Overview
The Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (HIFF) is Vietnam's newest international film festival. The inaugural edition ran April 6 to 13, 2024, organized by the Ho Chi Minh City government and private events company Vietfest. HIFF was made possible by a recent change to Vietnam's Cinema Law that allows local city governments to host film festivals for the first time. The festival attracted over 300 works and projects in all genres from 29 countries and territories, with over 200 international and Vietnamese guests participating.
The 2025 edition was postponed. The HIFF Organizing Committee announced that Ho Chi Minh City needed to focus resources on multiple national anniversary events in 2025, including the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of Southern Vietnam and National Reunification (April 30, 2025), the 135th Birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 2025), and the 80th National Day (September 2, 2025). The city also co-hosted the 24th Vietnam Film Festival in November 2025 in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. HIFF will return in 2026, with specific dates and details to be announced through official channels.
HIFF is distinct from the Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF), which was founded in 2010 as the first international film festival in Vietnam and is organized by the national Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. HIFF is organized at the municipal level by Ho Chi Minh City, which was recognized by UNESCO as a global creative city for cinema.
Submission Details
HIFF's submission process for the 2026 edition had not been publicly detailed as of early 2026. Based on the 2024 inaugural edition:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Submission Platform | Official website (hiff.vn) |
| Eligibility | Southeast Asian films (competition); international films (non-competition and First/Second Film category) |
| Competition Categories | Southeast Asian Feature Film; First or Second Film (international); Short Film |
| Non-Competition Categories | Vietnam Panorama Selection; HCMC on Screen Selection; Cinematic Crossroads |
| Organizers | Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Vietfest |
| Website | hiff.vn |
Competition Categories
The 2024 inaugural edition featured three competition categories:
- Southeast Asian Feature Film Competition - the festival's top competitive section, open to feature films from Southeast Asian countries. The highest prize is the Golden Star Award for Best Southeast Asian Film.
- Best First or Second Film Competition - open to filmmakers' first or second feature films from outside Southeast Asia. In 2024, this category was won by two films: City of Wind (Mongolia, directed by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir) and Night Courier (Saudi Arabia, directed by Ali Kalthami).
- Short Film Competition - international short films. In 2024, Leila (Sweden, directed by Fariba Haidari) won Best Short Film, with Alien 0089 (Chile/Argentina, directed by Valeria Hofmann) receiving the Jury Prize.
Non-Competition Categories
- Vietnam Panorama Selection - curated selection of Vietnamese cinema
- HCMC on Screen Selection - films tied to Ho Chi Minh City, its culture, and its people
- Cinematic Crossroads: Spotlight on a City/Country - films from cities or countries with significant connections to Ho Chi Minh City
Awards and Prizes
HIFF 2024 presented awards across the following categories:
Competition Awards:
- Golden Star Award (Best Southeast Asian Film) - the festival's top prize. 2024 winner: The Gospel of the Beast (Philippines, directed by Sheron Dayoc)
- Best First or Second Film - 2024 winners: City of Wind (Mongolia) and Night Courier (Saudi Arabia)
- Best Short Film - 2024 winner: Leila (Sweden)
- Best Short Film Jury Prize - 2024 winner: Alien 0089 (Chile/Argentina)
Individual Awards (within Southeast Asian competition):
- Best Director - 2024 winner: Chee Sum Chia, Oasis of Now (Malaysia)
- Best Screenplay - 2024 winner: Nicole Midori Woodford, Last Shadow at First Light (Singapore/Japan/Slovenia)
- Best Cinematography - 2024 winner: Hideho Urata, Last Shadow at First Light
- Best Editing - 2024 winner: Hendra Adhi Sussanto, 13 Bombs (Indonesia)
- Best Sound Design - 2024 winner: Wahyu Tri Pournomo, 13 Bombs (Indonesia)
- Best Original Score - 2024 winner: Yuji Watanabe, Blue Imagine (Japan/Philippines)
- Best Production Design - 2024 winner: Jean-Sien Kin, Tenement (Cambodia)
- Best Visual Effects - 2024 winner: Laokoon VFX, Last Shadow at First Light
- Best Actress - 2024 winner: Ta Thi Diu, Oasis of Now (Vietnam)
- Best Actor - 2024 winner: Mark Lee, Wonderland (Singapore)
- Best Supporting Actress - 2024 winner: Rawipa Srisanguan, Solids By The Seashore (Thailand)
- Best Supporting Actor - 2024 winner: Peter Yu, Wonderland (Singapore)
Non-Competition Award:
- Best Ho Chi Minh City Film - 2024 winner: Song Lang
Cash prize amounts for the 2024 edition were not publicly listed. The festival's industry value for Southeast Asian filmmakers is the Golden Star Award recognition and the platform it provides for regional visibility.
