Georgian filmmaker Levan Koguashvili’s film “Guria” has taken home the prestigious title of Best Film at the 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, which were held on October 30 at The Star Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Koguashvili shared this honor with producers Olena Yershova and Boris Frumin. “Guria” is a remarkable collaborative effort that involved seven countries: Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Norway, and Saudi Arabia.
Directorial Excellence Recognized
Thai director Sompot Chidgasornpongse clinched the Best Director award for his work on “9 Temples to Heaven,” a co-production showcasing talents from Thailand, Singapore, France, Norway, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Qatar. Myanmar’s Aung Phyoe received special mention in the directing category for “Fruit Gathering,” while Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat was awarded the Jury Grand Prize for her film “No Good Men.”
A Diverse Collection of Nominees
This year’s awards featured a competitive field, with 36 nominated films from 32 different countries and regions. Among the notable performances, Nepalese actor Pushpa Thing Lama was recognized with the Best Performance award for “Elephants in the Fog.” South Korea’s Sim Su-bin was honored as Best New Performer for “The World Before,” and the Best Screenplay award went to Rakan Mayasi, Wahid Ajmi, and Pôl Seif for “Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep,” which received backing from Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Celebrating Young Talent and Innovation
New Zealand’s Paloma Schneideman secured the Best Youth Film award for “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” produced by Vicky Pope and Thomas Coppell. In the animation category, “The Violinist,” co-directed by Ervin Han from Singapore and Raúl García from Spain, won the award for best animated film. The documentary category was led by Itab Azzam and Jack MacInness for “One in a Million,” a film that poignantly follows the life of a Syrian refugee.
Acknowledging Cultural Diversity and Emerging Voices
The Cultural Diversity Award went to “Another Birth,” directed and produced by Isabelle Kalandar. Additionally, India’s R. Gowtham earned the Young Cinema Award in collaboration with NETPAC for “Members of the Problematic Family.” Malaysian filmmaker Haziqah Azemi was recognized with the Forum Filmmaker Award for her project “Garek,” which explores the struggles of a woman facing religious persecution after becoming pregnant outside of marriage.
Key Figures Honored for Their Contributions
Tracey Vieira, chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, expressed the event’s significance: “From ‘Guria’ and ‘No Good Men’ to ‘Elephants in the Fog,’ this year’s winners remind us of the extraordinary stories emerging from our region and the importance of creating opportunities for these voices to be recognized internationally.” Veteran Indian producer Bobby Bedi received the FIAPF Award, celebrating his outstanding contribution to film in the Asia Pacific.
Looking Ahead: MPA APSA Academy Film Fund Selections
The ceremony also announced five projects selected for the 2026 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, each recipient of a $10,000 grant. These projects include Payal Kapadia’s “A Memory of Being Here” (India), Davy Chou’s “My Father’s Glory” (France, Cambodia), Taifeng Liu’s “A Place in the Sun” (China), Nicole Midori Woodford’s “Incarnation” (Singapore, Japan), and Zhanana Kurmasheva’s documentary “The Story of My Shirt” (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Chile). Notably, three of these projects are directed by women, showcasing a commitment to promoting gender diversity in film.
The Importance of Early Support for Filmmakers
Urmila Venugopalan, president and managing director, Asia Pacific, at the Motion Picture Association, emphasized the value of supporting filmmakers from the initial development stages, highlighting the success of films like “9 Temples to Heaven,” which benefitted from MPA APSA Academy Film Fund support in 2021.
Every nominee, along with members of the nominations councils and juries, is inducted into the APSA Academy, which now boasts over 1,816 members across 84 countries and regions.
The full list of winners:
Best Film
“Guria,” dir. Levan Koguashvili; prod. Olena Yershova, Levan Koguashvili, Boris Frumin (Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Norway, Saudi Arabia)
Jury Grand Prize
Shahrbanoo Sadat, “No Good Men” (Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Afghanistan)
Best Director
Sompot Chidgasornpongse, “9 Temples to Heaven” (Thailand, Singapore, France, Norway, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Qatar)
Best Director – Special Mention
Aung Phyoe, “Fruit Gathering” (Myanmar, Czech Republic, France)
Best Youth Film
“Big Girls Don’t Cry,” dir. Paloma Schneideman; prod. Vicky Pope, Thomas Coppell (New Zealand)
Best Animated Film
“The Violinist,” dir. Ervin Han, Raúl García; prod. Paloma Mora, Cristiano Bortone, Justin Deimen, Leonard Lai, Takafumi Yuki (Singapore, Spain, Italy)
Best Documentary Film
“One in a Million,” dir. Itab Azzam, Jack MacInness; prod. Itab Azzam, Jack MacInness, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer, Raney Aronson-Rath (U.K., U.S.)
Best Screenplay
Rakan Mayasi, Wahid Ajmi, Pôl Seif, “Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep” (Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia)
Best Cinematography
Nguyễn Vinh Phúc, “Hearing” (Vietnam, Singapore, Norway, France, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan)
Best Performance
Pushpa Thing Lama, “Elephants in the Fog” (Nepal, Germany, Brazil, France, Norway)
Best New Performer
Sim Su-bin, “The World Before” (South Korea)
Cultural Diversity Award
“Another Birth,” dir./prod. Isabelle Kalandar (Tajikistan, U.S., Qatar)
Young Cinema Award (in partnership with Netpac)
R. Gowtham, “Members of the Problematic Family” (India)
FIAPF Award
Bobby Bedi (India)
Forum Filmmaker Award
Haziqah Azemi, “Garek” (Malaysia)
MPA APSA Academy Film Fund
“A Memory of Being Here,” dir. Payal Kapadia; prod. Thomas Hakim (India)
“My Father’s Glory,” dir. Davy Chou; prod. Charlotte Vincent (France, Cambodia)
“A Place in the Sun,” dir. Taifeng Liu; prod. Janet (Yan Yan) Wu (China)
“Incarnation,” dir. Nicole Midori Woodford; prod. Anthony Chen (Singapore, Japan)
“The Story of My Shirt,” dir. Zhanana Kurmasheva; prod. Banu Ramazanova (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Chile)
