There is, however, a general a lack of interest in preserving the culture, enjoying the art, and bridging generation gaps. This is not seen in only the “younger generation.” It goes across the board! In some of VAALA’s and other cultural organizations’ activities, certain book signings, art exhibitions, cultural talks, or recitals only attract certain age group, and we keep seeing almost the same people coming to these activities. We need to expand our audience base.
It is like a cycle. In order to expand our audience base, we’d need to have good work. In order to produce good work, the artists need the support from the audience. We need to start somewhere in this circle! Providing a nurturing environment for the artists to present their work is a way to start. We try to make ViFF such an environment for the artists to initiate a dialogue with the audience.
Non-profit cultural/art orgs like VAALA (Vietnamse American Arts & Letters Association) need to reach out to the community by creating many programs to bridge gaps.ViFF is a good example. Unlike most of other VAALA’s events, ViFF is able to attract various age groups. I guess cinema has its own charm! We see that and we would like to create more programs besides film screenings to open dialogues at ViFF. All Q&A panel discussions at ViFF are bilingual. Only our website is English only. We need more time to do the translations!
14. How do you feel
about Vietnamese filmmakers living abroad gradually moving film
production back to Viet Nam?
As the government in Viet Nam allows more private companies to run
projects, there are more opportunities for the filmmakers to carry
out their projects in Viet Nam. The censorship system in Viet Nam
is still a major obstacle in the creative process. I hope that the
government in Viet Nam will look at the success of the South Korean
film industry and model after it. After all, a strong movie industry
can generate more money by fostering other industries such as traveling.
I believe that artists should be able to live where ever they can do their work. I like to think that they could be “transnational” if their conditions allow. While some filmmakers choose to live in Viet Nam for some time, others may prefer to stay out of Viet Nam. Some may go back and forth. I’m not worried about where they move their production company to as long as they continue to create relevant work.
The cost of production in Viet Nam in general is much less expensive than say, the US. However, the technical support over there may be limited. For example, it’d be challenging to find a sound tech in Viet Nam because the productions in Viet Nam usually dub the voices and do the recordings in studios.
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