PRIZE WINNER: A scene from "Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass", a multi-award-winning Vietnamese film. Việt Nam's film sector has benefited from a variety of recent policies aimed at fostering growth and luring outside investment. — Photo courtesy of Victor Vu Films

HÀ NỘI — Numerous filmmakers, artists, and representatives of management agencies gathered together on Tuesday for a workshop to discuss strategies for growing the film industry in Việt Nam and Southeast Asia.

Policies on promoting and co-producing films internationally, as well as plans to build a national cinema brand, were among the topics debated.

One of Việt Nam's most renowned directors, Đặng Nhật Minh, has spoken out in praise of the Government's greater support for the film sector in recent years.

But Minh argued that the State should pay equal attention to the distribution of films as it does to their development.

As far as he is concerned, the more effort put into a film's distribution, the wider its audience will be.

Filmmaker Phan Đăng Di voiced his hopes the Government will invest effectively in Vietnamese films and for the country's film industry to take a new path.

He said: "In recent years, Việt Nam has produced a number of outstanding films and established new policies to attract investment in the film industry. These set a promising new ground for the future of Vietnamese filmmaking.

"I believe that one of the major challenges in the film industry today is that we do not know what we are spending the State budget on.

"If our aim is to foster the growth of the film industry in our country, then the investment budget must be increased, and we must have the courage to determine that the purpose is not simply to produce propaganda films, but also films that will enhance Việt Nam's profile internationally."

On March 15, 1953, at the Đồi Cọ Zone, Thái Nguyên Province, the late President Hồ Chí Minh signed the decision to establish the National Enterprise of Cinema and Photography, laying the groundwork for Vietnamese revolutionary films.

From the early days of the country's reconstruction to the present day, revolutionary movies have been there every step of the way, expressing the people's candid and vivid fight to protect the country and advance the nation's building and development.

According to the Việt Nam Film Institute (Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism), for the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Việt Nam's revolutionary cinema industry (March 15, 1953-2023), numerous events will be organised, including exhibits, film screenings, and book releases.

The exhibition "Marks of 70 years of revolutionary film in Việt Nam" is one of the centrepieces, introducing more than 200 photographs of typical events, individuals, and cinematic works from Việt Nam's cinematic history over the previous seven decades.

The exhibition will take place in Hà Nội until the end of March 19 at Ngọc Khánh Cinema, 523 Kim Mã Street, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội and in HCM City from March 23 to April 6 at the University of Culture (campus 2), at 288 Đỗ Xuân Hợp Street, Thủ Đức City.

Ngọc Khánh Theatre in Hà Nội will also be hosting a free film screening programme in celebration of the event through March 16.

Films including Chung Một Dòng Sông (On the same river), Bao Giờ Cho Đến Tháng Mười (When the Tenth Month Comes), Mùa Ổi (Guava season), and Đừng Đốt (Don't burn) have been chosen to be shown as part of this schedule. — VNS