The invention concerns a method for preparing gallium nitride films by vapour-phase epitaxy with low defect densities. The invention concerns a method for producing a gallium nitride (GaN) film from a substrate by vapour-phase epitaxy deposition of gallium nitride. The invention is characterized in that the gallium nitride deposition comprises at least one step of vapour-phase epitaxial lateral overgrowth, in that at least one of said epitaxial lateral overgrowth steps is preceded by etching openings either in a dielectric mask previously deposited, or directly into the substrate, and in that it consists in introducing a dissymmetry in the environment of dislocations during one of the epitaxial lateral overgrowth steps so as to produce a maximum number of curves in the dislocations, the curved dislocations not emerging at the surface of the resulting gallium nitride layer. The invention also concerns the optoelectronic and electronic components produced from said gallium nitride films.