VietNamNet Bridge – In a recent talk titled Vietnamese Cinema in the Age of Socialisation and Integration held at the Vietnam Film Institute, many comments were voiced about the current limits of Vietnamese films.

A scene from "Gio thien duong"

For instance, Assistant Professor and Doctor Tran Luan Kim said Vietnamese cinema lacked leading artists who could create new trends.

Film script writer Doan Tuan suggested that Vietnamese films go beyond the limits of scattered, trivial and local stories as well as the few nationalistic images of the banyan tree, the village well or the communal house yard in order to aim for something bigger. And in a letter sent from HCM City, director Le Hoang criticised many Vietnamese movies for serving mainly the tastes of foreign markets.

Script writer Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat praised private production companies which are trying to produce a variety of products in order to increase revenues.

Young director Bui Tan Dung pointed out the limits of state-owned production companies: lack of production strategies and product diversity. And the future of the Vietnamese cinema industry seems to depend on production companies, according to script writer Hoang Nhuan Cam, who is working to establish one of his own.

Though discussing other topics, the common concern of those who took part in the conference was how to make movies that can attract audiences.

Vice president of Vuong Duc Production Company suggested conducting scientific research on public tastes.

Director Bui Trung Hai said that only by renovating production technologies could Vietnamese producers hope to bring their movies to the international market. In addition, new trends of making movies should be encouraged and explored. And most of the participants agreed that the journey to audiences’ hearts was indeed a difficult one.

(Source: Lao Dong)