Vietnam pushes film ties with Japan through co-production, cultural exchange

Vietnam's Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu has outlined an ambitious strategy to harness cinema as a tool for strengthening the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, presenting three key pillars for expanded cooperation in the film sector.

The diplomatic initiative focuses first on developing creative talent through professional exchanges, mentorship programmes and hands-on training opportunities for Vietnamese and Japanese filmmakers and industry professionals. The second track emphasises broadening audience reach by facilitating festival participation, archival access and curated screenings at cultural institutions across both nations, creating pathways for audiences to engage with each other's cinematic traditions.

The third component seeks to establish stronger links between filmmakers, business entities and government bodies, creating an enabling environment for joint production ventures. This framework aims to address practical concerns including intellectual property protection, technical skills development and formal co-production agreements that would facilitate larger-scale collaborative projects.

The proposal reflects a broader regional trend of leveraging film and cultural industries as instruments of soft power and bilateral engagement. Vietnam's film sector has increasingly attracted regional and international attention, with Vietnamese productions gaining recognition at major festivals across Asia and beyond.