Dea Kulumbegashvili’s sophomore feature April pulled off a stunning double win at the 17th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA). The gripping drama took home the APSA for Best Film, with the APSA for Best Performance going to Ia Sukhitashvili (pictured, below) for her deeply personal portrayal of a Georgian Ob Gyn providing women’s health services.
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards honours the cinematic excellence of 78 countries and areas of the Asia Pacific, and films that best reflect their cultural origins and the diversity of the vast region.
In a strong year for women’s stories, the International Jury awarded its Grand Prize to All We Imagine as Light (pictured, right), the acclaimed second feature from India’s Payal Kapadia. The Prize, selected at the discretion of the jury, was awarded to this story of two working-class nurses amidst the nocturnal landscape of Mumbai.
Best Youth Film also goes to a female director from India, Lakshmipriya Devi for Boong, the heartwarming story of a young boy in remote Manipur who goes on an adventure to reunite his family.
The APSA for Best Animated Film has been won by The Missing (Iti Mapukpukaw, Philippines). The film, a groundbreaking adult sci-fi animation, is a personal tale from director Carl Joseph Papa who accepted the award on the night.
Best Documentary Film was won by No Other Land (Palestine, Norway), directed as a group by Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham, and giving their perspective on the violence and destruction surrounding them.
Georgian director Tato Kotetishvili was awarded Best Director for his debut feature, the dark comedy Holy Electricity (Georgia, Netherlands), which sees cousins selling neon crucifixes door to door in Tbilisi, in a cinematic ode to the city and its people.
From Türkiye, the tense legal thriller Hesitation Wound (Tereddüt Çizgisi; Türkiye, Spain, Romania, France) has seen writer/director Selman Nacar win for Best Screenplay for his second feature, the story of a fiercely intelligent female defence attorney facing mounting professional, personal and moral challenges.
Winning Best Cinematography is French cinematographer Michaël Capron (Blue Is the Warmest Colour) for Mongrel, the contemplative Taiwanese drama that puts the unseen life of an undocumented Thai carer in the spotlight.
And New Zealand’s prolific producer, actor and former APSA winner Cliff Curtis was the recipient of the prestigious FIAPF Award, determined by Federation of Film Producers Associations, and awarded for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region. “My heart is filled with gratitude for the privilege of working alongside the artists, collaborators and mentors whose works have made this award possible,” said Curtis.
The three previously announced winners were all in attendance to accept their awards: Neo Sora received APSA’s Young Cinema Award in partnership with NETPAC for Happyend and Nepali director Min Bahadur Bham accepted the Cultural Diversity Award for Shambhala. Georgia’s Data Chachua accepted his APSA for Best New Performer for Panopticon (trailer, above), a film which also stars APSA Best Performance winner Ia Sukhitashvili.
Of all the special screening series that unfurl across the Berlin Film Festival program, none are as valuable to global cinema as NATIVe – A Journey into Indigenous Cinema. The biennial event rolls around again in 2019, under the curatorial eye of New Zealand ex-pat Maryanne Redpath and co-programmer Anna Kalbhenn, with the films of the Pacific region the focus of this year’s strand. Some of the Asia Pacific sector’s most respected film figures are on board as advisors, including Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini (The Seen and Unseen, 2017); Palawán-Filipino director Kanakan-Balintagos (a Berlin Crystal Bear recipient for 2005’s Ang pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros); and, Samoan-born Eliorah Malifa, co-director of the Pasifika Film Fest.
The NATIVe 2019 line-up is as diverse as the cultures of the Island nations, yet bonds the people of the Pacific in their depiction of hope, family, strength and humanity.
BUSONG (Dir: Kanakan-Balintagos; with Alessandra de Rossi, Rodrigo Santikan, Clifford Banagale; Philippines, 2011) From the Program: “Using his Palawan name Kanakan-Balintagos, award-winning director Auraeus Solito traces the legends of his homeland, connecting myths with the contemporary stories of people who are all suffering the consequences of colonisation, pollution and disease. The director unfolds his tale in a series of long takes that include stunning, almost painterly images of landscapes; the protagonists who enter his narrative are all guided by ‘busong’. This Palawan word refers to fate – something that no individual can control.”
