01

Võõrad / Unfamiliars (short film)

A revelation of secrets and tensions that threaten to destroy a whole family.

When a mother, a daughter, and her boyfriend visit an empty apartment that once belonged to a dead loved one, they reveal secrets and tensions that threaten to destroy the whole family.

Director: Lauri Elstelä
Screenwriter: Chinh Van Tran
Producer: Nevena Semova

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18952654/

Festivals:

  • In The Palace International Short Film Festival (Bulgaria)
  • Golden FEMI Film Festival (Bulgaria)
  • Lulea International Film Festival (Sweden)
  • FEST – New Directors New Films Festival (Portugal)

To watch the film, drop me an email at vchinh.tr@gmail.com.

02

Terminal Happiness (short film)

In a world where positivity is compulsory, cancer patients must go through Happy Therapy to learn how to be happy.

Genre: Sci-fi, drama

In a world where positivity is compulsory and cancer patients must go through Happy Therapy to learn how to be happy, an impressionable girl needs to choose between following the rules or embracing how she really feels.

Director: Eric Romero
Producer: Mauricio Tunaroza
Writer: Chinh Van Tran

Screenings & Awards:

  • Berlin Sci-fi Filmfest 2021 (Germany) – Best Drama Short
  • 47th Filmets Badalona Short Film Festival (Spain) – Best Badalona Short Film
  • PÖFF Shorts 2020 (Estonia) – Official Selection
  • EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2020 (Poland) – Official Selection Student Etudes Panorama
  • 41st VGIK International Student Festival (Russia) – Official Selection
  • Balticon Sunday Short Science Fiction Film Festival 2021 (USA) – Official Selection
  • INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL – PUBLICYSTYKA 2021 (Poland) – Official Selection
  • Skiptown Playhouse International Film Festival 2021 (USA) – Official Selection
  • Festival de cine de Cartagena 2021 (Spain) – Official Selection
  • Caminhos Festival Cinema 2021 (Portugal) – Official Selection
  • Vaughan Film Festival 2022 (Canada) – Official Selection
  • Scottish Short Film Festival 2022 (Scotland) – Official Selection

You can find the teaser for the short and the full script below.

This short film is also the basis of Be Happy, or Else!, a six-part mini-series currently in development about a world where positivity has become the rule.

To watch the full short film, drop me a line: vchinh.tr@gmail.com

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12359058/

03

Checkpoint (short film)

A solitary soldier discovers an unexpected connection with a little girl.

Genre: Drama

A war-torn area. A solitary military checkpoint. A soldier stands guard alone, the only soul between two conflicting areas. Amidst the oppressive and desolate landscape, he discovers an unexpected connection with a little girl.

Director: Juulia Kalavainen
Writer: Chinh Van Tran

Screenings & Awards:

  • Tampere Film Festival 2020, Finland – Official Selection (National Category)
  • Manlleu Film Festival 2019, Spain – Official Selection (International Category)
  • Short Film Days Thalmässing 2021, Germany – Winner, Horizonte Special Prize
  • Online Global Peace Film Festival 2019, USA – Official Selection
  • European Film Festival 2020, Ghana – Official Selection
  • 17th International Football Film Festival Berlin 2020, Germany
  • Short of the Year 2020, Spain – Special Jury Mention 
  • Zeichen der Nacht Festival 2020, Germany – International Short Film Competition
  • Porto Femme International Film Festival 2020, Portugal – Official Selection, National Competition

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9875746/

To watch the film, drop a line at vchinh.tr@gmail.com

04

Nas Daily Videos (social media)

The story about a village in Kenya where only women can enter.

From 2020-2021 I was a Script Writer for Nas Daily to write scripts about amazing brands, humans, and causes all over the world. The Nas Daily page has 20 million followers worldwide, and our videos have gained an average of 5-10 Million views per video.

We reach out to individuals and groups who are championing social issues and make videos about them to give them a voice and bring their work to the world’s attention.

Here are some highlights of the work I have done for Nas Daily.


