VOA慢速英语2018--越南希望发展电影业

Vietnam Wants to Grow Film Industry

Vietnam’s movie business is growing quickly. New theaters are being built across the country. Young filmmakers are entering the market.

In the past, movies about Vietnam centered on Hollywood’s ideas about the Vietnam War. They starred American actors with Vietnamese playing background parts. But this is changing.

Academy Awards submission¹

Ngo Thanh Van became an international movie star with her part in the latest version of Crouching² Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Now she has turned to directing. Her newest film is called The Tailor. It will be Vietnam’s official entry for next year’s Academy Awards in the foreign language category.

“Making movies in the Vietnamese market is a risky³ business, not just for me,” Van told the internet news site Zing. “But it is because it is difficult that I want to put all my heart into doing it."

Increasing demand

Increasing interest is coming from both Vietnamese filmmakers and Vietnamese movie-goers. The theater group CGV reported a 30 percent increase in profits for 2017 compared to the year before. CGV is just one company that shows movies, but it controls nearly half the movie theaters in the Southeast Asian country.

Critics call it a monopoly, but its market position shows the industry’s growth. Besides the South Korean-owned CGV, other movie theater companies in Vietnam include BHD, Galaxy⁴, Skyline, Cinestar, Cinebox and Lotte.

The theaters are trying to meet demand for movies in an economy that is expanding at a rate of nearly 7 percent every year.

Vietnam’s growth has caused companies like Netflix, and another streaming service, iflix, to get into the Vietnamese market.

The investment advice company Investar wrote in an analysis of the film industry: “When a country develops, the next developmental need will be entertainment, so it is important to capture this demand.” It also said that money is being invested in the business.

Diaspora comes home

The growth of Vietnamese movies comes as more Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American actors appear in international films. The Netflix movie To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before stars a Vietnamese-American born in the Mekong Delta⁵ area. In Downsizing, actor Matt Damon performs with Hong Chau, who uses a thick Vietnamese accent but earned a Golden Globe nomination⁶.

And people with Vietnamese ancestry⁷ are returning. American actors, directors, producers and film editors have returned to Vietnam in recent years, like Johnny Tri and Charlie Nguyen.

Filmmakers from France, a former colonial ruler of Vietnam, have also arrived, such as two French-Vietnamese who set up an animation⁸ business in Ho Chi Minh City.

Performer Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen said on her Facebook page, “If you support Vietnamese movies, the movies will be profitable, and investors⁹ will put in more money.”

She added that Vietnam has plenty of beautiful areas to film movies.

A good place for movie-making

Kong: Skull¹⁰ Island is a good example of a successful movie filmed in Vietnam. It is the latest version of the famous King Kong movies. It includes pictures of the green waters of Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage place.

The film also signaled an important change in movies in Vietnam. The film takes place during the Vietnam War. But, it celebrates the performances of Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson and the natural beauty of the country.

Vietnamese-language films are being watched around the world. They include films like Cyclo and The White Silk Dress. Local people hope those are just the start of a growing trend.

“We know that Vietnamese movies are not yet equal with neighboring countries, because we are still in a period of opening up,” said Ky Duyen. “But that does not mean that we will not catch up.”

India has Bollywood. Nigeria has Nollywood. Vietnam may soon develop its own version: Vollywood.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

category –n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way

monopoly – n. complete control of the entire supply of goods or of a service in a certain area or market

entertainment – n. amusement or pleasure that comes from watching a performer, playing a game,

analysis – n. a careful study of something to learn about its parts, what they do, and how they are related to each other

animation – n. a way of making a movie by using a series of drawings, computer graphics¹¹, or photographs of objects (such as puppets or models) that are slightly different from one another and that when viewed quickly one after another create the appearance of movement

trend – n. a way of behaving, proceeding¹², etc., that is developing and becoming more common

1 submission   

n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出

参考例句：

• The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。
• No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。

2 crouching   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影
• A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

3 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

4 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

5 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

8 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

9 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

10 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

11 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

12 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。