We report room-temperature measurements of optical gain and gain spectra of ultraviolet emission from ZnO thin film. An optical gain of 300 cm(-1) is measured at a fluence of 3.8 mu J/cm(2). The large gain is attributed to the modification of the spontaneous emission rate by the dielectric photonic structure of these films. The presence of excitonic gain is also observed in the room-temperature gain spectra.