The Vietnam Cinema Department has never missed any opportunity to promote the country via films, its director said on Monday, answering a complaint that though Vietnamese landscapes have been used to create Neverland in the newly released Pan, the fact is unknown to moviegoers around the world.

Few will realize that Vietnam has lent the beauty of its Ha Long Bay, En Cave and Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex to the making of the magical world of Pan in the US$150 million Warner Bros. Pictures film.

Local tourism experts and businesses have called it “an opportunity wasted.”

Having its natural landscapes featured in Hollywood movies is the kind of free publicity Vietnam should be taking advantage of, according to insiders.

But Ngo Phuong Lan, director of the Vietnam Cinema, said people cannot be accused of missing and wasting a chance if they have no knowledge of it.

“With regard to the movie Pan, we never received any script or filming request, so I will not say anything about the so-called ‘opportunity wasted,’” she told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

On Monday, Tuoi Tre quoted many travel firms as saying they have been asked to assist foreign film crews in shooting in Vietnam, but would usually be discouraged by local authorities because of their rigid requirements in granting a filming license.

However, Lan emphasized that the cinema department had not challenged or caused trouble for any of the scripts it had received to assess from foreign filmmakers.

Vietnam Cinema is currently tasked with assessing scripts of foreign movies to be shot in the country and reporting to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which is in charge of granting the licenses, according to the director.

“It is also worth noting that only legal and licensed film companies are allowed to provide service to foreign crews shooting in Vietnam, and travel firms or tour operators are not permitted to do so,” Lan said.

“To those who want to promote the country’s tourism via films, please carefully study the law on cinema and strictly follow the rules.”

Lan asserted that her department is doing its best to support foreign filmmakers shooting in Vietnam to present the country to the world.

“At film fairs or festivals, we always try to let international moviemakers know that Vietnam has a very simple procedure for licensing foreign crews, and that the country always welcomes them,” Lan said.

“The cinema and tourism sectors should work together to set out long-term plans to promote the country’s natural beauty via movies.”

In a separate development, a Bollywood film crew has canceled its plan to shoot in Vietnam later this year due to some paperwork problems, according to Ha Van Sieu, deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

The Indian filmmakers had expected to arrive in Vietnam in late December to shoot some attractions for their movie, slated to join the Indian Film Festival in Vietnam, the official told Tuoi Tre on Monday.

“This is a great pity as we have missed yet another chance to introduce the beautiful Vietnamese landscapes via foreign films,” he said.

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