“The Princess Concubine” by Vietnamese American scriptwriter Quan Lelan has beaten 4000 other scripts to reach the semi-finals of an international contest in Los Angeles.

Quan Lelan and Chinese movie star Gao Yuan Yuan.

Two years ago, Quan Lelan became the first Vietnamese American scriptwriter to win first prize at PAGE, a Los Angeles competition, for a script entitled “Curse of the Precious Consort.”

This year, Quan Lelan’s “The Princess Concubine” has been selected as one of the top 250 scripts at PAGE in the category of historic films. The competition attracted 4394 scripts from 59 countries and territories in 2009, the highest number ever submitted to PAGE.

He explained that some producers in Hollywood read his new script and appreciated it. “I think The Princess Concubine is a Vietnamese story that can go far,” he said.

This script is about a brave girl who wants to change her destiny. When her country faces perdition, she uses her beauty and ingenuity in hopes of ending the bloody war.

The writer, who was the first Vietnamese student to obtain a Master’s degree in film from the University of Southern California, was confident about the success of “The Princess Concubine” in the PAGE contest.

In 2001, his script called “Hill 66” entered the quarterfinals of the Nicholl Fellowships sponsored by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Presently Quan Lelan is preparing for film production of the “Curse of the Precious Consort” by meeting with Chinese directors, cameramen, light technicians and designers.

VietNamNet/VNE