Themed Situations and Solutions to Promote Distribution and Popularization During 2012-2015, the seminar was hosted by the Cinematography Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Domestic film studios and movie distribution companies as well as cultural managers evaluated movies distribution and popularization in Vietnam since the country joined the WTO in 2007.

While most movie-goers in big cities are satisfied with entertainment-content movies, domestic productions that have received much critical acclaim are failing to attract audiences.

On a different subject, according to deputy head of the Cinematography Department Ngo Phuong Lan, the cinema boom that has been seen in recent years is subsiding because the State is no longer subsidizing the Vietnam Import-Export Film Distributing Company (Fafim Vietnam) that used to hold a monopoly over the market.

As a result, Fafim has fallen into crisis and been unable to import any foreign films or distribute Made-in-Vietnam productions since 2009.

Without this main distribution source, most State-owned cinemas have partially shut down, while others have turned to different business models.

Deterioration of cinema theatres has also contributed to decreasing turnover.

To solve the problem, a national programme on culture has supported some provinces to upgrade their local cinema theatres with state-of-the-art equipment. In addition, some movies are dubbed with different ethnic languages, helping ethnic people from remote areas to enjoin them.

However, Lan said this support is not enough to boost Vietnamese movie distribution.

“In 2011, the number of Vietnamese movies screened in cinemas reached 16.3 percent, with imported movies accounting for the majority. The number of Vietnamese movies screened in State-owned theatres reached 31 percent, while in non-State owned cinemas it was much lower, at 14.68 percent,” Lan said.

During the seminar, attendees also discussed potential solutions to effectively promote movie distribution. The average percentage of Vietnamese movies screened in every cinema is targeted to reach 20 percent in 2012, and 30 percent by 2015.

Lan said cinemas that are coping with the economic crisis should not change their operations, but should upgrade and renovate their business models.

Participants also shared their opinion on several significant matters, including the control of audio-visual productions that violate copyright laws, balancing the number of movies screened in cities and rural areas, and promoting the role of mobile cinemas with the aim of bringing Vietnamese movies closer to mass audiences.

The seminar asked the State to restore the National Goal on Cinematography, which would require investment in the development of the cinema network as well as the necessary screening equipment so that movies are accessible to people from every province across the country, especially in border and remote areas which are home to ethnic groups.

VNS/VOV online