Experts shared their opinions in the discussion session "Strategies for promoting and distributing local Vietnamese films". - VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY - Local Vietnamese films are struggling to reach European and American markets due to local movie production culture, according to Trần Phương Thảo, Director of Sales and Marketing of BHD Company Limited at the 101 Global Film Festival Workshop within the framework of the HCM City International Film Festival 2024 (HIFF 2024),

At the workshop which took place on April 9, Thảo said that Vietnamese filmmakers only target the domestic market because they think the domestic audience is more important and the international market is insignificant.

They only go after the international market when films really make a splash when released in the domestic market.

In the Vietnamese domestic market, rom-com movies may be popular with domestic audiences, but they are still a genre that international audiences rarely choose to watch.

Except for the recent film "Mai" directed by Trấn Thành, bringing films to the international market is still a big challenge.

Nguyễn Phạm Hoàng Quân, CEO of Production Q Media Company, said that one reason why Vietnamese film promotion and distribution strategies are limited is because filmmakers do not really understand film marketing.

Therefore, they need to learn about target audiences, while also reaching audiences through the media and social networks.

In addition, when planning to release a film to the international market, filmmakers need to carefully prepare steps, including specific strategies on platforms to widely promote the film project to the public.

A successful overseas film project requires effective coordination between marketing teams and film producers. VNS