“Our Lady at the Center, known in Vietnamese as Đức Mẹ ở giữa Chúng Ta, is a feature-length documentary that tells the story of Our Lady of La Vang, an event associated by Vietnamese Catholics with the year 1798, while also retracing the journey behind the creation of the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine at Christ Cathedral in the Diocese of Orange, California. The film was produced through a collaboration between the Diocese of Orange and the OLLV Foundation, with the goal of bringing the story of Our Lady of La Vang to a wider audience, especially Vietnamese Catholic communities around the world.
What makes Our Lady at the Center distinctive is the way it connects history with the story of a modern community. Beginning with the story of Our Lady of La Vang in Vietnam in 1798, the film expands into the journey of the Vietnamese Catholic diaspora and the creation of a landmark of faith and culture at Christ Cathedral. The Our Lady of La Vang Shrine was completed and solemnly blessed in July 2021, with approximately 8,000 people in attendance. In May 2024, the Marian Gardens, a walking Rosary garden behind the shrine, were also inaugurated.
The filmmaking team spent more than two years researching, filming, conducting interviews, and completing post-production. The project was filmed in four countries—the United States, Vietnam, Peru, and Italy—with material recorded in four languages and featuring more than 50 individuals through personal testimonies and reflections. The final theatrical version runs approximately 86 minutes, after about 30 minutes of material from the original cut was removed to create a more focused story.
Behind the project is a team bringing together communications, filmmaking, and the Catholic community. Dr. Elysabeth Nguyen serves as Executive Producer and CEO of the OLLV Foundation. Dr. Scott Q. Nguyen serves as Producer, while Bradley Zint is the writer and director. Christopher TL Tran handled cinematography and editing. Bradley Zint is also a communications professional with the Diocese of Orange and has many years of experience in journalism.
One of the film’s key highlights is the story behind the construction of the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine at Christ Cathedral. The documentary is not only about an architectural project; it also tells how an idea that began with a bishop’s dream became a gathering point for the community. Stories about sourcing marble for the 18-foot statue of Our Lady, the construction process, and the dedication day attended by thousands help audiences understand the depth and scale of the project.
Our Lady at the Center had its world premiere on May 11, 2025, at the Freed Theater on the Christ Cathedral campus. It was then screened at Saigon Grand Center in Fountain Valley on May 17, 2025, before being presented to other Catholic communities. Throughout 2025, the film continued to screen at multiple locations in Orange County and San Diego, and a Vietnamese-language version was also made available.
Beyond drawing attention within the Vietnamese Catholic community, the film has also begun to gain recognition at film festivals. Our Lady at the Center won Best Documentary Feature at the 2025 Los Angeles Tribune International Film Festival. It also became a finalist for Best Feature Documentary at the East Village New York Film Festival, was named an Official Selection of the Christian Faith, Hope and Love Screenwriting Competition & Film Festival, and was recognized as a Jury Selection at the 2026 Cannes Film Awards. The film also received an official nomination at the Faith in Film International Film Festival.
On March 26, 2026, the Diocese of Orange announced that the film had been released on platforms serving Catholic audiences. Viewers can rent the film through EmberTV, while parishes and community groups can use eCatholic’s video-on-demand service to organize private screenings. The film’s official website also states that it is currently available to rent or purchase and continues to welcome interest in future screenings.
What makes Our Lady at the Center noteworthy is not only its religious subject matter, but also its story of memory, culture, and the identity of the Vietnamese community. From a story that began in Quang Tri in 1798, the film traces a journey across generations and countries, showing how a story preserved within a community can continue to inspire buildings, gatherings, and cultural activities in a new homeland.
From a community project that took more than two years to complete to an internationally screened documentary that won an award at the Los Angeles Tribune International Film Festival and continued appearing at other film festivals, Our Lady at the Center is becoming a notable work in bringing the story of Our Lady of La Vang and the legacy of Vietnamese Catholics to a broader audience.”
