A scene in Thien Than Ho Menh movie (Photo:thanhnien.vn) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Many Vietnamese movies are increasingly beingshown in foreign markets.
The movie Bo Gia (with English title "Dad, I’m Sorry”), for example, wasreleased on April 22 in theatres in Singapore and Malaysia, including via thepopular Golden Village cinema chain.
Even though the movie’s publisher has yet to give sales statistics in Malaysiaor Singapore, the public’s acceptance can be seen by the number of screeningsand the duration of the movie’s stay. Bo Gia is still being shown in Singapore.
According to Box Office Mojo, a website specialising in independent box officerevenue tracking, Bo Gia ranks 29th in the global chart of movie revenue thisyear, with more than 17,129 million USD.
Meanwhile, the movie Lat Mat 5: 48h (Face off: The Walking Guests) is at 47thplace with more than 6,584 million USD. The producer plans to enter Lat Mat 5:48h in the US, Canada, Australia and other markets. Earlier in 2019, Lat Mat 4was shown in the US, Australia and Canada.
The Thien Than Ho Menh movie (The Guardian Angel), prior to its premiere datein Vietnam, was approached by international firms in countries such as the US,Canada, UK, France, Ireland, Malaysia and Singapore, among other nations. Thisis a positive sign for the “export potential” of Vietnamese movies.
A similar case can be seen with the movie Bong De (Sleep Paralysis) by directorLe Van Kiet. Even though the film is expected to be screened in Vietnam inmid-May, it has already been licensed for distribution in 25 countries.
Despite their potential, many producers of Vietnamese movies have not announcedfigures about their international revenue.
Hai Phuong movie (Furie), directed by Le Van Kiet, is a rare film with clearsales, with 160 billion VND (6.9 million USD) in the domestic market and 40 billion VND in theinternational market.
Though the domestic market remains the most prominent and brings most of therevenue for Vietnamese films, the potential of the foreign market isundeniable, especially with support from the large number of overseasVietnamese and curious international audiences interested in differentcinematic backgrounds.
Quality movies
With multiple awards at international film festivals, the film Cha Cong Con by LuongDinh Dung has reached audiences in 16 countries and territories such as the US,Italy, Uruguay, Spain, Canada and India, among others.
Dung said that global film distributors often visit prestigious internationalfilm festivals to negotiate, buy and sell film rights. The opportunity for hismovie to premiere in foreign countries started there.
“Previously, we only sold the rights to show Cha Cong Con in theatres, but nowits copyright comes in other forms of distribution such as television or DVDs,”Dung said.
Recently, the film was licensed to be shown at a university in Japan and wasreleased in a DVD version in Turkey.
Dung added that he has had a lot of experience in negotiating withinternational distributors. Many “acquaintances" sought out Dung to makeanother action movie, 578: Phat Dan cua Ke Dien, expected to be released inVietnamese theatres next August.
“Quality local films are not difficult to export,” he said.
Director and consultant for Film Group (Singapore) Nelson Mok said that in thepast it was not easy to convince international film distributors to offerVietnamese films in theatres because foreign audiences were unfamiliar withthis genre.
However, it was the “vision” in the movie Bong De that made distributors agree.It is essential to let the foreign audiences experience Vietnamese films, andthen they will want to see more, he said.
Film director Charlie Nguyen said that local filmmakers need to have attractivestorytelling skills, and more importantly, be able to create relevant storieswith local values in them.
“Bo Gia is a prime example. We need to tell our own story, not the story thatother international movies have told,” he added.
“Watching a movie is no different than going on a trip. Viewers love to seewhat they have yet to experience,” film director Luong Dinh Dung said./.
The movie Bo Gia (with English title "Dad, I’m Sorry”), for example, wasreleased on April 22 in theatres in Singapore and Malaysia, including via thepopular Golden Village cinema chain.
Even though the movie’s publisher has yet to give sales statistics in Malaysiaor Singapore, the public’s acceptance can be seen by the number of screeningsand the duration of the movie’s stay. Bo Gia is still being shown in Singapore.
According to Box Office Mojo, a website specialising in independent box officerevenue tracking, Bo Gia ranks 29th in the global chart of movie revenue thisyear, with more than 17,129 million USD.
Meanwhile, the movie Lat Mat 5: 48h (Face off: The Walking Guests) is at 47thplace with more than 6,584 million USD. The producer plans to enter Lat Mat 5:48h in the US, Canada, Australia and other markets. Earlier in 2019, Lat Mat 4was shown in the US, Australia and Canada.
The Thien Than Ho Menh movie (The Guardian Angel), prior to its premiere datein Vietnam, was approached by international firms in countries such as the US,Canada, UK, France, Ireland, Malaysia and Singapore, among other nations. Thisis a positive sign for the “export potential” of Vietnamese movies.
A similar case can be seen with the movie Bong De (Sleep Paralysis) by directorLe Van Kiet. Even though the film is expected to be screened in Vietnam inmid-May, it has already been licensed for distribution in 25 countries.
Despite their potential, many producers of Vietnamese movies have not announcedfigures about their international revenue.
Hai Phuong movie (Furie), directed by Le Van Kiet, is a rare film with clearsales, with 160 billion VND (6.9 million USD) in the domestic market and 40 billion VND in theinternational market.
Though the domestic market remains the most prominent and brings most of therevenue for Vietnamese films, the potential of the foreign market isundeniable, especially with support from the large number of overseasVietnamese and curious international audiences interested in differentcinematic backgrounds.
Quality movies
With multiple awards at international film festivals, the film Cha Cong Con by LuongDinh Dung has reached audiences in 16 countries and territories such as the US,Italy, Uruguay, Spain, Canada and India, among others.
Dung said that global film distributors often visit prestigious internationalfilm festivals to negotiate, buy and sell film rights. The opportunity for hismovie to premiere in foreign countries started there.
“Previously, we only sold the rights to show Cha Cong Con in theatres, but nowits copyright comes in other forms of distribution such as television or DVDs,”Dung said.
Recently, the film was licensed to be shown at a university in Japan and wasreleased in a DVD version in Turkey.
Dung added that he has had a lot of experience in negotiating withinternational distributors. Many “acquaintances" sought out Dung to makeanother action movie, 578: Phat Dan cua Ke Dien, expected to be released inVietnamese theatres next August.
“Quality local films are not difficult to export,” he said.
Director and consultant for Film Group (Singapore) Nelson Mok said that in thepast it was not easy to convince international film distributors to offerVietnamese films in theatres because foreign audiences were unfamiliar withthis genre.
However, it was the “vision” in the movie Bong De that made distributors agree.It is essential to let the foreign audiences experience Vietnamese films, andthen they will want to see more, he said.
Film director Charlie Nguyen said that local filmmakers need to have attractivestorytelling skills, and more importantly, be able to create relevant storieswith local values in them.
“Bo Gia is a prime example. We need to tell our own story, not the story thatother international movies have told,” he added.
“Watching a movie is no different than going on a trip. Viewers love to seewhat they have yet to experience,” film director Luong Dinh Dung said./.
VNA
