VietNamNet Bridge – Despite their effort to make quality products, Vietnamese filmmakers will continue to fail to lure audiences or make a profit without support from cinema owners, most of which are privately owned, according to industry insiders.

Speaking at the premiere of his latest award-winning feature film, Choi Voi (Adrift), director Bui Thac Chuyen said his film "would be nothing in the minds of local audiences if the Thien Ngan (Galaxy) Studio had refused to give support to Vietnamese filmmakers."

"Without more support from owners, both State and private, our films and even award-winning productions will continue to find it hard to be screened," he said.

Although it has had low profits, Thien Ngan, one of the largest distributors in the country, decided to work with its partners to present Choi Voi at big cinemas around HCM City and Ha Noi.

"Choi Voi is a good movie and a serious production for many young audiences, who love entertainment," said Nguyen Minh Ngoc, director of Thien Ngan. "By screening Choi Voi, we want to encourage local filmmakers."

Although the film industry has developed rapidly in recent years, earning money through film was still a new task for both State-owned and private filmmakers.

"One of our biggest challenges is scheduling," said Chuyen.

Chuyen, of all people, should know.

Three years ago, with his first film titled Song Trong So Hai (Living in Fear), the Ha Noi-based Chuyen brought home a top prize, named Golden Kite, for the year’s best director from the Viet Nam Cinematography Association.

Produced by State-owned Viet Nam Film Studio, Chuyen’s film was a post-war story about love and life.

Widely acclaimed, Chuyen was worthy of his victory. His biggest competitor, Dao Duy Phuc, one of Viet Nam Film Studio’s young talents, failed to capture the attention of the jury.

Phuc’s entertainment film 2 Trong 1 (2 in 1), produced by the Thien Ngan Studio, was a comedy with poor quality scenes. At that time Chuyen’s Song Trong So Hai had not been seen in cinemas while Phuc’s 2 Trong 1 was shown in the country’s biggest cities two months ago.

As a result, Vietnamese only knew about the critically acclaimed, prize-winning film through newspapers and magazines.

"Without audiences my Golden Kite film would be unvalued," said Chuyen in an interview with the media after the event’s closing ceremony in Ha Noi.

This year Chuyen’s Choi Voi will be shown to the local public after winning accolades at several international film festivals.

The US$389,000 film won the Fipresci (International Federatoin of Film Critics) Horizons and Critic’s Week Prize at the 66th Venice Film Festival this year.

It also left a strong impression on audiences at the Bangkok International Film Festival and Vancouver Film Festival last month.

Director Nguyen Phong Lan of State-owned Nguyen Dinh Chieu Film Studio said that cinema owners preferred entertaining films such as Hollywood blockbusters which attract crowds and earn profits in a short time.

"But this way of doing business has created a competitive environment that is very unfair for local filmmakers, particularly State-run companies who often produce serious films with an educational goal," she said.

"I know why many cinema owners refused to show serious films by skilled directors like Chuyen. In a free market, they think of profits first."

Lan said that the new law on cinematography should include clear regulations that define preferential rights for screening Vietnamese movies at cinemas.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

 

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