HCM CITY — A story beginning with a surprise road-side encounter between a wedding and a funeral, written by Võ Anh Vũ, won the top prize at the Talented Screenwriters contest, the organiser has announced.

With the instruction of director Phan Gia Nhật Linh, Vũ completed the screenplay as a comedy, but the humorous situation becomes a metaphor for capricious conflicts in society.

 “I’m so happy to receive the prize,” said Vũ. “It’s very lucky because I competed with many talented contestants who have interesting ideas.”

“It’s a good chance for young screenwriters like us to practise and develop our skills. We learn much from professional filmmakers.”

Beside Vũ, five excellent screenwriters were granted prizes, including Võ Thị Hoàng Yến, Hồ Thúc An, Trần Thị Phương, Huỳnh Châu Ngọc, and Hoàng Phi Yến.

CJ CGV Việt Nam, a cinema and entertainment company, organised the contest with aim of nurturing rising talents in the Vietnamese cinema industry. The contest was launched nationwide three months ago for people ages 18 to 35. It attracted 3,800 entrants.

The jury board included prestigious filmmakers such as Trương Ngọc Ánh, Phan Gia Nhật Linh, Charlie Nguyễn, Đức Thịnh, and Đinh Tuấn Vũ.

Producer and actress Ánh said on Friday the judges appreciated the effort and creativity of the contestants.

Six finalists have completed their works with the support of the professional filmmakers.

Dong Won-kwak, director of the company, promised to help the young screenwriters produce their works.

“We will give them financial support to produce the works of awarded contestants and set up a plan to distribute the films in the CGV cinema chain,” he said. — VNS