The King of Trash wins two awards at San Francisco film festival

The King of Trash won Best Documentary and Best People Choice Film at the 13th San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival, bringing David Duong’s family story of war, migration and business success back to the city where they first settled in America. The documentary also arrives as its producers pursue wider distribution and more screenings.

Why it matters: - The film turns one Vietnamese American family’s refugee journey into a public record of immigration, rebuilding and multigenerational business ownership. - The awards add momentum to a documentary that has already screened nationwide and is now in talks for streaming distribution. - The story links the Duong family’s past in Vietnam to its present-day role in California recycling and environmental infrastructure.

What happened: - The King of Trash won Best Documentary and Best People Choice Film at the 13th San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival. - The awards were presented Nov. 1 at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. - The 13th annual festival ran Oct. 25-Nov. 1, 2026. - The festival’s 2026 program said it received 110 film entries from countries and regions around the world. - The documentary is a 72-minute film directed by Errol Webber.

The details: - The film follows David Duong’s journey from Vietnam War refugee to founder of California Waste Solutions, a Bay Area recycling company. - Duong dedicated the film and both awards to his parents, Jim Thu Tai Duong and Anh Thi Le. - The documentary traces the family’s escape from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in April 1975. - David Duong was among 23 family members who fled on a small boat. - The family spent time in a refugee camp in the Philippines before resettling in the United States. - They arrived in San Francisco in 1979. - Sixteen family members shared two small studio apartments in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. - With little money and limited English, the family returned to recycling work, collecting cardboard, newspapers, aluminum cans and other discarded materials. - David attended school during the day and often collected recyclables at night, sometimes until midnight. - In 1983, the family started CoGiDo Paper Corporation with about $700 and a used truck. - The family sold CoGiDo in 1989 to a larger corporation. - In 1992, David founded California Waste Solutions in Oakland with eight used trucks. - The company secured its first municipal franchise contract with the City of Oakland in 1993. - California Waste Solutions now serves more than 343,000 customers in Oakland and San José. - The company provides residential and commercial recycling collection, materials processing and resource recovery services. - David Duong’s sons, Michael, Johnny and Danny Duong, and his siblings, Kristina and Victor Duong, remain involved in the family business. - Through Vietnam Waste Solutions, Duong invested in the Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility near Ho Chi Minh City. - The facility spans more than 300 acres and handles thousands of tons of municipal waste daily. - The facility includes engineered landfills, wastewater treatment, landfill gas recovery and environmental monitoring. - Vietnam Waste Solutions is pursuing more than $500 million for a proposed waste-to-energy plant that would process 3,000 tons of waste daily and generate 60 megawatts of electricity. - The proposed plant still needs regulatory approvals. - Duong is also pursuing the Long An Green Environmental Technology Park, a proposed waste treatment and resource recovery development. - The King of Trash has screened in California, Texas, Florida and Washington, D.C. - Organizers say 12 screening events have drawn more than 5,000 people combined. - The film was also selected for the 2026 Red Rock Film Festival in Utah. - For more information, visit the film’s official website or trailer and media materials.

Between the lines: - The festival recognition gives the documentary added visibility beyond the Vietnamese American community it portrays. - The film’s awards also reinforce the broader appeal of immigrant-success stories tied to entrepreneurship, labor and family sacrifice. - The project doubles as a family archive, preserving first-hand accounts from the generation that left Vietnam and the generation that grew up in the United States. - Duong’s return to invest in waste infrastructure in Vietnam mirrors the film’s central theme: recycling as both a livelihood and a legacy.

What’s next: - The production team is in discussions with streaming platforms for wider distribution. - Distribution partners and release dates will be announced after agreements are finalized. - Additional screening announcements are expected through the film’s website and social channels.

The bottom line: - The King of Trash is now both a family story and an award-winning documentary, with festival recognition strengthening its path to a wider audience.