Vietnamese cinema has taken a giant step forward over the past decadeand local audiences are starting to return to the silver screen,according to participants at a workshop reviewing the advance ofdomestic film makers on March 8.
Ngo Phuong Lan, anofficial from the Culture Ministry's Cinema Department, said thatVietnamese cinema has lured local audiences back to the seventh art andtaken part in more international film festivals since the Asia-PacificFilm Festival in 2000.
Movies by four main sources -including films funded by the State, private sponsors, overseasVietnamese, and indie movies - have made great contributions to localcinema,
There are only two to five films funded bythe State produced every year, focusing on the revolutionary fightingtradition, history and human-interest stories.
These genres of films find it difficult to attract audiences due to their quality, content and limited number, Lan said.
Films produced by private companies have proved a lot more popular,with their entertaining and interesting themes proving a hit in boxoffices. For example, Long Ruoi (Mr Long with a Beauty Spot) sold out150,000 tickets worth 9.5 billion VND (431,800 USD) in just three days,while Co Dau Dai Chien (Battle of the Brides) made 23 billion VND (1.05million USD) in two weeks.
Some private producershas invested heavily in films that look at more serious topics likehistory with high art quality, which is an encouraging sign for privatefilm development, she said.
In recent years, manyoverseas Vietnamese directors have returned home to make movies likeCharlie Nguyen, Cuong Ngo and Hoang Thien Tru. Beside their success,they have also courted controversy over the content of their works.
The indie movie genre has only appeared in recent years, but includesNorwegian Woods, Bi, Don't Be Scared! and Floating Lives, which have allreceived accolades at international film festivals, she said.
However, the genre has not received much support from local audiences as it is fairly new, she added.
According to Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, deputy chairperson of the VietnamCinema Association, a decade is not a long time which makes it difficultto review the industry's progress.
It's been tenyears since the first Golden Kite Awards was held, and although nogolden awards were handed out in 2004, 2007 or 2008, things arecertainly diversifying.
While in previous years,golden awards were only bestowed on State-funded films, this year, filmsby private companies outnumbered those made by State companies, shesaid.
Among the 12 films in contention, ten were made by private companies, and two by State companies.
The Golden Kite Awards ceremony will be held in Hanoi on March 17.
Workshop participants also looked at weak points in Vietnamese cinemaand how to solve them. These included low-quality scripts, releasesstrategies and training.
The opinions will be thefoundation for the Cinema Department to draft a strategy for developingVietnamese cinema to 2020 with a vision to 2030-VNA
Ngo Phuong Lan, anofficial from the Culture Ministry's Cinema Department, said thatVietnamese cinema has lured local audiences back to the seventh art andtaken part in more international film festivals since the Asia-PacificFilm Festival in 2000.
Movies by four main sources -including films funded by the State, private sponsors, overseasVietnamese, and indie movies - have made great contributions to localcinema,
There are only two to five films funded bythe State produced every year, focusing on the revolutionary fightingtradition, history and human-interest stories.
These genres of films find it difficult to attract audiences due to their quality, content and limited number, Lan said.
Films produced by private companies have proved a lot more popular,with their entertaining and interesting themes proving a hit in boxoffices. For example, Long Ruoi (Mr Long with a Beauty Spot) sold out150,000 tickets worth 9.5 billion VND (431,800 USD) in just three days,while Co Dau Dai Chien (Battle of the Brides) made 23 billion VND (1.05million USD) in two weeks.
Some private producershas invested heavily in films that look at more serious topics likehistory with high art quality, which is an encouraging sign for privatefilm development, she said.
In recent years, manyoverseas Vietnamese directors have returned home to make movies likeCharlie Nguyen, Cuong Ngo and Hoang Thien Tru. Beside their success,they have also courted controversy over the content of their works.
The indie movie genre has only appeared in recent years, but includesNorwegian Woods, Bi, Don't Be Scared! and Floating Lives, which have allreceived accolades at international film festivals, she said.
However, the genre has not received much support from local audiences as it is fairly new, she added.
According to Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, deputy chairperson of the VietnamCinema Association, a decade is not a long time which makes it difficultto review the industry's progress.
It's been tenyears since the first Golden Kite Awards was held, and although nogolden awards were handed out in 2004, 2007 or 2008, things arecertainly diversifying.
While in previous years,golden awards were only bestowed on State-funded films, this year, filmsby private companies outnumbered those made by State companies, shesaid.
Among the 12 films in contention, ten were made by private companies, and two by State companies.
The Golden Kite Awards ceremony will be held in Hanoi on March 17.
Workshop participants also looked at weak points in Vietnamese cinemaand how to solve them. These included low-quality scripts, releasesstrategies and training.
The opinions will be thefoundation for the Cinema Department to draft a strategy for developingVietnamese cinema to 2020 with a vision to 2030-VNA
