Published:  00:00 Wednesday - October 20, 2010

Cinematography officials have offered an attractive environment, including legal support, for international partners interested in producing films in Vietnam.

The offers were made at a workshop held in Hanoi on October 19, where organisers emphasised simple licensing procedures, tax exemption and low production costs as major incentives for foreign film producers.

Playwright Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, Vice President of the Vietnam Cinematography Association, made it clear that international film producers were exempt from taxes for using local services while services were cheaper than other countries, such as the hire of skilled workers or professionals, enabling a large number of people to be employed at relatively low cost overall.

Licensing procedures were being simplified and Cinematography Law simply asks applicants to submit a written request and film scripts in both English and Vietnamese. The licenses will be granted within 30 days, or the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will have to explain in writing the reasons for refusal to grant a license.

The Head of International Relations Section under the Cinematography Department, Do Duy Anh, said with Vietnam’s open-door policy, an increasing number of international award-winning foreign-made films have been shot in Vietnam, such as “Indochina”, “The Quiet American”, “Cyclo” and “Buffalo Boy”.

“In each of the past five years, Vietnam welcomed between 15 and 20 foreign film-making delegations to shoot footage,” said the film official in charge of international affairs.

Actor Phuoc Sang, who represented the private film studio of the same name, described Vietnam as a virgin and promising land for the seventh art industry and called for further investment and greater efforts by film makers, both domestic and international, to roll out high quality and attractive products.

Foreign delegates called on Vietnam to build and upgrade their film studios as well as establish truly professional film-making companies as basic conditions to attract more foreign film producers.