Khanh Hoa has much potential to develop film market

During a recent business trip to Nha Trang City, PhD. Ngo Phuong Lan, Deputy Chairwoman of the Central Council of Literary and Art Theory and Criticism, had an interview with Khanh Hoa Newspaper about film market in Vietnam in general and Khanh Hoa in particular.

PhD. Ngo Phuong Lan

-    There are films that are very popular and have high revenue but are not highly appreciated by experts. On the contrary, there are films that win high prizes at festivals and contests but not popular to the public. In your opinion, how should this phenomenon be seen?

- There are three main types of films in Vietnam namely films ordered from the state budget, commercial and entertainment films produced by private studios and independent art films. It can be seen that the films ordered by the state serve political tasks with historical, social or sometimes propaganda messages and don’t prioritize attracting audience. The privately produced films are considered commercial and entertainment films, so they often put the popularity element first.

No matter what types or subjects of films are, producers always try to attract audience to get high revenue and benefit. Independent art films hardly attract audience, so this type of film is mainly sent to screen at international film festivals. For these reasons, it is difficult to compare the popularity of these types of films. However, there are still producers and directors who make state-ordered films try to make their films attractive and well received by big audience; many privately produced films have been paid more and more attention to artistic quality.

-  Can you tell more about the success of State-ordered films such as I See Yellow Flowers in the Green Grass or Peach Blossom, Pho, and Piano?

- I See Yellow Flowers in the Green Grass was the first film with an interesting combination of the order from the State and capital from a private film studio. The film set a ticket sales record at the time of release with more than VND80 billion in just one month. This has been the top-grossing ordered film in Vietnam so far. The film harmoniously combined commercial and entertainment elements with the criteria of an ordered film. Peach Blossom, Pho, and Piano gained popularity by luck. The poor promotion made the film's box office low in its first week of release. It was only when a tiktoker posted pictures and her comments about the film on her social media site that Peach Blossom, Pho, and Piano became viral and created unprecedented strong effects. Through the popularity of these two films, it can be said that audience, especially young ones, don’t turn their backs on political films. The matter is filmmakers should know how to create cinematic works that suit the public's tastes and have a methodical promotion strategy.

Actress Nhat Kim Anh interacting with audience at the 2023 Golden Kite Awards in Nha Trang (Photo: VINH THANH)

- In your opinion, in order for localities like Khanh Hoa to develop market-oriented film industry, from what should they start and how?

- In our country, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are considered the two film centers with many film studios, producers, film businesses, cinemas, and a large number of workforce. The participation of other provinces and cities, including Khanh Hoa Province, in the film market has still limited. Khanh Hoa can build large-scale film studios to attract domestic and international film crews. After Kong: Skull Island was released, many tourists visited Ninh Binh Province, Quang Ninh Province and Quang Binh Province to explore and learn about the film locations. Local authorities should also make policies to support and attract film crews to film in the locality, especially at the places with beautiful landscapes and unique cultural and historical monuments.

With its advantages, Khanh Hoa can become a venue for regular and annual events related to national and international film activities. This will attract many filmmakers, directors, screenwriters, actors, etc. to Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa. The cooperation between Khanh Hoa Province and Vietnam Cinema Association in organizing the 2023 Golden Kite Award could be considered the first step. Besides, Khanh Hoa can also become a place to screen cinematic works. Currently, in the province, there are cinemas of businesses such as Lotte Cinema, CGV, Beta Cinemas, Galaxy Cinema, etc. However, in general, the number of cinemas is limited and their scales are still small. The potential for Khanh Hoa to enter the film market is promising, although there are many things that need to be done.

- Thank you for your answers!

Interviewer: Giang Dinh
Translated by H.N