State-sponsored films face a difficult path to theaters.

Following the phenomenon of "Peach, Pho and Piano" - a rare state-commissioned film that was released and grossed money, director Tran Chi Thanh's "The Old Woman on the Run" also harbored the dream of selling tickets, but lacked the resources to do so.

Despite being recognized for its artistic quality and humanistic message, "The Old Woman on the Run" has yet to reach a wider audience in theaters due to a lack of proper mechanisms. This shows that the story of films using state budget funds to find their way to theaters has remained a struggle and a dilemma for many years.

"Peach, Pho, and Piano" is a rare example of a state-commissioned film that grossed money at the box office.

The knot needs to be untied.

Many state-commissioned films such as "Red Dawn," "Exposure," "Hong Ha Woman," and "The Old Woman on the Run"... although recognized by professionals, creating a good effect and fulfilling the mission of works using state budget, still cause concern among filmmakers because the films are only screened during anniversaries, festivals, or for free in localities serving political purposes, while the goal of competing in theaters remains elusive.

Director Tran Chi Thanh, the "father" of the film "The Old Woman on the Run," shared that every film is the result of the hard work and dedication of a team with many creative members. Everyone wants their work to reach a wide audience and convey the messages the film aims to send. Therefore, industry professionals and many artists have expressed their desire for the "bottleneck" preventing films with limited budgets from being released in theaters to sell tickets to be resolved soon.

Former Director of the Vietnam Film Department, Vi Kien Thanh, once emphasized that commissioning films using state budget funds has been an important activity in the film industry for many years. The State policy on film development in the 2022 Film Law clearly states: The State invests in and supports film production according to plans serving political tasks on topics such as history, revolution, leaders, famous figures, national heroes, children, highlands, mountainous areas, border regions, islands, ethnic minority areas, and the preservation and promotion of Vietnamese cultural values... Film production to serve political tasks is carried out through assignment, commissioning, or bidding.

Looking at films like "Peach, Pho and Piano" and "The Old Woman on the Run," film experts believe these works can be seen as a stimulant for filmmakers in the North. Despite being produced on low budgets, these films are still well-received if they are of good quality. However, widespread distribution is difficult because there are no specific regulations on the percentage of revenue shared between film distribution, theaters, and the production company when the film is sold at ticket prices. Until a new legal framework is established to address this issue, 100% of revenue must be taxed and remitted to the State budget. In the case of "The Old Woman on the Run," being a family-themed film, it had to go through a bidding process and could only be shown at film weeks and festivals for free, not in theaters for ticket sales.

Find the solution to the difficult problem.

The "bottleneck" in the mechanism for distributing and disseminating state-produced films has long been recognized, but it wasn't until "Peach, Pho, and Piano" achieved a breakthrough in revenue for this genre that the desire to find a solution to the problem of finding a path forward for state-produced films became even more urgent. In relation to this issue, the Cinema Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) is currently finalizing a Decree regulating the distribution and dissemination of films serving political purposes.

According to the draft Decree, films serving political purposes are released and disseminated with the aim of propagating the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws; contributing to raising social awareness, fostering ideology, morality, lifestyle, patriotism, national spirit, and serving political and social goals. The draft also clarifies that the exploitation of financial resources from films serving political purposes must adhere to market mechanisms, be efficient, transparent, and in accordance with the law. The form of release and dissemination should be appropriate to the nature and target audience of each type of film.

Based on production resources, films serving political purposes are expected to be classified into: films using entirely state budget funds; films using partially state budget funds; and films not using state budget funds. Of these, films not using state budget funds are those produced by domestic or foreign organizations or individuals using non-state budget funds, and whose content meets the criteria of serving political purposes.

According to the draft Decree, representatives of film owners using state budget funds have the autonomy to decide on the form, method, value, and partners for distributing and disseminating films, either through a political distribution model (free of charge) or a commercial distribution model. If commercial distribution is chosen, royalties and payment methods will be determined by agreement between the film owner's representative and the organization or individual exploiting the film, based on market mechanisms and ticket sales revenue and profits.

Film production, distribution, and dissemination establishments pay royalties to the state budget after deducting legitimate expenses as stipulated by law on the management and use of public assets. In cases where a film using state budget funds generates profit, the authors, creative professionals, and individuals involved in the creative work related to the film are entitled to an incentive royalty payment not exceeding 10% of the profits earned.

Industry professionals hope that the Decree, once issued, will fill the legal "gap" in the distribution and release of films funded by the State budget, paving the way for bringing quality films to a wider audience.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/phim-nha-nuoc-gian-nan-duong-ra-rap-711367.html