Lawmakers want 30 pct cap on foreign TV, film content enforced

National Assembly deputies have asked the government to keep the ratio of foreign films shown on television and in theaters at the current 30 percent to protect the fledgling local cinema industry.

Deputy Bui Thi Le Phi said some channels show more foreign films than local ones.

Ngo Thi Doan Thanh said, in fact, Vietnamese films accounted for less than 30 percent as required by regulation both in cinemas and on TV.

She called for inserting the 30 percent regulation into proposed amendments to the Cinema Law so that people in the country can know about world cultures while still preserving theirs.

However, deputy Pham Phuong Thao said the government should carefully consider this rule since it may have be counterproductive, with TV stations focusing merely on quantity.

Many delegates approved a draft amendment allowing foreign individuals, organizations and Vietnamese expatriates to establish joint ventures with Vietnamese filmmakers, in which the former can hold no more than a 51 percent stake.

Dang Van Xuong said the ownership cap would somewhat curtail the rights of foreign partners.

Without any ownership limit now, just three joint ventures in which foreigners hold 80-90 percent, import 40 percent of all foreign films shown in the country, he said.

Reported by Ngan Anh

Lawmakers want 30 pct cap on foreign TV, film content enforced