On March 3 (US time), within the framework of the program to promote Vietnamese cinema in the US to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the US, the Vietnam Film Promotion and Development Association (VFDA) led by Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan - President of VFDA, former Director of the Department of Cinema, had a working session with the senior leadership of Sony Pictures (one of the major film studios in Hollywood, member of the Motion Picture Association of America) to cooperate in film production in Vietnam.
Sony Pictures leader believes that Vietnam has great potential for developing cinema.
Sony Pictures representatives include Mr. Sanford Panitch, President of Sony Pictures, Mr. Andy Davis (President in charge of film production), Ms. Katie Goldstein (CEO)... It is known that Sony Pictures produces about 15 major films each year, most of which are theatrical films (including famous series such as Spider-Man, Venom, Men in Black, Paddington in Peru, Bad Boys for Life ...).
Vietnam - a film studio with great potential
At the meeting, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan said that VFDA was established in 2019 with the aim of supporting the development of Vietnamese cinema by consulting, proposing and building cinema policies. VFDA aims to promote the development of the environment for the domestic cinema industry, while gradually integrating more deeply into the international arena.
Vietnamese delegation visits the film set inside Sony Pictures headquarters in Los Angeles
Introducing the conditions and incentives for investors to come to Vietnam to produce films, Dr. Lan shared that Vietnam has the potential to become an attractive destination for investors and film producers from all over Asia and the world, because Vietnam has many beautiful landscapes. Regarding the policy mechanism under the new Cinema Law, which will take effect from 2023, it is more open than the old law, creating favorable conditions for domestic and international filmmakers. Not to mention making films in Vietnam with affordable production costs.
"While waiting for the government to stipulate preferential policies to encourage filmmakers to produce films in Vietnam, the association has made efforts to support provinces and cities in Vietnam in recognizing the importance and potential of the film industry, in addition to developing culture and tourism," said Dr. Lan.
Vietnam's natural landscape is a factor that attracts international film crews.
VFDA has developed a Film Crew Attraction Index (PAI), encouraging localities to self-evaluate according to PAI criteria. PAI will help localities gradually understand the specific needs of a film crew, and at the same time act as a useful bridge in creating favorable basic conditions to attract local filming.
"For example, when filming locally, regarding vehicles, hotels, food, scenes, human resources, etc., the provinces provide maximum support, even free of charge, so that the film crew has the best conditions when filming," said Dr. Lan.
Financial incentives are important
At the meeting, Mr. Sanford Panitch highly appreciated the efforts of VFDA in promoting Vietnamese cinema to the world and supporting domestic and international filmmakers. The annual organization of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) is also a big step forward in developing the film industry in Vietnam.
He expressed his interest in coming to Vietnam to make films for theatrical release, but had many concerns about financial incentives, the capacity of local film crews and the possibility of film censorship. Sony Pictures said that this is a great opportunity for Hollywood filmmakers to explore the scenic spots in Vietnam, cooperate with partners in Vietnam, and hoped that VFDA would be a supporting unit to discuss specific projects in the near future.
Hollywood filmmaker is excited to explore the scenic spots in Vietnam soon.
"We are very excited to have the opportunity to participate in DANAFF, this event will be a great opportunity to exchange and connect with filmmakers and producers from all over the world. I see Vietnam as a country with unique architecture and new, young film talents, bringing many interesting opportunities in the field of film production. But in the current difficult period, the most important thing is financial incentives and finding sponsorship to co-produce films", Mr. Andy Davis expressed.
The big challenge is the issue of censorship.
According to Mr. Andy Davis, "during production, film studios often return to familiar locations such as England, Eastern Europe, Australia. But we are eager to find new environments to unleash our creativity in our films."
Andy Davis said that financial incentives from local governments play an important role in deciding where filmmakers will film in the US, as they help reduce production costs. In addition, one of the biggest challenges film producers face is the script review process in countries with strict censorship requirements.
Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan and the President of Sony Pictures both wish to cooperate on specific projects as soon as possible.
However, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan emphasized that according to the new Cinema Law - open to filmmakers, they only need to submit the script for filming in Vietnam, the rest can be summarized, in a way that is consistent with the regulations in Vietnam, ensuring that the film can be produced and released most smoothly.
VFDA further shared that the average budget for a film in Vietnam ranges from 2 million USD to a maximum of 4 million USD, these films can bring in significant box office revenue, with some films reaching around 25 million USD.
"VFDA can have an open dialogue with the government to address all concerns related to Sony Pictures' film production in Vietnam and find solutions that are beneficial to both sides," the VFDA Chairman affirmed.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lanh-dao-sony-pictures-can-nhieu-chinh-sach-uu-dai-khi-den-viet-nam-lam-phim-185250304162039715.htm
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