Thirty-one documentary, animated, children’s and feature films from 15 countries and areas have been nominated for Asia-Pacific’s highest accolade in film with Best Feature nominees from Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Turkey and the People’s Republic of China.

Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock), from the People’s Republic of China, has received a record six nominations in the 2010 Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), unanimously praised by the APSA Nominations Council for its ability to deftly balance a large scale epic story with the intimate drama of one family dealing with the aftermath of the devastating 1976 Tangshan earthquake that took the lives of 240,000 people.

Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock), the highest grossing domestic film of all time in China, has been nominated for Best Feature Film, Achievement in Directing, Achievement in Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock) was directed by Feng Xiaogang.

Winners in the fourth annual APSAs will be determined by an International Jury headed by Academy Award-winning producer Lord David Puttnam and announced at a Ceremony on Australia’s Gold Coast on December 2. These awards, an initiative of the Queensland Government, Australia in unique collaboration with UNESCO and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers Associations – acclaim films from 70 countries and areas; one third of the earth; and half the world’s film output.  Films are judged on cinematic excellence and the way in which they attest to their cultural origins. A total of 239 films were entered in the competition by Official Submitting Organisations from the region and by invitation from the APSA Nominations Council and APSA Chairman. 

The second most nominated film in the 2010 APSAs is Shi (Poetry, Republic of Korea), written and directed by Lee Chang-dong, which has received four nominations: Best Feature Film, Achievement in Directing, Best Screenplay and Best Performance by an Actress for Yun Jung-hee. Lee Chang-dong accepted the Award for Best Feature Film in the inaugural 2007 Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Miryang (Secret Sunshine), which also received the Best Performance by an Actress Award for Jeon Do-yeon. Chang-dong’s brother Lee Joon-dong is the producer of Shi (Poetry) and he also produced, along with Chang-dong, 2009 APSA Winner Ya Haeng Ja (A Brand New Life). Shi (Poetry) was in Official Competition at the 2010 Cannes International Film Festival where Lee Chang-dong won the Best Screenplay award for the film.

Mengjia (Monga), the stylish gangster film and box office success from Taiwan, directed by Doze Niu Chen-zer and produced by Lee Lieh and Doze Niu Chen-zer, has received three nominations: Best Feature Film, Achievement in Directing and Achievement in Cinematography. Bal (Honey), from Turkey, directed and produced by Semih Kaplanoðlu, has also received three nominations: Best Feature Film, Achievement in Directing and Achievement in Cinematography. Winner of the Golden Bear Award at the 2010 Berlinale, Bal (Honey) is the third film in Kaplanoðlu’s Yusuf Trilogy. The final nominee in the Best Feature Film category is Paju from the Republic of Korea, also nominated for Best Performance by an Actress for Seo Woo. Paju is directed by one of Korea’s most notable female filmmakers, Park Chan-Ok, and produced by Kim Ju-kyung and Lee Eun.

“As the Asia Pacific Screen Awards grow in stature and recognition across our vast region, we are delighted to have in the competition some of the most high profile films and filmmakers of contemporary cinema. We are proud too of our role in discovering extraordinary new talent from the region,” said APSA Chairman Des Power.

“In this, our fourth year, it is thrilling to invite all nominated filmmakers to the Gold Coast, Australia, to participate in the Awards Ceremony on December 2 and to welcome them to the APSA Academy along with this year’s International Jury President Lord David Puttnam.”

A total of 31 films from 15 countries and areas across Asia-Pacific have been recognised in 2010 with APSA Nominations. Films from the People’s Republic of China including one from Hong Kong received a total of 12 nominations in the Awards; films from the Republic of Korea received six nominations; Indian films received five; Japanese films received four; Israeli, Taiwanese, and Turkish films received three; and Australian and New Zealand films received two. Films from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, the Russian Federation and Cambodia each received one nomination.

Several of the nominees were also recently selected as official country submissions for the Best Foreign Language category in the 83rd Academy Awards including: Shui Yuet Sun Tau (Echoes of the Rainbow) representing Hong Kong; The Human Resources Manager representing Israel; Mengjia (Monga) representing Taiwan; Bal (Honey) representing Turkey; and Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock) representing China.

Some of Asia-Pacific’s most highly regarded actors and actresses have been nominated in the performance categories. The nominated actresses are Yu Fan (People’s Republic of China) for her role in Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock) as a mother of two children dealing with the aftermath of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that devastated the region; revered actress Yun Jung-hee (Republic of Korea) who returned to film after an absence of more than 15 years to play the leading role in Lee Chang-dong’s Shi (Poetry); one of the Republic of Korea’s most acclaimed young leading ladies Seo Woo for Paju; and rising talent Tesjaswini Pandit, who delivers a deeply moving performance in the Marathi language Indian film Mee Sindhutai Sakpal (I am Sindhutai Sakpal); and, from the People’s Republic of China, Yu Nan, nominated for her performance in Fang Zhi Gu Niang (Weaving Girl), winner of the Jury Special Grand Prix and FIPRESCI at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2009.

The nominated actors are veteran Australian actor Tony Barry for his performance in the New Zealand film Home By Christmas; Chen Daoming (People’s Republic of China), for  his role in Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock). He is one of China’s most venerated actors widely known for roles in films such as Hero and the third installment of Hong Kong’s Infernal Affairs series; Sergei Puskepalis (Russian Federation) for Kak ya provel etim letom (How I Ended This Summer), a performance for which he jointly won the Silver Bear Award at this year’s Berlin Film Festival with his co-star Grigory Dobrygin; Ukranian-born Israeli actor Mark Ivanir whose international credits include Schindler’s List and The Good Shepherd, for his performance in Eran Riklis’ film The Human Resources Manager; and Atul Kulkarni (India), a superstar of India’s Marathi film industry, for his performance in Natarang, in which he plays a village laborer who overcomes gender politics to achieve his dream of becoming a theatre performer.