FOR MY FATHER’S KINGDOM (Dirs: Vea Mafile'o, Jeremiah Tauamiti; New Zealand, 2019) WORLD PREMIERE. From the Program: “What does it cost to preserve one’s culture and faith in the diaspora? The children of Saia Mafile’o can provide an actual figure because their father surrenders all his income to the Wesleyan church of Tonga. ‘Misinale’ is the name of the fundraising campaign that calls on people in and from Tonga to raise money for the community. In long, dialogue-rich shots, this documentary explores how the church, Tongan culture and traditions can hold a family together but also be a burden.” Screens with the short film Toa`ipuapuagā Strength in Suffering (pictured, right; Dir: Vea Mafile'o): A young Samoan woman displayed cuts on her body and began to bleed prior to having a near-death experience on Easter Sunday. For many Christians in Samoa, her experience has been perceived as an expression of God’s displeasure.
MABABANGONG BANGUNGOT (THE PERFUMED NIGHTMARE; Dir: Kidlat Tahimik; with Kidlat Tahimik, Hartmut Lerch; Philippines / Germany, 1977) From the Program: “Kidlat Tahimik’s 1977 cult film is about crossing bridges. A bridge connects his native village Balian in the Philippines with the rest of the world; the young Kidlat dreams of a bridge to the moon and, when he arrives in Paris as a migrant worker, he is inspired by the architecture of bridges. This self-taught filmmaker’s cinematic debut was the first Philippine film to make it into cinemas in Germany. Celebrated by international film critics as a milestone in postcolonial filmmaking, it is a work rich in idiosyncratic aesthetics and political themes.”
MERATA: HOW MUM DECOLONISED THE SCREEN (Dir: Hepi Mita; New Zealand, 2018; pictured, top) From the Program: “As the archivist of Merata Mita’s work, her youngest son Hepi Mita embarks on a journey through his mother’s life. Creating a dialogue between her work as a filmmaker and her personal life, his unique excavation reveals how deeply connected the personal, the political, and the creative were for the late Merata Mita (1942–2010), Aotearoa’s first female Maori director. This documentary does not only shed light on a resilient woman who fought for her goal to ‘indigenise the screen’ - it also reveals the strain this kind of political work was to have on her family.”
ONE THOUSAND ROPES (Dir: Tusi Tamasese; Frankie Adams, Uelese Petaia, Sima Urale; New Zealand, 2017; pictured, right) From the Program: “Set against the grey backdrop of a Wellington suburb, this film describes the effects of a violent history and the discrimination experienced by many Samoan migrants during the 1970s. Somehow, the past is always present. Juxtaposing quietness with moments of violent outbursts and animated sequences, director Tusi Tamasese and cinematographer Leon Narbey have created a visually evocative story of one man’s attempt to address his past wrongs in order to build a more hopeful future.”
OUT OF STATE (Dir: Ciara Lacy; USA, 2017) From the Program: “Doing time in prison might give you access to your traditions and roots, but how can you take that home after your release? This documentary describes two working-class Kanaka Maoli men who make the emotional journey back home to their families in Hawai’i.” Screens with short film Stones (Dir: Ty Sanga): Nihipali and Naʻiwi are the only Mū spirits left in their Hawai’ian forest. When Nihipali encounters a human child, the veil between the spirit and human worlds is lifted.
SHE WHO MUST BE LOVED (Dir: Erica Glynn; Australia 2018) From the Program: “Freda Glynn was never a big talker but these days she talks even less. When her documentary filmmaker daughter Erica Glynn tells her she wants to make a film about her, Freda responds simply with a shrug. And yet Freda, a pioneer of the Indigenous media landscape in Australia, has much to relate. Family and art, history and stories all merge in this intimate portrait of a strong-willed woman. Together, Freda and Erica Glynn embark on a complex search for answers.”
TANNA (Dirs: Martin Butler and Bentley Dean; with Mungau Dain, Marie Wawa, Marceline Rofit, Chief Charlie Kahla, Albi Nangia; Australia, 2015; pictured, right) From the Program: “Tanna, an island in the Republic of Vanuatu, is the setting for a clash between the Yakel and Imedin tribes when, amidst preparations for her Imedin initiation ritual into womanhood, Wawa steals away with Dain, grandson of the Yakel chief. Based on real events that took place during the 1980s and shot entirely in the Nauvhal language, Tanna was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2017.”
