Despite being recognized for its artistic quality and humane message, “The Old Lady” still has to sadly not be able to reach a large audience in theaters because there is no mechanism. This shows that the story of a film using the State budget to find its way to theaters for many years is still struggling and confused.
Knots to be untied
Many State-ordered films such as “Red Dawn”, “Exposure”, “Hong Ha Nu Si”, “Ba Gia Di Bui”… although recognized by experts, creating good effects and fulfilling the mission of works using the budget, still make the industry worried when the films are only shown on anniversaries, festivals, free screenings in localities to serve political tasks, while the goal of competing in theaters is still sadly missed.
Director Tran Chi Thanh, the “father” of the film “The Old Woman Who Travels”, shared that each film is the result of the efforts and dedication of a team with many creative elements. Everyone wants their work to reach a wide audience, conveying the messages that the film wants to say. Therefore, the profession and many artists expressed their wish that the “knot” that prevents budget-funded films from being released to theaters for sale should be resolved soon.
Former Director of the Department of Cinema Vi Kien Thanh once emphasized that ordering films using the state budget has been an important activity in the cinema sector for many years. The State's policy on cinema development in the 2022 Cinema Law clearly states: The State invests in and supports film production according to plans to serve political tasks on historical and revolutionary topics, leaders, celebrities, national heroes, children, highlands, mountainous areas, borders, islands, ethnic minority areas, preserving and promoting Vietnamese cultural values, etc. Film production to serve political tasks is carried out in the form of assigning tasks, ordering or bidding.
Looking at films such as “Dao, Pho and Piano” and “Ba Gia Di Bui”, film experts believe that these works can be considered stimulants for Northern filmmakers. Although produced with a low budget, films are still well received if the work is of good quality. However, wide distribution is difficult because there are no specific regulations on dividing the percentage for film distribution, theaters and production units when selling tickets. Before a new legal corridor was established to remove the above bottleneck, 100% of revenue had to be taxed and paid into the State budget. In the case of the film “Ba Gia Di Bui”, which is about family, it must go through a bidding process, the film will only be included in film weeks, film festivals, and shown for free without being able to sell tickets in theaters.
Find solutions to difficult problems
The “bottleneck” in the mechanism for distributing and disseminating State films has been seen for a long time, but it was not until “Dao, Pho and Piano” created a breakthrough in revenue for this film genre that the desire to find a solution to the problem of finding a way for State films became even more urgent. Regarding this content, the Department of Cinema (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) is currently completing the Decree regulating the distribution and dissemination of films serving political tasks.
According to the draft Decree, films serving political tasks are released and disseminated for the purpose of propagating the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws; contributing to raising social awareness, fostering ideology, ethics, lifestyle, patriotism, national spirit and serving political and social goals. The draft also clearly states that the exploitation of financial resources from films serving political tasks must comply with market mechanisms, be effective, public, transparent and in accordance with the law. The form of release and dissemination must be selected in accordance with the nature and target audience of each type of film.
Based on production resources, films serving political tasks are expected to be classified into: Films using the entire state budget; films using part of the state budget and films not using the state budget. In which, films not using the state budget are films invested in and produced by domestic or foreign organizations and individuals using capital sources other than the state budget, with content that meets the criteria for serving political tasks.
According to the draft Decree, representatives of film owners using the state budget are autonomous and self-determined in choosing the form, method, value and partner in releasing and disseminating films in the form of releasing and disseminating to serve political tasks without collecting money; or releasing and disseminating in a commercial manner. In case of choosing to release and disseminate in a commercial manner, royalties and payment methods are implemented according to the agreement between the representative of the film owner and the organization or individual exploiting the film on the basis of market mechanisms, based on ticket sales and profits.
Cinema establishments that produce, distribute, and distribute films shall pay royalties to the state budget after deducting valid expenses according to the law on management and use of public assets. In cases where films using the state budget generate profits, authors, creative titles, and individuals performing creative work on the film shall receive an incentive royalty amount with a total amount not exceeding 10% of the profits earned.
The industry expects that when the Decree is issued, it will fill the legal "gap" in the dissemination and distribution of films using the State budget, paving the way for bringing quality films to a wider audience.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/phim-nha-nuoc-gian-nan-duong-ra-rap-711367.html
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