Building a successful film hub requires more than outstanding films or prestigious film festivals. At its core, it requires a thriving film ecosystem—one in which events, education, and support are interconnected and work together to nurture talent, transform ideas into reality, and engage the wider community in cinema.
This ecosystem-based approach has also been adopted by many UNESCO Creative Cities of Film, which view cinema not simply as an industry focused on film production, but as a dynamic cultural ecosystem that integrates creativity, education, and community participation.
For Ho Chi Minh City, this vision is gradually taking shape through the HCM Film City initiative. Rather than developing isolated activities, the project aims to establish an integrated ecosystem built upon three closely connected pillars: Events – Education – Support. Each pillar serves a distinct purpose while collectively contributing to a common goal: developing creative talent, expanding public participation, and fostering the sustainable growth of the city's film industry.
1. The First Pillar: Events – Creating Spaces that Connect the Film Community
Every creative ecosystem needs spaces where ideas can meet, be exchanged, and inspire new collaborations.
In recent years, Ho Chi Minh City has steadily developed a diverse calendar of film-related events, creating fresh momentum for its creative community. One notable example is the Ho Chi Minh City Short Film Festival, which brings together emerging filmmakers, industry professionals, producers, and film enthusiasts through screenings, panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions, and networking activities.
Opening Ceremony of the 2nd Ho Chi Minh City Short Film Festival 2026
What makes these events particularly valuable is that they extend beyond simply showcasing films. They create opportunities for filmmakers to connect with investors, mentors, cultural organizations, and audiences. These interactions help build collaborative networks—an essential component of every successful creative industry.
At the same time, bringing film-related activities into public spaces—from photography exhibitions to community engagement programs—expands public access to culture, nurtures new audiences, and gradually shapes the identity of a creative city.
2. The Second Pillar: Education – Investing in Long-Term Creative Capacity
If events bring vitality to the ecosystem, education provides the foundation for its long-term sustainability.
International experience demonstrates that successful film hubs consistently invest in arts education and talent development from an early age. A sustainable film industry depends not only on today's professionals but also on future generations equipped with creativity, artistic appreciation, and storytelling skills.
With this vision, Ho Chi Minh City has launched the Cinema in Schools initiative, bringing film education into schools through hands-on experiences, discussions with industry professionals, opportunities to learn about filmmaking, and the Short Video Competition for High School Students.
Film screening program held at a local high school
The value of this initiative extends far beyond teaching students how to make films. More importantly, it helps develop critical thinking, observation skills, teamwork, creative expression, and empathy through the art of visual storytelling.
From a strategic perspective, investing in film education is also an investment in creative human capital—the foundation of future competitiveness within the cultural and creative industries.
3. The Third Pillar: Support – Turning Ideas into Real Projects
In filmmaking, creative ideas only achieve their full value when they are given the opportunity to grow into completed works.
For this reason, alongside organizing events and promoting education, HCM Film City is committed to building support mechanisms for emerging filmmakers.
One of its flagship initiatives is Short Form Film Lab HCMC, a project development program where creative teams work closely with experienced mentors, receive professional feedback, refine their screenplays, and strengthen their project development skills.
Short Form Film Lab HCMC – Emerging Filmmakers Incubator Program
Unlike traditional competitions, the Film Lab model emphasizes continuous mentorship rather than one-time awards. Participants gain access not only to expert guidance but also to professional networks, industry connections, and opportunities that support the long-term development of their projects.
This approach reflects the direction taken by many leading film centers around the world: instead of simply identifying talent, they create environments where talent can continuously develop.
4. Three Pillars, One Integrated Ecosystem
The strength of HCM Film City lies not in any single activity, but in the connections between its three pillars.
Events create opportunities for networking and inspiration
Education develops creative skills while broadening participation among younger generations
Support programs help transform promising ideas into viable creative projects
Together, these three pillars reinforce one another, creating a continuous cycle of inspiration – education – support – collaboration – growth. As a result, the ecosystem produces not only new films but also a resilient creative community capable of continuous innovation and self-development.
The three pillars that strengthen Ho Chi Minh City's City of Film ecosystem
Ho Chi Minh City's membership in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Film is more than recognition of its existing strengths. It also represents a commitment to implementing a long-term development strategy that places people, community, and creativity at its core.
Viewed from this perspective, the Events – Education – Support ecosystem is more than an operational framework for a single project—it is the development model of a modern City of Film.
When events inspire communities, education nurtures future generations, and support programs empower creative talent, cinema becomes more than the work of industry professionals. It becomes an essential part of urban cultural life.
This is the foundation upon which HCM Film City is steadily advancing toward its vision of establishing Ho Chi Minh City as a leading creative film hub in the region—a city where cinema not only generates artistic value but also drives innovation, strengthens the cultural and creative industries, and enriches the quality of life for its communities.