Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Chau-Ai Pham

BlueCat: Why did you start writing screenplays?

Chau-Ai Pham: I started my first screenplay Moulting after being cured of last stage lung cancer, I decided to quit my banking career to do what I like most, writing. Moulting is a family action story, inspired by my own healing experience.

BlueCat: What is your highest screenwriting goal for yourself?

CP: If I tell you, you might take it seriously. So, I won’t.

BlueCat: What aspects of the writing process do you struggle with the most?

CP: Writing in English since it’s not my mother tongue.

BlueCat: What movies do you watch to remind yourself that you love screenwriting?

CP: There are so many, but lately The Homesman by and with Tommy L. Jones.

BlueCat: What do you feel you do well as a screenwriter?

CP: Trying to “watch” my screenplay as a movie-goer.

BlueCat: Do you feel that screenwriting is different in your country than it is in Hollywood? If so, how?

CP: First, I don’t know where my country is (born in Vietnam, living in Switzerland for years, back to Vietnam for years also and now living in Thailand). Let’s take Vietnam, definitely screenwriting here is different, as censorship is king. The struggle for daily living keeps people’s minds busy for decades—no time for culture and spirituality.

BlueCat: What screenplay have you written which you feel most proud of and why?

CP: My last one, White Lotus. Being my third screenplay, I could see the progress I’ve made from the first one in all aspects of the craft.