VAI (Dirs: by Nicole Whippy, 'Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Matasila Freshwater, Amberley Jo Aumua, Mīria George, Marina Alofagia McCartney, Dianna Fuemana and Becs Arahanga; with Mereani Tuimatanisiga, 'Ar-Ramadi Longopoa, Betsy Luitolo, Agnes Pele, Evotia-Rose Araiti; New Zealand, 2019) WORLD PREMIERE. From the Program: “For Vai, life on the South Pacific Islands is characterised by the constant tension between change and repetition and between moving to different places and returning to the traditions of her ancestors. Her world lies somewhere between Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Niue and Aotearoa, and it is shaped by environmental threats, isolation, scarcity of resources and a tense relationship to New Zealand. This delicate portrait of Vai’s life journey celebrates the strength of female kinship, of community, and a sense of responsibility for future generations.”
A session of short films will also screen, featuring Justine Simei-Barton and Nikki Si'ulepa's Snow in Paradise (New Zealand, 2001); Amie Batalibasi's Blackbird (Australia, 2015); Jeremiah Tauamiti's Liliu (New Zealand, 2018); Tusi Tamasese's Va Tapuia (New Zealand, 2009); and, Kamila Andini's Memoria (Indonesia, 2016)
NATIVe – A Journey into Indigenous Cinema will screen February 7-17 at two venues, Cinestar IMAX and Cubix 7, as part of Berlinale 2019. Tickets and session details can be found at the strand’s official website.
The 12thAsia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) ceremony proved a true celebration of cinema from the region, with awards being bestowed upon films from Australia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Singapore and Turkey. The gala ceremony, held in the main room of the The Brisbane Exhibition & Convention Centre, was hosted by New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis (Once Were Warriors; Whale Rider, The Meg) and Australian television personality Sofie Formica (pictured, below).
Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku) can now add an APSA to its list of growing international trophies after winning the Best Film honour. Having earned the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or in May and already slated as Japan’s official entry in the Best Foreign Film Oscar race, the prolific filmmaker’s family drama is proving to be one of the most warmly received films in a career filled with critical and commercial hits. The film’s producer Taguchi Hijiri accepted the award on his director’s behalf.
APSA International Jury President Alexander Rodnyansky, Russian producer of 2014 APSA Best Feature Film winner Leviathan, said, “We have had the great fortune to be presented with a unique line up of films that represent the different countries, cultures and talents of our region. I have discovered new worlds by watching them.” On the Best Film winner, he declared, “Shoplifters turns an intimate story about an unusual family into a metaphorical social analysis that is relevant not only for Japan, but everywhere.”
Rodnyansky (second from left) oversaw a jury that included (from left) Chilean actress Antonia Zegers, Indonesian director Nia Dinata, Nepalese filmmaker Deepak Rauniyar and Georgian producer Vladimer Katcharava. They awarded this year’s Grand Jury Prize to Lee Joon-dong and Lee Chang-dong for Burning (Republic of Korea), winner of the Cannes FIPRESCI Prize in 2018. The Korean filmmaking team is popular with APSA judges, having previously earned four awards. The unmistakable trophies, designed by Brisbane artist Joanna Bone, feature prominently in the apartment of star Steven Yuen in a scene from Burning.
The Cultural Diversity Award under the Patronage of UNESCO was awarded to Garin Nugroho and Ifa Isfansyah for Memories of My Body (Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku; pictured, right) from Indonesia and accepted on the night by lead actor Muhummad Khan. Nugroho will now present a screening of the film on December 15 in Paris at UNESCO Headquarters as part of the Intergovernmental Committee meeting on the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
In one of the evening's most moving moments, Indian actress-turned-filmmaker Nandita Das was awarded the FIAPF Award for Achievement in Film in the Asia Pacific Region. In her acceptance speech, the passionate advocate for civil liberties and human rights cited her early work in Deepa Mehta's lesbian romance Fire, a film that changed the landscape of Indian cinema 22 years ago and which still inspires her today. Her latest work, Manto, a biographical account of writer Saadat Hasan Manto's life in 1940s India, earned her leading man Nawazuddin Siddiqi the Best Actor APSA trophy.
