon at 6 p.m. Closing night is Leon Le's Ky Nam Inn on Sunday at 4 p.m. An encore of Phuong Mai Nguyen's animated feature In Waves, with Stephanie Hsu in the English-language cast, returns to Frida on October 23 at 7 p.m.

Regular screenings are listed at $17 after early bird ended September 19, with special screenings at $20. The Trống Đồng gala is $125. A weekend pass covers October 10–11 films, and the Xinêphille Badge covers in-person and online. Refresh Eventive for live inventory before you drive to Fourth Street.

Frida sits in downtown Santa Ana, a short hop from Little Saigon in Westminster and Garden Grove. That geography is the practical win. You can screen, eat in the neighborhood, and get home without treating the festival like a Los Angeles day trip. Pair a Saturday matinee with a bowl in Little Saigon if you want the full Orange County diaspora loop.

Who this is for: Vietnamese American film fans in OC and LA who want Q&As in the room, and diaspora viewers elsewhere who will use the October 12–25 online window. The awards gala is the dressier buy if you want one ticket that feels like a night out. Skip the gala if you only care about features; the Sunday closer and Saturday centerpiece carry more cinema weight.

Our take: if you are in Orange County this weekend, start with opening night or the Saturday centerpiece, then use the online window for anything you miss. Book before you leave home. Frida seats go faster than the parking lot suggests.

When: October 8–11, 2026 in person; October 12–25 online
Where: The Frida Cinema, 305 E. 4th Street, Santa Ana

Tickets and schedule on vietfilmfest.com and Eventive.