Director Charlie Nguyen and Australian filmmaker Paul Brenner have just organized the first season of the Comink comic writing competition.

The contest is open to anyone who is passionate about storytelling through drawings, regardless of skill level or experience. The biggest requirement is that the work must be unpublished and original.

Among the notable contestants is actress Nhung Kate - Johnny Tri Nguyen's girlfriend. She did not use the stage name Nhung Kate to participate in the contest with her younger sister Duong Hoai Thuong.

Sharing with the media, Nhung Kate said that she was quite busy with the filming and promotion schedule of the movie The Continental - a prequel series about the famous big screen assassin John Wick. However, she still supported her sister to complete the exam and only withdrew at the final stage.

The work Descendants of the Dragon , written by the two sisters, won the consolation prize. Nhung Kate revealed that the work was based on a script by her boyfriend Johnny Tri Nguyen.

Speaking more about the contest, director Charlie Nguyen said he has been a big fan of comics since he was 4 or 5 years old. Growing up, he was also attached to a living space with many comic works.

From the very beginning, he loved stories told through pictures.

Regarding the reason for organizing the comic writing contest, Charlie Nguyen said: “Vietnam is a market for comic books. We are not strong in creating and producing comics like other countries. If you ask someone to name famous comics, the answer will probably be a series from other countries, not a work from Vietnam.

I think with such a large population and community of comic book lovers, we will have young people who wish to create their own stories. We want to see a generation of talented young people with interesting stories that reflect the color and identity of Vietnamese culture.”

According to Charlie Nguyen, he hopes to find unique stories to turn into movies or TV series, like what major film studios in Hollywood and Japan have been doing.

The first season of Comink ended after more than a year of launching, with 170 entries. Many contestants participated with 2 entries on 2 different themes. The final round was a competition of 26 entries. Finally, the jury selected 7 best entries to award First, Second, Third prizes and 4 Encouragement prizes.

In season 2, director Charlie Nguyen said the Organizing Committee will accept works that combine contestants and AI technology to support the realization of ideas on drawings. According to him, applying artificial intelligence in artistic creation is a common trend. If used properly, AI will be a good tool, supporting the author, and there is no need to worry too much about AI replacing humans in creativity.