The Australian sector was recognized in the Best Documentary Feature Film category, where director Paul Damien Williams and producer Shannon Swan were honoured for Gurrumul, the first win for Australia in this category at APSA. Also recognised were Hildur Guðnadóttir and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson for Mary Magdalene, director Garth Davies’ UK/Australian co-production. Legendary musician and chair of the Music in Film jury, Ryuichi Sakamoto said of the winning film, “Mary Magdalene’s soundtrack is a meticulous work of art by the composers. The quality of craftsmanship and the depth of emotions are overwhelming.”
The full list of 2018 Asia Pacific Screen Award winners:
Japan and the People’s Republic of China lead the field of nominees at the 2018 Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), with their respective industries securing 7 nominations each. The pack tightens behind them, with Australia, India and Kazakhstan each earning 5 nominations in key categories.
The 12th annual celebration of Asia Pacific cinema, a sector that provides half the world’s film output, features 46 films from 22 countries. Kore-Eda Hirokazu’s Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters (Japan; pictured, top) stands alone at the head of the nominee list with three nominations, including Film, Director and Screenplay nods. The film has sentimental ties to the APSAs, with star Kirin Kiki the 2015 Best Actress award winner for Naomi Kawase’s An; a beloved figure in Asian cinema, she passed away in September, aged 75.
Four other titles earned dual nominations - Lee Chang-dong’s Burning (Republic of Korea); Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s The Gentle Indifference of the World (Kazakhstan, France; pictured, right); Khavn’s Balangiga: Howling Wilderness (Philippines); and, Phuttiphong Aroonpheng’s Manta Ray (Thailand, People’s Republic of China, France).
The Australian sector’s five noms came across four categories. Paul Damien William’s Gurrumul will vie for the Best Documentary honour; amongst the Best Actress contenders is US actress Rooney Mara for Garth Davis’ Mary Magdalene; veteran Bruce Beresford earned his first APSA Best Director nomination for Ladies in Black; and, in the Best Original Score race, Harry Gregson-Williams (for Simon Baker’s Breath) and Hildur Guðnadóttir and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson (for Mary Magdalene) will compete.
The APSA nominee family expands in 2018 with the first ever contender from Uzbekistan. Best Actor nominee Karim Mirkhadiyev (pictured, left), star of Rashid Malikov’s stirring father/son drama Fortitude, will carry his nation’s hopes against a formidable field, including Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Manto; India), child actor and former Syrian refugee Zain Al Rafeea (Capharnaüm; Lebanon), Bahman Farmanara (Tale of the Sea; Islamic Republic of Iran) and Akylbek Abdykalykov (Night Accident; Kyrgyzstan).
Rooney faces a tough field of Best Actress contenders - Zhao Tao (Ash is Purest White; People’s Republic of China, France); Damla Sönmez (Sibel; Turkey, France, Germany, Luxembourg); Cannes Best Actress winner Samal Yeslyamova (Ayka; Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, People’s Republic of China, Germany, Poland); and, deaf actress Laura Koroleva (Sveta; Kazakhstan).
COMPLETE LIST OF 12th ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE FILM Balangiga: Howling Wilderness (Philippines; Dir: Khavn) Burning (Republic of Korea; Dir: LEE Chang-dong The Gentle Indifference of the World (Laskovoe Bezrazlichie Mira) (Kazakhstan, France; Dir Adilkhan YERZHANOV) Manta Ray (Kraben Rahu) (Thailand, People’s Republic of China, France; Dir: Phuttiphong AROONPHENG) Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku) (Japan; Dir: KORE-EDA Hirokazu)
