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"South Korean Film Company to Build Cinemas in Yangon"

The Eleven

June 19th, 2013

"A South Korean film company, Noble Assets, plans to cooperate with local entrepreneurs to build more cineplex theaters in Yangon within this year, according to an official from Noble Assets.

Young Nae Yoo, a director with Noble Assets told The Daily Eleven that his company is interested in investing in the Myanmar film industry and has already made surveys of existing cineplex venues in Yangon.

"The difference between South Korea and Myanmar is that a theater in South Korea has at least 10 cineplexes so the audience can choose the films they want to watch. There are only about three theaters here so the quantity is very low," said Young Nae Yoo, director of new projects with Noble Assets.

According to him, the theaters will include at least 10 cineplexes to screen local and foreign films including Korean films.

"We will include at least 10 cineplexes per theater when we build them," he said.

According to last year's statistics from Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation, Myanmar had a total of 65 cinemas but some of them have now been torn down and rebuilt as shopping malls and condominiums with mini theaters.

Noble Assets Company operates cinemas in South Korea and has invested in eight Korean films and distributed two Korean dramas.

"If individual income rises in Myanmar, they would be able to spend more in the entertainment sector. That's why we are now trying to invest in the film industry," Yoo added."

Things to come

Regular readers of the Southeast Asia Movie Theater Project may have given up hope that any new material will ever be produced. Strike that thought from your brains! While the grant/sponsorship route to action is dismally dry, the DIY method is taking shape nicely.

There are currently two photography books being edited together for those who enjoy this project. The closer of the two to completion will be entitled "The Last of Thailand's Stand-Alone Movie Theater: A glimpse into a vanishing form," or something to that effect. It should be completed by the end of July.

A second book - dedicated to Burma's stand-alones and the culture surrounding them - is also in the works, yet in need of much more content to make it worth producing. That means more expeditions will be needed. What say we let sales of the first book subsidize more production for the second?

In the meantime, I'll try to keep a stream of relevant and/or interesting material related to this niche subject matter on the boards. Feel free to send a note if you feel so inclined. I usually reply.