LOCAL CINEMA - A scene from Mắt Biếc (Dreamy Eyes), a production of HCM City-based film agency Galaxy Studio, which competed in the Best Foreign Language Film Category at the Oscar awards ceremony in March 2021. Photo courtesy of Galaxy Studio.

HCM CITY — A forum on HCM City’s film industry was organised as part of the first Hồ Chí Minh City International Film Festival 2024 (HIFF 2024) from April 6-13.

The event, entitled “HCM City Promotes Film Development”, on Tuesday included presenters from local and foreign film studios and entertainment agencies, and cultural authorities as well. 

Highlighted speeches focused on the role of HCM City in promoting the development of Vietnamese cinema. Filmmaking and film production in the city and how to bring popular Vietnamese movies to international film festivals were also discussed. 

Film actress and producer Mai Thu Huyền shared her experience on how to invest in and market movies. She has been successful as a director, working on historical films. 

She suggested the city build new film studios in rural districts. The studios should be provided modern equipment and technologies for filming, and also become new tourism destinations in the city.

“The city should issue favourable policies to develop its film industry,” said Huyền, who has 20 years in the industry. 

The city now has only a few studios for filming. Most of them are small with an area of thousands of square metres that can be used for making TV series, music videos, commercial videos and game shows.

There is only Hoà Phú Studio in Củ Chi District of HCM City Television Station (HTV), with an area of 49.5 hectares, which can be used for both indoor and outdoor filming, and for all kinds of movie themes. 

TALKING MOVIES - Presenters talk at a forum called “HCM City Promotes Film Development” on HCM City’s film industry as part of the first Hồ Chí Minh City International Film Festival 2024 (HIFF 2024) from April 6-13. Photo courtesy of HIFF 2024.

According to Professor Trình Quang Phú, director of the Oriental Research Development Institute, HCM City has achieved good results in cultural growth in the three years after launching the project called “Hồ Chí Minh Cultural Space”. 

The project is part of a strategy of the city’s cultural industry between 2020 and 2025 approved by the municipal People’s Committee. 

Under the project, a film production centre offering services in filming, pre-production and post-production will be built. 

Building a cinema museum will be one of the city’s targets to promote Vietnamese history, culture and people to the world. It will display artefacts and equipment about the history and development of the film industry in Việt Nam and HCM City.

“Local authorities should work with relevant agencies to build a human resources plan for the city’s film industry,” said Phú. 

People’s Artist Nguyễn Thị Thanh Thuý, deputy director of the city’s Department of Culture and Sports, said that cinema would be the spearhead in the city's cultural industry development strategy. “We have worked to organise and hope the HIFF 2024 will promote the development of the domestic film industry, build a brand, and diversify cultural products.” 

Thuý said that the HIFF 2024 will be an opportunity for Vietnamese filmmakers to meet, interact, and compete with international colleagues.

HCM City's cinema accounts for about 40 per cent of the national cinema market. Its film industry is expected to grow at an average annual rate of about 12 per cent from 2025, reaching over VNĐ5 trillion (US$200 million).—VNS