What Filmmakers Should Know
For Southeast Asian Filmmakers
HIFF's top competition category is reserved for Southeast Asian feature films. The Golden Star Award is the festival's highest honor and provides regional visibility within ASEAN cinema. If your film is from a Southeast Asian country (Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei), this is the primary competitive category to target.
The 2024 Golden Star winner The Gospel of the Beast (Philippines) and the multiple individual awards won by Last Shadow at First Light (Singapore/Japan/Slovenia) demonstrate that HIFF recognizes work from across the ASEAN region, not only Vietnamese productions.
For International Filmmakers
International filmmakers (non-Southeast Asian) can compete in the Best First or Second Film category, which is open to first and second features from outside the region. In 2024, this category was won by films from Mongolia and Saudi Arabia, indicating broad international scope. The Short Film competition is also open internationally.
For established international filmmakers with third or subsequent features, HIFF's competitive options are limited. The non-competition categories (Vietnam Panorama, HCMC on Screen, Cinematic Crossroads) may be accessible for films with Vietnamese or Southeast Asian themes.
2026 Return and Verification
HIFF was postponed in 2025 and will return in 2026. As of early 2026, specific dates, submission deadlines, and category details for HIFF 2026 had not been announced. Filmmakers should monitor hiff.vn for the official announcement. The Organizing Committee has stated that HIFF 2026 will include "enhanced programs and activities."
The 2025 postponement was caused by the concentration of national anniversary events in Ho Chi Minh City, not by any reduction in the festival's commitment. The city's co-hosting of the 24th Vietnam Film Festival in November 2025 demonstrates continued government investment in cinema events.
Industry and Conference Programming
The inaugural HIFF included a conference on film investment, with registration available for industry professionals. The festival organized seminars, exhibitions, and exchanges between artists, film crews, and audiences. The industry programming is designed to position Ho Chi Minh City as a regional creative hub, leveraging its UNESCO Creative City designation.
The festival's organizational team includes executive director Pham Minh Toan, deputy executive director Do Hoa, artistic director Nguyen Vinh Son, deputy artistic director Aaron Toronto, with Anderson Le as head of programming. This team structure indicates both Vietnamese and international programming perspectives.
Practical Considerations
Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's largest city and economic center, accessible via Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN). The city has extensive accommodation options across price ranges. Vietnam requires visas for most international visitors, though the e-visa system has streamlined the process for many nationalities.
The festival's 2024 edition ran 8 days (April 6 to 13), suggesting a similar duration for 2026. The 2024 edition used multiple venues across the city, though specific venue details were not prominently published.
Festival History
HIFF was founded in 2024 as the first international film festival in Ho Chi Minh City, enabled by a change to Vietnam's Cinema Law that allowed local city governments to host film festivals. Previously, only the national Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism organized international film festivals in Vietnam, primarily through the Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF, founded 2010).
The inaugural edition was organized by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and Vietfest, a private events company that also organizes music, design, and manga festivals in Vietnam. The festival attracted 300+ submissions from 29 countries and territories, with 200+ international and Vietnamese guests attending.
