CEO Bùi Quang Minh of Beta Group. Photo courtesy of Beta Group

Beta Cinema and Cinestar are private companies that volunteered to screen the the anti-French war movie Đào, Phở và Piano (Peach Blossoms, Beef Noodle and Piano) without profit after seeing crowds thronging National Cinema Centre, the only place screening the film.

Việt Nam News reporter Lê Hương asks Beta Group chairman Bùi Quang Minh about that decision.

Why did you decide to screen Đào, Phở và Piano at Beta Cinema?

As a commercial cinema, we pay much attention to the outcome of our operations. But cinema is a kind of art that has other values besides just commercial.

When we found out that Đào, Phở và Piano [a State-funded movie] had a profound significance and had been warmly welcomed by the public, we thought this was a chance to introduce the film to more audiences.

Profits and revenues were not the first or foremost consideration for us. The work has other values and meanings related to culture, moral value and connections.

This was an act of patriotism, for the sake of the community, Beta Group staff, and myself. I think it was a wonderful chance to show the film to cinema fans.

How has it been going since you released the film on February 21?

Since we started screening Đào, Phở và Piano on February 21 the number of people accessing our website has increased by eight times. We have tried our best to deal with that, upgrade the hardware and optimise software. We have technical staff day and night to optimise audiences' access to the website.

We have made the show timings for the film flexible to meet audiences' demands. Every day there are at least 3-4 shows at a cinema theatre while some places, there are 7-8 screening times.

People queue for tickets for the movie Đào, Phở và Piano at a Beta Cinemas theatre. Photo Shark Minh Beta

Don’t you have difficulty screening the film without profit?

There are various costs involved in screening a film like electricity and staff salaries. But we do not worry much about profits when screening this film. This is a chance to make people love Vietnamese history more. Such a profound work of cinema with deep human values is more important. I think this is a small contribution we can make to the community.

Do you have any proposal to publicize State-funded movies?

We are very happy and willing to co-operate with State agencies to produce, distribute and make contributions to take films with good value to audiences. That way we can help promote patriotism and noble and human values to make our lives better.

During the process, we will also make note of audiences’ feedback to discuss with related agencies so that we can understand the tastes and demands of viewers better. Then gradually Vietnamese artists can create better works and promote Vietnamese cinema at home and abroad.

What do you think about the regulation that proceeds from State-funded movie screenings should be given back to the State? Is that hindering private cinemas from screening State-funded movies like Đào, Phở và Piano?

Cinema theatres cannot ignore profits. But cinema is an art that has other values besides making profit. Beta Cinema considers various factors before deciding to screen any films. Apart from profits, we also think about the community values and humanity that a movie offers. Đào, Phở và Piano is such a work. VNS