People’s Artist Phạm Nhuệ Giang (born 19th December 1957 in Hanoi) is a Vietnamese director and screenwriter. Youngest daughter of the famed director Phạm Văn Khoa, she is classically trained in piano and worked briefly as a construction engineer prior to enrolling at Hanoi National Academy for Theatre and Cinema in 1983. Upon graduation, she started working for Vietnam Feature Film Studio in 1983 as a producer and assistant director to Đặng Nhật Minh and her husband Nguyễn Thanh Vân. In 1996, she made her debut feature, “Bỏ trốn”(Runaway), and earned several accolades at local awards. Her next film in 2001, “Thung lũng hoang vắng”(The deserted valley) was a widespread hit; despite initial opposition from censorship boards, it clinched 2nd Best Film, Best Actress and Best Cinematography at 13th Vietnam Film Festival, a Fipresci Award at Melbourne International Film Festival, Best Director at the Vietnam Cinema Association Award (precursor of the Golden Kite). “Thung lũng hoang vắng” is often regarded as one of the finest works in modern Vietnamese cinema, and it cemented Nhuệ Giang’s reputation as a critically-acclaimed auteur in filmmaking.