Northern film business losing ground to the south

The film industry in the north of Vietnam has been struggling to compete with a flood of southern-made productions.

Only two northern films competed in the 2011 Golden Kite Film Festival

The well-known director, Nguyen Huu Phan, said that the films made in the north of the country are being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of movies made in the south.

Out of 12 features competing in the 2011 Golden Kite Film Festival, 9 were southern productions.

In the television category, only two films produced in the north were considered, compared to 19 from the south. In addition, one of those, Giao Su Tran Thu Do or "Professor Tran Thu Do", was not included for regulatory reasons.

Do Thanh Hai, Director of Vietnam Television Film Production Centre (VFC), explained, “There are many more production companies in the south of this country. They have a great output because of the large demand for broadcast content in their region. The north has far fewer companies. VTV has a set timetable for broadcasting Vietnamese made-for-TV films. Hanoi Television has no open slots, while VTC broadcasts very few."

The last five years has been a boom time for film production in the south, with the establishment of many film production companies. In the north the industry has developed at a much slower pace, Hai said.

While northern filmmakers sit idle for lack of opportunities, actors and actresses have been lured south to find roles just to maintain their careers.

Hai said that this lack of activity in the film business has actually led to more demanding producers, as opposed to the south, where new talent is often open to new talent. In the south, he said, they often welcome amateurs, such as models, up and coming singers and beauty contest winners.

Money a big problem

One obstacle, according to many, has been the lack of available capital for the industry.

Director Bui Tuan Dung, from Vietnam Feature Film Studios, said that even though his studio is able to produce feature films, there have been years where he and other directors have remained idle due to lack of investment. This, he said, made directors to turn to making films and series for television.

Dung, along with many of his colleagues, frequently coordinates with southern filmmakers, and often invites others from the north to join projects. But, he added, “Southern filmmakers dominate the market. This is especially evident during holiday seasons like Tet. While there are around 40 or 50 production houses active in HCM City daily, there are only about 5 in Hanoi," he said.

He also put partial blame on the work practices of people involved in the film industry in the north.

“I'm impressed with the work ethic and professionalism of those in the film industry in HCM City. While working there I would regularly get up at 5am and start work at 7am. Often, by the time I got there, other workers had already arrived, which made it possible to begin work right away. In Hanoi, it's usual for the talent to show up late, around 8am or 9am, which means we can't start shooting until 10am," he said.

Another reason for the discrepancy could be financial. One anonymous director commented that his studio gives priority to films that will do well in the south, where audiences spend more on going to the movies.

Quality or quantity?

Despite the large number of films accepted in the Golden Kite Film Festival for 2011, there were only a few that were critically acclaimed.

Many of the films, such as “Long Ruoi”, “Sai Gon Yo” or “Khat Vong Thuong Luu” were not well received by the audience, who thought they lacked production value and featured amateurish talent.

Among the 12 films competing for last year's award, only “Hotboy noi loan”, directed by Vu Ngoc Dang did very well.

Several film critics have claimed that southern films focus to much on commercialism and lack artistic merit.

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