Removing institutional bottlenecks to free up resources

Within the framework of the 24th Vietnam Film Festival, on the morning of November 23, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City coordinated with the Department of Cinema (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) and the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies to organize a workshop on "Current situation and solutions to attract film crews to localities".

Turn bottlenecks into creative destinations

The workshop took place on the morning of November 23 in Ho Chi Minh City, with the participation of leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee; film experts from France, Australia, Singapore, India; departments, branches and representatives of many localities across the country; and many domestic and international film producers.

Representatives of management agencies and experts discussed at the seminar. Photo: THUY BINH

In her speech offering advice to Ho Chi Minh City after becoming a global creative city of cinema, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong said that for sustainable development, it is necessary to create a "cinema-loving gene" in Ho Chi Minh City. "When the love of cinema permeates every resident of the city, becomes the pride of the creative community, and is a soft power, it will create a dramatic change," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong shared.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, the issue is to solve the institutional challenges of Ho Chi Minh City in particular and Vietnam in general in the field of cultural industry, including cinema. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong proposed: "Only when the institutional bottlenecks are removed can resources be released, thereby turning the cultural industry in general, and cinema in particular, into a source of cultural soft power of a locality, of a country on the international map.

To do that, we hope that Ho Chi Minh City will focus on removing bottlenecks and establishing a policy package specific to Ho Chi Minh City specifically for cinema."

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong made a frank proposal at the workshop. Photo: THUY BINH

Need incentives and specific policies

A representative of Oxalis ( Quang Binh ) shared his experience in welcoming large film crews from Hollywood, India and Korea, and emphasized how to turn the setting into a unique tourism product, creating added value for the locality.

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hue City, shared practical experiences in the locality. Photo: Organizing Committee

In his brief speech, director Bui Thac Chuyen shared that the launch of the “ Ho Chi Minh City – Film Production Destination” Handbook by Ho Chi Minh City opens a new page, very specific and meaningful. The director of Tunnels: Sun in the Dark believes that we need to start with specific things like this, even more specific and detailed. “We need as many numbers as possible, because numbers have weight and there is no need to say too much,” he expressed.

Director Bui Thac Chuyen wants more specific numbers to create weight. Photo: BTC

Previously, in her sharing, Ms. Phan Cam Tu, Member of the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Cinema Promotion and Development Association, gave comparative figures on the huge tax refund and cashback policies of neighboring country Thailand.

The two recommendations that Ms. Tu made were to simplify the thinking by making the support for domestic and foreign film crews as specific as possible. At the same time, localities also need to improve the quality of human resources to be able to meet the requirements when film crews come to film.

Director - producer Vo Thanh Hoa also made specific suggestions. Photo: BTC

The story related to human resources was also proposed by director - producer Vo Thanh Hoa, should each locality have at least one specialized officer who understands film production work to closely monitor and provide better support for film crews.

Regarding the issue of incentives, from her experience participating in international cooperation, producer - director Mai Thu Huyen admitted that when asked by foreign filmmakers about specific policies, she did not know how to answer. According to her, this would miss opportunities because when compared with the incentives of countries in the region, Vietnam would not be chosen as a filming destination.

International speakers offered many solutions. Photo: Organizing Committee

During the roundtable discussion, international manufacturers from Australia and Singapore rated Vietnam as one of the countries with the greatest potential in Asia thanks to its diverse landscape, competitive costs and rich culture. However, Vietnam needs to step up procedural reform, standardize services and be more proactive in its promotional strategy to attract large-scale projects.

An international expert admits that a film location is not just about scenery, it also involves licensing and operating procedures because the clearer everything is, the easier it is for the film crew to calculate and plan.

VAN TUAN - THUY BINH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/thao-go-diem-nghen-the-che-de-khoi-thong-nguon-luc-post824997.html