The jury of the 12th Asia Pacific Screen Awards has awarded the best film prize to Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku), continuing the Palme d’Or winner’s dream run.
Full list of winners below
The film, which depicts a makeshift family living on the fringes of Japanese society, won the highest honour at the region’s film awards, which took place in Brisbane, Australia, tonight.
The best director prize went to Nadine Labaki for Capharnaüm (Lebanon).
Shoplifters’ win marks the first time that a Japanese film has won the best feature film APSA in the event’s 12 year history. Kore-eda has been nominated eight times in total to date.
In accepting the award in Brisbane, the film’s producer, Hijiri Taguchi, read a prepared statement from Kore-eda, who is currently on location in Paris, shooting Juliette Binoche starrer La Verite: “Following last year, it was a great honour to be nominated in three categories. This award is a great unexpected gift, considering this is the first feature film [APSA] award for Japan. We will have a great new year’s holiday thanks to this award, thank you very much.”
In a spread of awards representing the geographical and cultural diversity of the Asia Pacific region, APSAs went to films from Australia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, China, Korea, Russian Federation, Singapore and Turkey. Winners in the feature fiction categories were determined by the APSA International Jury, comprised of Russian producer Alexander Rodnyansky (Leviathan), Indonesian director Nia Dinata (Arisan), Nepalese director Deepak Rauniyar (White Sun), Georgian producer Vladimer Katcharava (Hostages) and Chilean actress Antonia Zegers (The Club).
Rodnyansky said, “Shoplifters turns an intimate story about an unusual family into a metaphorical social analysis that is relevant not only for Japan, but everywhere.”
The Jury Grand Prize was awarded to Lee Joon-dong and Lee Chang-dong for Burning (Korea). The win adds to their collection of APSA wins. Both previously won Best Feature Film for Secret Sunshine (Miryang, 2007) and were nominated together for Poetry (Shi, 2010) and Burning. Alongside his win for Secret Sunshine, Chang-dong has also won Best Children’s Feature Film for A Brand New Life (Ye Haeng Ja, 2009), Achievement in Directing for Poetry and Best Youth Feature Film for The World of Us (Woorideul, 2016).
Acting honours went to India’s Nawazuddin Siddiqui, for his portrayal of Saadat Hassan Manto in Nandita Das’ Manto. Director Das also received a career achievement award for her acting and directing accomplishments, with the prestigious FIAPF Award for achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region. Chinese star Zhao Tao was named best actress for Ash is Purest White (Jiang hu er nv) (China, France).
Best Screenplay was awarded to Dan Kleinman and Sameh Zoabi for Tel Aviv on Fire (Israel, Belgium, France, Luxembourg).
In 2018, 46 films from 22 countries and areas of the Asia Pacific region received APSA nominations, including the first nomination for a film from Uzbekistan.
MPA APSA fund
During the Ceremony, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) announced the four recipients of the 9th round of the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, created to support, at script stage, new feature film projects originated by APSA Academy members and their colleagues across Asia Pacific. The fund awards four development grants of US$25,000 annually, and is wholly supported by the MPA. To date, 32 projects have now been funded, with many going into production and garnering success at film festivals around the world.
The four 2018 MPA APSA Film Fund recipients are:
- Producer Ifa Isfansyah, director Kamila Andini (Indonesia) for Yuni
- Producer Olga Khlasheva, director Adilkhan Yerzhanov (Kazakhstan) for Hell is Empty and All The Devils Are Here
- Producer Mai Meksawan, director Uruphong Raksasad (Thailand) for Worship
- Director, producer, screenwriter Semih Kaplanoğlu (Turkey) for Asli
A new script development film fund was launched, the APSA Academy Sun Yat-Sen Bo Ai Film Fund. The fund supports a film project from an existing APSA Academy member, which demonstrates cinematic excellence and aligns with the Foundations Ideals: the embodiment of the ‘Bo Ai’ (Universal Compassion) spirit, promotion of tolerance, inspiring positive change and fostering the human spirit. Syrian director Feras Fayyad (Oscar-nominated The Last Man in Aleppo) received the inaugural award for his new feature documentary, The Cave.
2018 APSA WINNERS
BEST FEATURE FILM
- Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku) (Japan) dir. Kore-eda Hirokazu
JURY GRAND PRIZE
- Burning (Republic of Korea) dir. Lee Chang-dong
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARD UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF UNESCO
- Memories of My Body (Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku) (Indonesia) dir. Garin Nugroho
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
- Nadine Labaki for Capharnaüm (Lebanon)
SPECIAL MENTION FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
- Ivan Ayr for Soni (India)
BEST SCREENPLAY
- Dan Kleinman, Sameh Zoabi for Tel Aviv on Fire (Israel, Belgium, France, Luxembourg)
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Hideho Urata for A Land Imagined (Singapore, France, Netherlands)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui for Manto (India)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
- Zhao Tao for Ash is Purest White (Jiang hu er nv) (People’s Republic of China, France)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
- Hildur Gudnadottir, Johann Johannsson for Mary Magdalene (Australia, UK)
BEST YOUTH FEATURE FILM
- The Pigeon (Güvercin)
- Banu Savıcı, Mesut Ulutaş (Turkey)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
- Rezo (Znaesh’ mama, gde ya byl) (Russian Federation)
- Leo Gabriadze, Timur Bekmambetov
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
- Gurrumul (Australia)
- Paul Damien Williams, Shannon Swan
YOUNG CINEMA AWARD
- Yeo Siew Hua for A Land Imagined (Singapore, France, Netherlands)
- FIAPF Award for achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region
- Nandita Das (India)
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