VietNamNet Bridge – Experts have decried State-owned film studios and cinemas for paying little attention to remote areas and called on them to screen films for people living there.

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A scene from Tay Son Hao Kiet filmed at Quang Trung Museum in the central province of Binh Dinh. The film features historic military hero Nguyen Hue (1752-92) and was made by the private Ly Huynh film studio.

Speaking at a recent seminar held in the central city of Da Lat to discuss problems related to film distribution, Nguyen Van Tan, a senior official of the Cinematography Department, urged the Government and cultural authorities to give more support to the industry.

"Without more investment and new policies, both State and private film companies will continue to find it difficult to distribute Vietnamese films in remote areas."

People living in remote areas still find it hard to watch movies despite the film industry's explosive growth in recent years, he said.

A study by the department found that six major cities like Ha Noi, HCM City, and Da Nang account for almost half of all cinemas in the country.

Thirteen provinces do not have a single theatre.

Even in the cities, many cinemas have failed to make a profit and converted into bookstores or supermarkets.

There are around 335 mobile film-screening crews around the country but they serve only 60 per cent of people living in remote areas.

Tan added that film distribution can only be successful with official support.

The Viet Nam Film Institute, which serves as a research agency and film archive, has begun working on new film distribution projects but they are still only on paper because it has difficulty establishing links with film companies and cinemas.

The two-day seminar, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Viet Nam Centre for Film Research and Archive, attracted representatives of 40 State-owned and private film companies and cinemas.

The proposed Cinematography Bill allows the Film Supporting Development Fund to raise funds from both local and foreign sources.

Film companies too will be free to seek investment at home and abroad.

"We support the law, but we also think it should address the issue of giving licences to overseas Vietnamese investors so that they can open their own companies," Dinh Thanh Huong of the private Thien Ngan (Galaxy) Studios said.

"They have invested successfully in business and education. It's time to encourage them to join the film business."

Huong, who believes that film companies should co-operate with foreign counterparts, said the industry can become more profitable by reaching out to all kinds of investors.

Many foreign investors are willing to invest in the film market here because they see it as a new and promising one, she added.

The Ha Noi-based Viet Nam Film Studios and HCM City's Giai Phong (Liberation) Films are planning to set up marketing departments or use professional companies to promote their productions and touch base with foreign studios.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News