Contrasting picture of Vietnamese cinema: One side wins trillions, the other side 'hibernates'

The Southern film market has been developing vigorously in recent years, with many projects earning hundreds of billions of VND. Many Northern filmmakers have moved to the South to seek opportunities.

A heated discussion took place in the film industry after the speech of Director of the Cinema Department Vi Kien Thanh about the picture of Northern cinema in recent times. In it, Mr. Vi Kien Thanh pointed out the difference between the two film markets of Vietnam.

The zoning of domestic cinema is not a new phenomenon, but a reality that has existed for the past few decades. While the Southern cinema market is increasingly developing vigorously, with a large film crew and the birth of a series of projects with a total revenue of thousands of billions of VND. At the opposite extreme, Northern cinema is almost "hibernating".

Cinema scene

The most recent sign of Northern cinema is probably the phenomenon of the film Peach, Pho and Piano , a project commissioned by the State, directed by Phi Tien Son, was released on the occasion of Lunar New Year 2024. Initially, the film was only shown quietly at a single location, the National Cinema Center (Hanoi). However, later, thanks to word of mouth, Peach, Pho and Piano suddenly got attention and became a fever on social networks.

Director of the Department of Cinema Vi Kien Thanh assessed the picture of the domestic cinema market in recent years.

In the following weeks, the film took the "spotlight" on online platforms. The heat of Peach, Pho and Piano maintained for a long time, sometimes even compared with Mai , a hit work from Tran Thanh at that time. Not only in Hanoi, when shown at Cinestar and Beta Cinema theaters nationwide, the film was still widely received by audiences with mixed praise and criticism.

This is also a rare occasion after many years that a film ordered by the State has witnessed a situation of "sold out" tickets and audiences lining up to get into the theater.

Phenomenon of Peach, Pho and Piano once again causing experts and domestic filmmakers to jump into dissection and debate. Many positive signs and developments about the revival of Northern cinema after a long period of almost "hibernation".

Peach, pho and piano received attention and discussion from the audience on the occasion of Lunar New Year 2024.

But after the joy, the biggest question arises: "What next? Peaches, pho and piano , where has Northern cinema been in the past few decades?

Meanwhile, the Southern film market with its "backbone" being Ho Chi Minh City has been developing strongly over the years, with more and more private film companies opening up along with a large and talented team of directors, producers, DOPs, and actors.

The number of movies with revenue of over 100 billion VND has increased steadily over the years. Among them, Tran Thanh and Ly Hai are the two names that set the record of "thousand billion VND directors" in Vietnam. Specifically, Tran Thanh is the only director to hold three movies with the above achievement. 390 billion VND : Godfather ( 395 billion VND – 2021); Mrs. Nu's house ( 459 billion VND) - 2023) and the nearest is Tomorrow ( 551 billion VND ). Not to mention, as a producer, Tran Thanh also has movies Southern Forest Land with more achievements 140 billion VND . Meanwhile, with 7 films, the total revenue of the brand Flip side beyond the mark 1,200 billion dong .

Ly Hai and Tran Thanh are two trillion-dollar directors of Vietnamese cinema.

Besides Tran Thanh and Ly Hai, the veteran directors of Southern cinema over the past decade include Victor Vu, Vu Ngoc Dang, Vo Thanh Hoa, Bao Nhan, Tran Huu Tan...

The cinema system accounts for a large proportion in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces and cities, contributing 65-70% of total revenue from domestic cinema.

Reason for difference

Talk to Tri Thuc - Znews , producer Cao Tung said that the contrasting picture of domestic cinema has not only happened in recent years but has existed since the early 2000s until now, with the birth of private film studios in Ho Chi Minh City, the "wave" of overseas Vietnamese directors, such as Charlie Nguyen, Victor Vu...

"Since then, the development has become more uneven. Until recent years, when the Southern market had commercial films with revenue of hundreds of billions of VND, the Northern cinema still only focused on making films ordered by the State. This has had many impacts on the thinking and working style of the workforce, artists, and filmmakers...", said Mr. Cao Tung.

According to the producer, this reality does not only occur in the film industry but also exists in many other areas of entertainment, such as music. And that is the inevitable law of market development.

As the number of film projects commissioned by the State has decreased, many directors and producers in the North have moved to the South to seek opportunities in the film market. On the contrary, in the past 5 years, many films by directors in Ho Chi Minh City have also chosen to be set in the Northern localities. And there are also more and more commercial film projects with the participation of Northern actors, most recently The Last Wife, Flip Side 7: A Wish ...

Actress Kim Oanh appears in Victor Vu's The Last Wife.

According to director Dinh Tuan Vu, this exchange is a positive signal. On the one hand, it narrows the gap in cinema between the two regions. On the other hand, it creates the integration of Vietnamese cinema into the world cinema market, with a cinema language that is both more international and imbued with national identity.

"The long-standing excitement of the cinema market in the South, in my opinion, depends on many factors, such as geography, culture, or people's living habits... But if the public takes the time to observe, that excitement is also gradually developing, even developing quite rapidly in the Northern cinema market. Because of that development, there are more and more films with theater revenue of hundreds of billions or several hundred billion. Northern audiences really like and are excited to watch films with strong Southern culture. On the contrary, Southern audiences also admire and have affection for many Northern actors and idols. Filmmakers are always looking for new things, deeply exploiting difficult topics, with cultural and spiritual elements... in both regions", Dinh Tuan Vu shared.

The division of cinema in the world

In many countries around the world, the film industry is often concentrated in specific regions or cities. For example, in the US, the film market develops mainly in Hollywood (Los Angeles), which is considered the "film capital" of the world.

Hollywood is bustling with major studios, infrastructure, and talent, from writers, directors, actors, and crew. Other cities like New York also have thriving film industries, but they cannot compare to Hollywood in terms of scale and influence.

In Korea, the film market is thriving in the capital city of Seoul. Major film companies, studios, and human resources are concentrated here, creating convenience for the production, distribution, and promotion of films.

In other countries like France, Paris is the center of the film industry. Or in China, Beijing and Shanghai are two cities with leading film industries.

Each film "industrial zone" receives support from the Government in terms of policies and infrastructure for development. In addition, currently, some countries have also introduced many new policies to expand the scope of the film industry and develop in other localities across the country.

Source