VietNamNet Bridge – Many senior artists have sent a group petition to the President, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; to complain about the Vietnam Cinema Agency’s loss of VND42 billion ($2 million).
The petition, which was written on August 16, says: “On June 3, 2011, local newspapers reported the loss of VND42 billion of the Vietnam Cinema Agency. This case happened in 2009. The accountant named Pham Thanh Hai ran away with the money. This man has not been arrested, so the Vietnam Cinema Agency’s officials have laid the blame on only him. At a recent press conference, they told the media that they were cheated. It seemed that it was very easy to take VND42 billion from the Agency’s account, by only accountant Pham Thanh Hai. Even Hollywood movies cannot make up such a story!”

“We think that it is very strange when the case prolonged for three years, with such a huge amount of money but the Agency’s chief – Lai Van Sinh – the account owner, did not know,” the petition continues.

According to these senior artists, the cinema sector is facing a lot of difficulty. The annual budget allocated to the sector is modest, resulted in less movies produced a year. Staffs of the Vietnam Feature Film Studio are living with low salary.

They questioned why Lai Van Sinh, as the Agency’s chief, has acted like he was not involved in the case and asked the state and government to consider the case.

The VND42 billion case has made many artists angry. Many artists tell VietNamNet that they would not participate in the upcoming Vietnam Film Festival to show their attitude.

On August 10, VietNamNet received an email from Nguyen Han, an employee of the Vietnam Feature Film Studio, requesting VietNamNet to investigate the VND42 billion case at the Vietnam Cinema Agency.

Han questioned why the Agency’s chief, Lai Van Sinh did not have to bear any responsibility. Moreover, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism allocated an additional VND5 billion to the Agency to organize the National Film Festival, with Mr. Sinh as the chief organizer.

VietNamNet talks with Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, former vice chief of the Vietnam Cinema Agency, about the incident.
Many famous artists, including People’s Artists Tran Phuong, Luong Duc, Nguyen Khac Loi, former director of the Central Scientific and Technological Documentary Film Studio, Nguyen Van Nhan, Director – Dr. Nguyen Viet Nga, script writer Phan Thanh Tu and Dr, Meritorious Artist, Tran Duy Hinh, sent a group petition to the President, the Prime Minister and the Minster of Culture, Sports and Tourism; asking them to deal with the loss of VND42 billion at the Vietnam Cinema Agency. Do you know this incident and what do you think about it?

When this case was reported by the local newspapers in early June 2011, the entire movie industry jumped. I complained to some officials in the Agency and commented on the incident on my personal blog. Lai Van Sinh, head of the Agency, called to ask me to withdraw the article on my blog. I agreed because I was afraid that my comments might affect the Agency, while the case was not thoroughly investigated.

Many members of the Vietnam Cinema Association and many people called me to express their concerns over the case. At the same time, there was the National Assembly session, so we told our members to keep calm, to wait for police’s investigation. But several months had passed and the case has submerged in quietness. The media also keeps quiet, while a more simple case, for example…an 18-year-old girl slapping a police officer’s face, was updated very quickly and the court judged it very quickly, too, and with heavy punishment – nine months in jail!

This case is very serious and members of the Vietnam Cinema Association need an explanation, but nobody says a word. The Vietnam Cinema Agency’s officials still work as normal. The chief is even assigned to assume the vice chief organizer of the National Film Festival this December.

In a recent press conference, the Agency’s vice chief stated that the Agency was swindled and they did not lose VND42, but only VND35 billion. If investigation was not finalized, why did they know that figure? Why do they confirm that they were swindled? If an investigation is complete, why investigators do not make public the results?

I think these things--pitifully, like a drop of water that makes a glass of water to overflow, so the artists submitted the petition.

Artists complained that while the cinema industry is facing a lot of difficulties, the annual budget allocated to this sector is modest, and artists are paid low salary while the Cinema Agency lost such a huge amount of money. As the former vice chief of the Cinema Agency, what do you say about this situation?

If my words enter the ears of officials, I only wish one thing: Let’s find every measure and policy to preserve and develop the Vietnam Feature Film Studio at No. 4 Thuy Khue Street, Hanoi and the Liberation Film Studio in HCM City.

Though many private film firms have been established and developed, the state should not neglect the two state-owned film firms because they have been built by blood and tears of many generations of artists, through over half of a century.

I think a prosperous country needs cultural brands like these film studios. It is the fault of state management agencies in making the Vietnam Feature Film Studio at its current poor situation.

You have expressed your concerns over the VND42 billion incident at the Vietnam Cinema Agency. You spoke about the case at the meeting of the Vietnam Cinema Association on August 24. Do you plan to sign the group petition of artists?

I’ve spoken out everything that I need to say. I told it to officials, on the media too. If I meet with high-ranking officials, I will say the same. That’s enough! It’s time for other artists to raise their voices, if they are still interested in the cinema sector.

It is said that many more artists will sign the group petition and many stated to boycott the upcoming National Film Festival to show their attitude over the VND42 billion incident. You have been working in the cinema industry for decades, have you ever seen such a case?

Never, it has never happened like this in my memory.

Hanh Phuong