Government to invest in cinema industry

More than 6.5 trillion VND (309 million USD) from the State budget will be spent in developing the cinema industry nationwide from now to 2020, according to the Department of Cinematography. Under the plan, 57 cinema complexes will be built, including two larger cinema complexes with 1,500 seats each in Hanoi and HCM City. At least 49 State-owned cinemas, most of them located in provinces, will be upgraded with quality facilities and more beautiful decor. According to screenwriter Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, former deputy director of the Department of Cinematography, the Government should allocate more money to the industry because of its “increasing prosperity in recent years”. She said the outdated cinema system owned by the Government was one of many major challenges that the film industry needed to overcome. “We also need to improve our management before spending more money on new cinemas,” said Ngat. According to a recent survey by the Department of Cinematography, the country has 97 cinema complexes with 246 cinemas, including 72 complexes with 104 cinemas owned by the Government. Most of the State-owned cinemas are in poor condition and have not turned a profit for several years. In 2011, cinemas earned a total of 35 million USD in sales. Last year, the figure was 47 million USD. Most of that figure came from privately owned cinemas. Last week, Thien Ngan (Galaxy) Studio, which opened one of the country’s first private production and distribution outlets in the 90s, opened its fourth cinema complex with seven…