With the theme "Lighting up dreams - Shaping masterpieces", the program aims to discover new voices of Vietnamese cinema. The appraisal council gathers many prestigious names such as directors Phan Dang Di, Charlie Nguyen, Trinh Dinh Le Minh, Tran Thanh Huy and producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc.
The new point of season 7 is the participation of actress and producer Kaity Nguyen as a guest judge in the project presentation round. In addition, director Pham Ngoc Lan - one of the faces who grew up from the CJ short film project - continues to accompany as an advisor, supporting the Top 5 directors to complete the works as well as strategically orienting participation in international film festivals.
This year's program also expands its cooperation network with many domestic and foreign units such as the Korea Film Council (KOFIC), the Korea Film Academy (KAFA), HK Film, V Pictures and Future Films, in order to increase training, connection and development opportunities for young filmmakers.
This year, the program continues to sponsor production costs of up to 1.5 billion VND for 5 excellent short film projects, creating conditions for young directors to realize their film ideas.
After 6 seasons of organization since 2018, the program has supported 30 short film projects, accompanying 32 young directors. Many faces emerging from the project such as Pham Thien An, Pham Ngoc Lan, Duong Dieu Linh or Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat have made their mark at domestic and international film festivals. Most recently, director Nguyen Thien An became the first representative of Vietnam to compete for the Palme d'Or award in the Short Film category at the Cannes Film Festival.
The CJ 2026 short film project will receive applications from Vietnamese citizens aged 18-40 until the end of July 20. After the selection round, 10 outstanding contestants will enter the presentation round expected to take place on August 5.
