VietNamNet Bridge – Young women scriptwriters are suddenly in the limelight after breaking a series of box-office and television-ratings records.

Dieu Nhu Trang's Thien Su 99 (Cupid 99) is a fantasy-love story about a cupid and an ordinary girl who believe love is a game but are finally forced to do some rethinking.

Trang says she did not expect Thien Su 99 to be so successful though she knew exactly what young moviegoers wanted.

The film's producer, Phuoc Sang, got together an ensemble of hot music and modelling stars for Thien Su 99, as the icing on the cake for young audiences.

The film collected more than VND15 billion (US$721,000) in its first three weeks after being released during Tet (the Lunar New Year) last February.

In 2009 Trang wrote her first screenplay for Thu 3 Hoc Tro (Games at School) which was shown as a 33-part TV series on Viet Nam Television's VTV3.

It was woven around the life of urban high-school students earned the highest ratings.

In several interviews to the media, the 23-year-old Trang has said: "I think I am a lot luckier than some skilled writers though I work hard."

She has written two TV series and films each and a stage play that have all gone on to become hits.

She is now writing a comedy for Christmas release for a private HCM City film studio.

Trang does not want to become a full-time screenwriter, but many of her fans, including producers, are hoping she will become a phenomenon in the field.

Trang's statements have only whetted their curiosity.

Ha Anh Thu, 31, who was a singer before taking up writing, has a very different approach, drawing heavily from her experiences in daily as well as artistic life.

"I want to add something new to a market dominated by traditional writing styles," Thu, who has written the screenplay for dozens of movies and TV series, said.

Her latest work, Khi Yeu Dung Quay Dau Lai (Hard Love – Hard Life), is a romantic thriller that is simply about love and does not seek to preach.

Produced by Thien Ngan (Galaxy) Film Studio, Khi Yeu Dung Quay Dau Lai was a big hit during Tet in 2010 with collections of nearly VND13 billion.

"As a writer, I wish to portray life in a simple way. I believe young viewers will identify and learn valuable lessons from their own lives," Thu, a graduate from the Ha Noi Cinematography and Theatre College, said.

All of Thu's major works like Em Muon Lam Nguoi Noi Tieng (I Wanted Myself Almost Famous) and Cha Yeu (Dear Father) were made by major TV stations and film companies.

Nguyen Quynh Trang, Hoang Anh Tu and Vu Thu Phong are other upcoming scriptwriters who are becoming popular with both producers and fans.

Though critics pan some of the works by young screenwriters as rip-offs of South Korean and Chinese films, many expect them to take the box-office by storm.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News