The judges and mentors of the 2026 CJ Short Film Project. — Photo courtesy of CJ CGV Vietnam

HCM CITY — The 2026 CJ Short Film Project, a prominent national contest in the genre, has kicked off in HCM City.

The contest, with the theme Thắp Sáng Ước Mơ – Định Hình Kiệt Tác (Igniting Dreams – Shaping Masterpieces), is expected to discover new talents and nurture young Vietnamese filmmakers, contributing to the sustainable development of the country’s cinema.

Trần Nhất Hoàng, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “The CJ Short Film Project has provided funding for making short films effectively, and has steadfastly supported young filmmakers at every stage of their filmmaking process. It also helped Vietnamese short films gain recognition at more than 60 prestigious international film festivals.”

Hoàng said, “On a national scale, the project has helped bring Việt Nam to the world, gradually establishing a presence and building Việt Nam’s soft power globally in the new era of development.”

Vietnamese filmmakers aged 18-40 are encouraged to send their entries to the contest by July 20 at https://duanphimngancj.cgv.vn. The entries include a short film made within the last three years, an outline for a new film project (excluding animated or documentary films), and a detailed filmmaking plan.

The jury board will choose 10 projects for the presentation and Q&A section on August 6.

The board includes leading Vietnamese directors Phan Đăng Di, Charlie Nguyễn, Trịnh Đình Lê Minh and Trần Thanh Huy, and film producer Trần Thị Bích Ngọc.

In addition, producer and actress Kaity Nguyễn will accompany the judges on the presentation round to select the five projects for the filmmaking round.

As an experienced young artist, Kaity is expected to bring practical evaluations, helping contestants refine their ideas and enhance their ability to bring projects to life.

The actress expects to see entirely new ideas and scripts, adding that if any project at the contest impresses her, she truly hopes to have the opportunity to work with the contestants.

Kaity rose to fame after appearing in Em Chưa 18 (Jailbait), a drama-comedy hit directed by Lê Thanh Sơn, which helped her win Best Film Actress at the Việt Nam Film Festival 2017 presented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. 

The actress has also performed in blockbusters such as Tiệc Trăng Máu (Moon Blood Party) by Nguyễn Quang Dũng, Người Vợ Cuối Cùng (The Last Wife) by director Victor Vũ, and Tử Chiến Trên Không (Hijacked) by Hàm Trần.

Giấc Mơ Là Ốc Sên (The Dream is a Snail), directed by Nguyễn Thiên Ân, one of the five winners at the 2025 CJ Short Film Project, competes for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May. — Still photo taken from the trailer

The five finalists will be given VNĐ300 million (US$11,445) each to make the films, receive technical and post-production support from HK Film, and join a training course on production planning, directing and film editing with experts from the Korean Film Council and the Korean Academy of Film Arts.

They will be mentored by the judges and director Phạm Ngọc Lân, the winner of the contest’s first season, during the filmmaking process.

Lân, who won Best Film of International Competition Fiction & Documentary at the 16th VIS Vienna Shorts Festival in Austria in 2023 with his short film Một Khu Đất Tốt (Blessed Land), will also help them with dossiers for submitting films to international film festivals.

The winning productions are expected to premiere in December.

The CJ Short Film Project was initiated by the CJ Cultural Foundation and CJ CGV Vietnam in 2018 to nurture emerging filmmakers and showcase their works at top international film festivals.

Jeong Jiyoung, CEO of CJ CGV Vietnam, said: “Through the CJ Short Film Project, we hope to continue building a sustainable talent development ecosystem. It provides young filmmakers the opportunity to access film production funding, specialised training, and consultation from leading film experts throughout the filmmaking process, as well as during the stage of submitting works to international competitions.”

Giấc Mơ Là Ốc Sên (The Dream is a Snail), directed by Nguyễn Thiên Ân, one of the five winners at the 2025 CJ Short Film Project, premiered at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May. It competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or, one of the festival’s most prestigious awards for short-form filmmaking. — VNS