The 2025 postponement was announced by the HIFF Organizing Committee, citing the need to concentrate city resources on multiple national anniversary events. The committee emphasized that HIFF would return in 2026 with enhanced programming and reaffirmed its commitment to building HIFF as a recognized brand connecting Vietnamese cinema to the global film industry.
Ho Chi Minh City's UNESCO Creative City designation for cinema, received in 2024, provides institutional support for HIFF's long-term development. The festival aims to establish Ho Chi Minh City as one of the region's leading creative hubs and to promote Vietnamese culture and art internationally.
Past Winners
HIFF has held only one edition as of early 2026. The inaugural 2024 competition awarded prizes across three categories.
HIFF 2024 (1st edition, April 6 to 13, 2024):
- Golden Star Award (Best Southeast Asian Film): The Gospel of the Beast (Philippines), directed by Sheron Dayoc. The film also won the Young Critics Award in the same section.
- Southeast Asian Film Jury Prize: Last Shadow at First Light (Singapore/Japan/Slovenia), directed by Nicole Midori Woodford, and Alien 0089 (Chile/Argentina), directed by Valeria Hofmann.
- Best First or Second Film: City of Wind (Mongolia), directed by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, and Night Courier (Saudi Arabia), directed by Ali Kalthami.
- Best Short Film: Leila (Sweden), directed by Fariba Haidari.
- Best Short Film Jury Prize: Alien 0089 (Chile/Argentina), directed by Valeria Hofmann.
- Best Director: Chee Sum Chia for Oasis of Now (Malaysia).
- Best Actress: Ta Thi Diu for Oasis of Now (Vietnam).
- Best Actor: Mark Lee for Wonderland (Singapore).
- Best Supporting Actress: Rawipa Srisanguan for Solids By The Seashore (Thailand).
- Best Supporting Actor: Peter Yu for Wonderland (Singapore).
- Best Ho Chi Minh City Film: Song Lang (Vietnam), directed by Leon Le.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
Several films that screened at HIFF 2024 had significant festival runs before and after the event:
- *The Gospel of the Beast* (2023, Philippines, dir. Sheron Dayoc) - World premiered in competition at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2023. Won the Golden Star Award at HIFF 2024, plus the Young Critics Award. After HIFF, it won Best Feature Narrative at the 17th Bali International Film Festival 2024 and Best Supporting Actor for Ronnie Lazaro at the 2024 Gawad Urian (Philippine Critics Award). It screened at the International Film Festival of India in Goa, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, and the Sinag Maynila Film Festival. International sales are handled by Diversion, a Thailand-based sales agent. Director Dayoc is an alumnus of the 2011 Sundance Institute and the Asian Film Academy 2008.
- *City of Wind* (2023, Mongolia, dir. Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir) - World premiered in the Orizzonti section at the 80th Venice Film Festival in August 2023, where newcomer Tergel Bold-Erdene won Best Actor. Screened at Toronto (Centrepiece), Busan, Marrakech, and the Osaka Asian Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. Won Best First or Second Film at HIFF 2024. Tergel Bold-Erdene also won Best Newcomer at the Asian Film Awards. International sales are handled by Best Friend Forever, with French distribution by Arizona Distribution. The film was Mongolia's submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.
- *Last Shadow at First Light* (2023, Singapore/Japan/Slovenia, dir. Nicole Midori Woodford) - World premiered in the New Directors competition at the 71st San Sebastian Film Festival in September 2023. Won four awards at HIFF 2024: Jury Prize, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Hideho Urata), and Best Visual Effects (Laokoon VFX). Was nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Performance at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2023. The project was developed at TorinoFilmLab FeatureLab, SEAFIC Southeast Asian Fiction Lab, and the SGIFF Southeast Asian Film Lab. Produced by Jeremy Chua's Potocol (Singapore) with co-producers from Japan, Slovenia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
- *Song Lang* (2018, Vietnam, dir. Leon Le) - Received the Best Ho Chi Minh City Film award at HIFF 2024. The film had already accumulated over 30 international awards since its 2018 release, making it the Vietnamese film with the most international awards at the time. It won the Golden Lotus Prize for Best Feature Film at the 21st Vietnam Film Festival and the Silver Kite Prize at the 2018 Kite Awards. Internationally, it won the Audience Award for Best Feature at Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. It was commercially released in Japan and the United States and is available on Fandango.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
HIFF has held only one edition, so submission patterns are based on the 2024 inaugural edition. The 2026 edition's specific rules had not been announced as of early 2026. Filmmakers should monitor hiff.vn for the official call.
