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20 Years of Varan – Documentary Filmmaking in Vietnam
The year 2025 marks two decades of the establishment and development of the Varan documentary film workshop in Vietnam – a program that has nurtured the first generation of independent documentary filmmakers in our country. Notably, 2025 also marks 20 years since the workshop was first held in Ho Chi Minh City.
This year’s film screening and symposium series are jointly organized by Varan Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema, and Fulbright University Vietnam, aiming to connect generations of filmmakers and offer students opportunities to explore the storytelling methods of direct cinema documentaries.
SESSION 1 (November 19)
Location: Fulbright University Vietnam
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | November 19, 2025
Topic: Saigon Urban Life
Film Screening:
Tổ ấm – Phan Huỳnh Trang
Xóm Trường Tiền – Nguyễn Việt Anh Thư
SESSION 2 (November 21)
Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema
Screening
Time: 1 – 1:30 PM
Topic: Labor in the City
Films:
Mùa hè nghiêm – Lê Thu Minh
Lân múa – Nguyễn Mộng Long
Những kẻ tập sự – Phạm Thị Hảo
Screening
Time: 2 – 3:15 PM
Topic: Mental Health – Workshop 2024
Films:
Phòng thu bí mật – Nguyễn Thiên Ân
Toàn ơi – Nguyễn Hồ Bảo Nghi
Gió mùa về – Lê Thị Thắm
Symposium: “20 Years of Varan – Documentary Filmmaking in Vietnam”
5:30 PM, November 21
A conversation about the development of direct cinema documentary filmmaking in Vietnam from 2004 to the present.
See you at these special screenings. Registration link here: https://docs.google.com/forms/
Times
Nov 19 | Nov 21, 2025
13:30 – 17:30
Fulbright University Vietnam (Hanoi) | Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema (HCMC)
Other Events
Screening “Looking Back – Reincarnation”
Chuỗi chiếu phim mang tên CinEscape được sinh ra từ một niềm tin: rằng thông qua điện ảnh, những điểm chạm trong cảm xúc sẽ lộ rõ. Rằng chỉ thông qua góc nhìn thị giác, con người mới có thể khai mở các giác quan còn lại, để lục tìm trong quá khứ những giá trị đã làm nên bản chất của họ trong thời đại này.
Screening “Looking Back – Reincarnation”
Chuỗi chiếu phim mang tên CinEscape được sinh ra từ một niềm tin: rằng thông qua điện ảnh, những điểm chạm trong cảm xúc sẽ lộ rõ. Rằng chỉ thông qua góc nhìn thị giác, con người mới có thể khai mở các giác quan còn lại, để lục tìm trong quá khứ những giá trị đã làm nên bản chất của họ trong thời đại này.
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Closing Varan’s 20th Anniversary Film Week
During the exchange, directors Phạm Thị Hảo, Trịnh Đình Lê Minh, Lê Thị Thắm, Nguyễn Thiên Ân, and Nguyễn Hồ Bảo Nghi joined students, faculty, and cinema enthusiasts to look back on Varan's 20-year journey in Vietnam, a path defined by the spirit of direct cinema, the continuity between generations, and reflections on documentary filmmaking.
Closing Varan’s 20th Anniversary Film Week
During the exchange, directors Phạm Thị Hảo, Trịnh Đình Lê Minh, Lê Thị Thắm, Nguyễn Thiên Ân, and Nguyễn Hồ Bảo Nghi joined students, faculty, and cinema enthusiasts to look back on Varan's 20-year journey in Vietnam, a path defined by the spirit of direct cinema, the continuity between generations, and reflections on documentary filmmaking.
FIND OUT
Journey of Learning and Practice
“Journey of Learning and Practice” is the first program marking the cooperation between Varan Vietnam and White Light Cinéhub. In the future, we hope to widely introduce more documentary films produced by Varan Vietnam, along with films from the workshops organized by Ateliers Varan and Varan Vietnam throughout 20 years of operation in Vietnam.
Journey of Learning and Practice
“Journey of Learning and Practice” is the first program marking the cooperation between Varan Vietnam and White Light Cinéhub. In the future, we hope to widely introduce more documentary films produced by Varan Vietnam, along with films from the workshops organized by Ateliers Varan and Varan Vietnam throughout 20 years of operation in Vietnam.
FIND OUT
“Somewhere by the Hospital” documentary film in Vietnam Cinema Week in Paris 2025
"Somewhere by the Hospital" by student Phương Thảo (Thảo Thảo – Varan Course 2024–2025) is the only documentary film among the selected shorts to be screened at the Vietnam Cinema Week in Paris (Vietnam Cinéma à Paris). The event will officially premiere at Le Grand Rex Theatre, Paris, on December 5th.
“Somewhere by the Hospital” documentary film in Vietnam Cinema Week in Paris 2025
"Somewhere by the Hospital" by student Phương Thảo (Thảo Thảo – Varan Course 2024–2025) is the only documentary film among the selected shorts to be screened at the Vietnam Cinema Week in Paris (Vietnam Cinéma à Paris). The event will officially premiere at Le Grand Rex Theatre, Paris, on December 5th.
FIND OUT
