Breaking stereotypes, creating a breakthrough for revolutionary war films

What has brought about this change, and what is the direction to maintain success? Vice President of the Vietnam Cinema Association Nguyen Van Tan shared with reporters of Hanoi Moi Newspaper about this story.

- “Red Rain” has become the Vietnamese film with the highest box office revenue ever. What is your opinion on this phenomenon?

- This is truly a surprise beyond all expectations and is even more meaningful when in the past, revolutionary war-themed films were often shown to "serve" non-commercial purposes, creating a long-term prejudice that this type of film would have difficulty generating revenue. "Red Rain" has proven that even films using state budget, exploiting a topic that was once considered dry and difficult to attract young people, can still create an "earthquake" at the box office with 80 - 90% of young people buying tickets to the cinema.

- For many years, films about revolutionary wars have struggled to find a foothold, but now they have suddenly become popular with “Peach, Pho and Piano”, “Tunnel: Sun in the Dark” and “Red Rain”. Are there any common points that explain these successes?

- It can be said that the filmmakers' approach and reflection of the war theme in the above-mentioned works shows the contemporary and present-day perspectives on past events and the filmmakers' attention to the audience. In the past, war films were often ordered by the State, mainly shown on anniversaries and holidays and were hardly released in commercial theaters, so filmmakers therefore paid little attention to the tastes and reactions of the audience. But now, the situation is different. It is the above-mentioned works that have contributed to attracting public attention to films on the theme of revolutionary war; inspired and given confidence to filmmakers to continue this genre with the awareness of constantly innovating their creations so that their works can reach the audience; and private film producers also have the confidence to invest in war films, and other types of films such as historical films, films about national culture, author films, independent films...

Another important factor is marketing and promotion. If “Peach, Pho and Piano” only spread thanks to the audience effect, “Tunnel” and “Red Rain” both have a systematic promotion plan, from the start of filming, pre-production, post-production, to the entire screening period. Events during the filming process, behind-the-scenes stories, about the artists... are constantly updated, keeping the audience always caught up in the flow of information. When the film becomes a topic of widespread discussion in public opinion, a crowd effect is created, audiences rush to the theater, and distribution revenue increases.

Another factor is that the films were released at an opportune time. “Tunnels” premiered on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country; and “Red Rain” was released on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, September 2. On major occasions, in the atmosphere of patriotism and national spirit, the right-themed artwork will be enthusiastically received by the public.

- From the three "stormy" films, do you expect there will be more films on the theme of revolutionary war, creating a spearhead film genre in contemporary Vietnamese cinema?

- I believe it is absolutely possible. The success of “Peach, Pho and Piano”, “Tunnel” and “Red Rain” has shown that audiences are willing to accept and enjoy this genre of film. Previously, many directors were worried that war films would not have viewers, but now reality has proven otherwise. This is the “golden” time to open up the flow of film creation on revolutionary war themes.

- “Peach, Pho and Piano” is a film that uses 100% state budget and encountered many difficulties when released to commercial theaters. Meanwhile, “Tunnel” is completely socialized and “Red Rain” was produced by People’s Army Cinema and then coordinated with Galaxy Studio for commercial release very smoothly. What do you see from this reality?

- That shows that the biggest limitation or "bottleneck" at present is the mechanism for releasing and disseminating films using the state budget. Because there are no clear regulations for production units to be proactive in distribution as well as cooperation mechanisms and revenue sharing ratios with partners, it is difficult for state films to coordinate in the form of public-private partnerships in commercial theaters. Meanwhile, the contribution of the private sector has been promoting the rapid and strong development of film activities from production to dissemination, film distribution and forming a quite vibrant film market today. From the practice of producing and distributing the three films on revolutionary war mentioned above, it is necessary to promptly remove these legal bottlenecks so that the State and the private sector can soon cooperate in film production and distribution.

- So, we need a solution to help revolutionary war films continue to develop in the long term?

- First of all, we must maintain a steady flow of films, not letting the recent success become a temporary phenomenon. To do so, the State needs to increase investment funding to match current production requirements and private film producers should also confidently invest in this genre of film.

Second, the film crew must always innovate the way of expression from the script to the elements that make up the work, make the most of technological advantages, focus on tastes and factors that attract the audience...

Third, we must focus on promotion. No matter how good the quality of a film is, if there is no communication, it will still be a "silk dress going out at night" scene. We need to build a systematic communication plan right from the pre-production stage, at the same time, expand the channels and forms of distribution so that the film can reach the general audience.

Thank you very much!

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/pha-vo-dinh-kien-tao-but-pha-cho-dong-phim-chien-tranh-cach-mang-716126.html