For Southeast Asian filmmakers, the Golden Star Award competition is the primary target. Your film must be a feature from a Southeast Asian country (Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, or Brunei). The 2024 edition drew over 300 submissions from 29 countries, so competition is significant for a first edition.
For international filmmakers outside Southeast Asia, the Best First or Second Film category is the main competitive entry point. This category is restricted to first or second feature films. If you are on your third or subsequent feature, your competitive options at HIFF are limited. The 2024 winners in this category came from Mongolia and Saudi Arabia, showing the category's global scope.
The Short Film competition is open internationally. The 2024 winner came from Sweden and the Jury Prize winner was a Chile/Argentina co-production, confirming that this category is not regionally restricted.
Non-competition categories offer another pathway. The HCMC on Screen Selection is for films tied to Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnam Panorama Selection is for Vietnamese cinema. The Cinematic Crossroads section highlights films from cities or countries with connections to Ho Chi Minh City. If your film has a Vietnamese or Southeast Asian thematic connection, these sections may be accessible.
The festival's organizational structure includes both Vietnamese and international programming perspectives. Head of programming Anderson Le also programs the Hawaii International Film Festival, which suggests HIFF may favor films that have already gained traction on the Asian festival circuit. Having your film premiere at a prior major festival (Venice, Toronto, San Sebastian, Tokyo) appears to be a common pathway to HIFF selection, based on the 2024 winners.
Cash prize amounts were not publicly listed for the 2024 edition. Filmmakers should not assume substantial cash awards and should instead value HIFF for its regional visibility and networking opportunities within the ASEAN film community.
Industry Reputation Notes
HIFF is a new festival with only one completed edition as of early 2026. It lacks the history and institutional track record of established Southeast Asian festivals like Busan (founded 1996) or Tokyo (founded 1985). However, its government backing at the municipal level and Ho Chi Minh City's UNESCO Creative City designation for cinema give it a foundation that purely private festivals lack.
The festival is distinct from HANIFF (Hanoi, founded 2010), which is organized by the national Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. HIFF is organized at the city level by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and Vietfest. This municipal level of organization is unusual for an international film festival and was enabled by a 2023 change to Vietnam's Cinema Law.
The 2025 postponement was a significant signal. The festival paused after only one edition due to competing national anniversary events in Ho Chi Minh City. While the Organizing Committee committed to returning in 2026, the postponement demonstrated that HIFF's scheduling is vulnerable to government priorities. Filmmakers should not assume annual continuity.
The programming team's international connections are a strength. Head of programming Anderson Le brings experience from the Hawaii International Film Festival. Deputy artistic director Aaron Toronto is a Vietnam-based American filmmaker. Artistic director Nguyen Vinh Son is a veteran Vietnamese animator. This blend suggests HIFF aims for both regional authenticity and international relevance.
The closing night screening of Wim Wenders' Perfect Days in 2024, attended by the film's co-producers, signals that HIFF wants to associate with prestige international cinema. The festival's use of the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House for its closing ceremony indicates ambition in presentation quality.
HIFF's long-term reputation will depend on the 2026 edition. If the festival returns with enhanced programming and establishes a consistent schedule, it could become a meaningful stop on the Southeast Asian festival circuit. If further postponements occur, its credibility will suffer. Filmmakers should treat HIFF as a promising but unproven platform.
Watch
See Also
Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For Southeast Asian festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For the Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF), Vietnam's biennial international festival, see HANIFF. For the Vietnam Film Festival, the national cinema festival, see Vietnam Film Festival. Visit the official website.