The Village With No Men – 15 Million Views
The story about a village in Kenya where only women can enter.


He Made A Floating Hotel Out Of Trash – 21 Million Views
The story about a French man who created a floating hotel in the Ivory Coast out of plastic bottles he collected on the coast.


World’s Oldest Tattoo Artist – 25 Million Views
The story about Whang Od, the world’s oldest tattoo artist at 103 years old who lives in a remote village in Buscalan and who uses the traditional technique of hand tapping to create her unique tattoos.


The Man Who Eats Chicken Feather – 15 Million Views
The story about a Thai scientist who figured out a way to make chicken meat out of chicken feathers.


He Has The World’s Best Beard – 21 Million Views
The story about MJ, who won the World’s Best Beard Championship and who is wellknown all over the world with his unique mustache.

05

RMIT Bachelor of Film & Video (commercial)

A humorous commercial to introduce RMIT University’s Bachelor of Film & Video.

I was in charge of the concept development and script writing for this commercial to introduce RMIT University’s new Bachelor of Film and Video.

06

RMIT Bachelor of Fashion (commercial)

A story about Fashion as something that exists in all facets of life, as well as being a sustainable business.

The aim of this video is to speak to and ignite the potential students’ innate passion and desire for fashion. At the same time, it educates the parents that fashion is a hard-working, thriving industry with a lot of career paths both local and international.

The story is told through 3 modules: Design & Product Development, Retail & Merchandise, and Marketing & Communication. Through them, it highlights fashion as something that exists in all facets of life, as well as being a sustainable business.

I was in charge of the concept and script development of this project.

07

RMIT School of Communication & Design (commercial)

An experimental foray into a mixture of the old quarters and the modern life of Vietnam.

Saigon and Hanoi, two cities, at two ends of the country. Seemingly different, yet, so similar at their cores. A foray into a mixture of the old quarters and the modern life of Vietnam.

I was in charge of the concept development and production coordination for this experimental commercial to introduce RMIT University’s School of Communication and Design and represent its presence in the two cities in Vietnam.

08

FWD Vietnam Insurance Plan (commercial)

A humorous short commercial for FWD’s new insurance plan.

I was in charge of the concept development and script writing for this humorous short commercial for FWD’s new insurance plan.

Most Vietnamese people are very careful to protect themselves against the many things that they need to face daily: From wearing helmets to exercising every morning.

But when it comes to health issues like Cancer, they tend to leave things to ‘fate’, to ‘God’s plan’.

We want to show that taking steps to protect yourself against Cancer is just common sense, like wearing masks on the streets. It’s simple, and necessary.

You can’t just leave it to ‘God’s plan’.
This is your life, and therefore, YOUR PLAN.

09

The Warfare of Heartbreak (short film)

What happens after heartbreak? Well, some people make a plan to kidnap their ex-lovers.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

What happens after heartbreak? Some people shop, some people cry, and some people make a plan to kidnap their ex-lovers. Whatever you do, a military mindset is essential.

I co-wrote this short Film for the 48 Hour Film Project Competition in Ho Chi Minh City (2017) with the production company YOLO Pictures. The competition required us to write, shoot, and edit a 5-10′ short film within 48 hours. For this one, we were given the genre war/comedy.

Awards:

48 Hour Film Project, HCMC (2017)
– 4th Best Film Winner
– Best Writing Winner
– Best Actress Winner
– Best Trailer Winner

10

Thesis (short film)

A series of shots captured randomly in the streets of Saigon, stolen from people caught in the eternal circle of waiting.

Silver award in RMIT Design Showcase 2013 – Film & Motion category.

“Thesis” is not exactly a short narrative film. It is more about an exploration in stillness in relation with time. These are shots captured randomly in the streets of Saigon, stolen from people caught in the eternal circle of waiting. A life is remembered for its important moments, yet prior to these moments are hours, days, months, or even years of stagnation. And in the end, all lives turn to dust. So is it not that we all are living to wait for death?