BEST YOUTH FEATURE FILM Ava (Islamic Republic of Iran, Qatar, Canada; Dir: Sadaf FOROUGHI) Nervous Translation (Philippines; Dir: Shireen SENO) Passage of Life(Boku no kaeru basho) (Japan, Myanmar; Dir: Akio FUJIMOTO) The Pigeon(Güvercin) (Turkey; Dir: Banu SIVACI; trailer, below) Village Rockstars (India; Dir: Rima DAS)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Hoffmaniada (Russian Federation; Dir: Stanislav SOKOLOV) Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms(Sayonara no asa ni yakusoku no hana o kazarô (Japan; Dir: Mari OKADA) Mirai (Mirai no Mirai) (Japan; Dir: Mamoru HOSODA) On Happiness Road(Hsing Fu Lu Shang) (Taiwan; Dir: SUNG Hsin-Yin) Rezo(Znaesh’, mama, gde ya byl) (Russian Federation; Dir: Leo GABRIADZE)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM Amal (Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, France, Germany, Norway, Denmark; Dir: Mohamed SIAM) Gurrumul (Australia; Dir: Paul Damien WILLIAMS) Of Fathers and Sons (Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon, Qatar, Germany; Dir: Talal DERKI; trailer, below) Of Love & Law (Japan, United Kingdom, France; Dir: Hikaru TODA) Up Down & Sideways (kho ki pa lü) (India; Dir: Anushka MEENAKSHI, Iswar SRIKUMAR)
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING Nadine LABAKI for Capharnaüm (Lebanon) Bruce BERESFORD for Ladies in Black (Australia) Emir BAIGAZIN for The River (Ozen; Kazakhstan, Norway, Poland) KORE-EDA Hirokazu for Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku; Japan) Ivan AYR for Soni (India)
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY Saumyananda SAHI for Balekempa (India) Hideho URATA for A Land Imagined (Singapore, France, Netherlands) Nawarophaat RUNGPHIBOONSOPHIT for Manta Ray (Kraben Rahu; Thailand, People’s Republic of China, France; trailer, below) Chaiyapruek CHALERMPORNPANIT for Malila: The Farewell Flower (Thailand) ZHANG Miaoyan, XU Zhiyong for Silent Mist (People’s Republic of China, France)
BEST SCREENPLAY Payman MAADI for Bomb, A Love Story (Bomb, Yek Asheghaneh; Islamic Republic of Iran) OH Jung-mi, LEE Chang-dong for Burning (Republic of Korea) Adilkhan YERZHANOV, Roelof Jan MINNEBOO for The Gentle Indifference of the World (Laskovoe Bezrazlichie Mira; Kazakhstan, France) KORE-EDA Hirokazu for Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku; Japan) Dan KLEINMAN, Sameh ZOABI for Tel Aviv on Fire (Israel, Belgium, France, Luxembourg)
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARD UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF UNESCO Ala Changso (People’s Republic of China; Dir: Sonthar GYAL) Balangiga: Howling Wilderness (Philippines; Dir: Khavn) The Lord Eagle (Toyon Kyyl) (Russian Federation; Dir: Eduard NOVIKOV) Memories of My Body (Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku) (Indonesia; Dir: Garin NUGROHO; trailer, below) The Taste of Rice Flower (Mi Hua Zhi Wei) (People’s Republic of China; Dir: Pengfei)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS ZHAO Tao for Ash is Purest White (Jiang hu er nv; People’s Republic of China, France) Samal YESLYAMOVA for Ayka (Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, People’s Republic of China, Germany, Poland) Rooney MARA for Mary Magdalene (Australia, United Kingdom) Damla SÖNMEZ for Sibel (Turkey, France, Germany, Luxembourg) Laura KOROLEVA for Sveta (Kazakhstan)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR Zain AL RAFEEA for Capharnaüm (Lebanon) Karim MIRKHADIYEV for Fortitude (Sabot; Uzbekistan) Nawazuddin SIDDIQUI for Manto (India) Akylbek ABDYKALYKOV for Night Accident (Tunku Kyrsyk; Kyrgyzstan) Bahman FARMANARA for Tale of the Sea (Hekayat-e Darya; Islamic Republic of Iran)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Eléni KARAÏNDROU for Bomb, A Love Story (Bomb, Yek Asheghaneh; Islamic Republic of Iran) Harry GREGSON-WILLIAMS for Breath (Australia) Hildur GUÐNADÓTTIR, Jóhann JÓHANNSSON for Mary Magdalene (Australia, United Kingdom) Ryan CAYABYAB for The Portrait (Ang Larawan; Philippines) Omar FADEL for Yomeddine (Egypt)
Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 9:39AM 
In a strong year for women’s stories, the International Jury awarded its Grand Prize to All We Imagine as Light (pictured, right), the acclaimed second feature from India’s Payal Kapadia. The Prize, selected at the discretion of the jury, was awarded to this story of two working-class nurses amidst the nocturnal landscape of Mumbai.
Georgian director Tato Kotetishvili was awarded Best Director for his debut feature, the dark comedy Holy Electricity (Georgia, Netherlands), which sees cousins selling neon crucifixes door to door in Tbilisi, in a cinematic ode to the city and its people.
