Thursday, 4 February 2010

Cambodia's got talent, so please use it, ministry says

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/
via CAAI News Media

Feb 4, 2010

Phnom Penh - The Cambodian government has called on the country's television and radio stations to use more local talent for advertisements and stop dubbing commercials made overseas, local media reported Thursday.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said the directive would help the country's creative types find more work and prevent their skills from being wasted.

'We should help create jobs for our actors, actresses, directors, writers and film producers so that they have their own livelihood rather than showing foreign spots and paying tax for using their products, which creates losses for us,' Khieu Kanharith told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper.

The minister made clear that compliance would be voluntary and said those who failed to increase the number of locally made adverts would not be fined.

Local artists were enthusiastic about the ministry's request with one prominent filmmaker saying the move would boost careers and improve the livelihoods of local professionals.

But the head of one local TV station told the newspaper that the choice lay with advertisers, not broadcasters.

'It depends on the will and intention of company owners,' he said. 'What is important is what they want.'

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