Other winners include Poetry and Lebanon.

When Aftershock director Feng Xiaogang tonight accepted the best feature award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSAs), he dedicated it to the people left dead from the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China.

The natural disaster is the backdrop to this emotional family drama, which he said has grossed $100m in its home market of China. Aftershock, which scored the most nominations, also earned Chen Daoming the award for best actor.

Two other Chinese films won their categories: animated film Piercing I and documentary Last Train Home, a co-production with Canada.

Another big winner was the Korean film Poetry. Yun Jung-hee came out of retirement to play the lead role and her performance earned her the best actress award and Lee Chang-dong topped the category for direction.

Lee had won two APSAs previously, for Secret Sunshine and A Brand New Life, and this evening it was also announced that he was one of the recipients of the four $25,000 script development grants, sponsored by the Motion Picture Association, and one of the first tangible benefits of being a member of the APSA Academy, which is for all past nominees and judges.

The other recipients were Asghar Farhadi (About Elly), Peng Tao (Little Moth) and jury member Sergey Dvortsevoy, who directed 2008 best film winner Tulpan.

Lebanon was also notable for its success at what is the fourth APSA Awards: writer/director Samuel Maoz won the screenplay category and also shared the jury grand prize with actress Shinobu Terajima for her role in the Japanese film Caterpillar.

APSAs are judged on the basis of cinematic excellence and cultural worth, and Turkish film Honey, from director Semih Kaplanoðlu, won the UNESCO Award for outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity.

Head of the international jury, Lord David Puttnam, said he had never seen a group of such extraordinary films in his life as the 31 he and his fellow jurors judged over the last week.

The winners of the fourth annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards are:

BEST FEATURE FILM
Aftershock, China/Hong Kong, produced by Guo Yanhong, Han Sanping, Wang Zhonjun, Peter Lam Kin Ngok, Wang Tonguan and Albert Yeung.

JURY GRAND PRIZE
Shared by actress Shinobu Terajima for Caterpillar, Japan; and writer/director Samuel Maoz for Lebanon, Israel/France/Germany

DIRECTING
Lee Chang-dong for Poetry, Korea

ACTRESS
Yun Jung-hee for Poetry, Korea

ACTOR
Chen Daoming for Aftershock, China/Hong Kong
(High commendation for Tony Barry, Home By Christmas)

SCREENPLAY
Samuel Maoz for Lebanon, Israel/France/Germany

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sudhir Palsane, The Well, India

CHILDREN’S FEATURE
The Other, Iran, produced by Mohammad Ali Najafi.

ANIMATED FEATURE
Piercing I, China, produced by Lynne Wang
(High commendation for The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, for outstanding technology and special effects)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Last Train Home, China/Canada, produced by Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross, co-produced by Bob Moore

FIAPF AWARD, OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM
Christine Hakim

UNESCO AWARD
Honey, Turkey/Germany, written and directed by Semih Kaplanoðlu

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