The 2010 Nominees are automatically inducted into the Academy of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards making them eligible to apply for the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, a new US$100,000 script development fund supported by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and available exclusively to Academy members. The film fund submission period closes on October 29 and the fund’s inaugural recipients will be announced at the APSA Ceremony on December 2. Led by Patron Jack Thompson, the Academy is a growing body of the region’s most influential names in film including past APSA Nominees, International Jury and Nominations Council members.

The International Jury headed by Lord David Puttnam will assemble on Australia’s Gold Coast in late November ahead of the APSA Ceremony on December 2. The Awards Ceremony will be webcast live through www.asiapacificscreenawards.com. View the list of 2010 nominees at: http://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/the_awards/nominees_2010

The nominees in the fourth annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards are:

BEST FEATURE FILM

Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)
Produced by Guo Yanhong, Han Sanping, Wang Zhonjun, Peter Lam Kin Ngok, Wang Tonguan and Albert Yeung.

Bal (Honey)
Turkey / Germany
Produced by Semih Kaplanoðlu.
Co-Produced by Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper.

Mengjia (Monga)
Taiwan
Produced by Lee Lieh and Doze Niu Chen-zer.

Paju
Republic of Korea
Produced by Kim Ju-kyung and Lee Eun.

Shi (Poetry)
Republic of Korea
Produced by Lee Joon-dong.

BEST CHILDREN’S FEATURE FILM

Boy
New Zealand
Produced by Ainsley Gardiner, Cliff Curtis and Emanuel Micheal.
Co-Produced by Merata Mita.

Bran Nue Dae
Australia
Produced by Robyn Kershaw and Graeme Isaac.

Shui Yuet Sun Tau (Echoes of the Rainbow)
Hong Kong (People’s Republic of China)
Produced by Mabel Cheung.
Co-Produced by Candy Leung.

Digari (The Other)
Islamic Republic of Iran
Produced by Mohammad Ali Najafi.

Udaan
India
Produced by Sanjay Singh, Anurag Kashyap and Ronnie Screwvala.
Co-Produced by Aarti Bajaj, Zarina Mehta, Deven Khote and Siddarth Roy Kapur.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Ibara no Ou (King of Thorn)
Japan
Produced by Yasumasa Tsuchiya.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
Australia / USA
Produced by Zareh Nalbandian.

Mai Mai Shinko to Sennen no Maho (Mai Mai Miracle)
Japan
Produced by Tomohiko Iwase, Miho Ichii and Ryoichiro Matsuo.

Hottarake no Shima – Haruka to Maho no Kagami (Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror)
Japan
Produced by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and Chihiro Kameyama.

Piercing I
People’s Republic of China
Produced by Lynne Wang.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

12 Angry Lebanese: The Documentary
Lebanon
Produced by Zeina Daccache.

Budrus
Palestinian Territories / Israel / USA
Produced by Ronit Avni, Julia Bacha and Rula Salameh.
Co-Produced by Sandi DuBowski and Darius Fisher.

Enemies of the People
Cambodia / United Kingdom
Produced by Robert Lemkin and Thet Sambath.

Karamay
People’s Republic of China
Produced by Zhu Rikun

Last Train Home
People’s Republic of China / Canada
Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross.
Co-Produced by Bob Moore.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Su Xiaowei for Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)

Hisako Kurosawa and Koji Wakamatsu for Caterpillar
Japan

Nir Bergman for Ha’dikduk ha’pnimi (Intimate Grammar)
Israel

Samuel Maoz for Levanon (Lebanon)
Israel / France / Germany

Lee Chang-dong for Shi (Poetry)
Republic of Korea

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Lu Yue for Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)

Bariþ Özbiçer for Bal (Honey)
Turkey / Germany

Jake Pollock for Mengjia (Monga)
Taiwan

Santosh Sivan and V. Manikandan for Raavan
India

Sudhir Palsane for Vihir (The Well)
India

BEST PERFORMANCE BY ACTRESS

Xu Fan for Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)

Tejaswini Pandit for Mee Sindhutai Sakpal (I am Sindhutai Sakpal)
India

Seo Woo for Paju
Republic of Korea

Yun Jung-hee for Shi (Poetry)
Republic of Korea

Yu Nan for Fang Zhi Gu Niang (Weaving Girl)
People’s Republic of China

BEST PERFORMANCE BY ACTOR

Chen Daoming for Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)

Tony Barry for Home by Christmas
New Zealand

Sergei Puskepalis for Kak ya provel etim letom (How I Ended This Summer)
Russian Federation

Mark Ivanir for The Human Resources Manager
Israel / Germany / France / Romania

Atul Kulkarni for Natarang
India

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Feng Xiaogang for Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)

Semih Kaplanoðlu for Bal (Honey)
Turkey / Germany

Doze Niu Chen-zer for Mengjia (Monga)
Taiwan

Lee Chang-dong for Shi (Poetry)
Republic of Korea

Wang Quan An for Fang Zhi Gu Niang (Weaving Girl)
People’s Republic of China

Three additional major awards will be presented for outstanding achievement:

1. FIAPF Award FIAPF – International Federation of Film Producers Associations will determine the winner of the award for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia-Pacific region.

2. UNESCO Award* The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Award for outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity through film. 

3. Screen International Jury Grand Prize* The Jury can, at its discretion, present a further award: the Jury Grand Prize.

*Nominees and nominated films from all award categories are eligible for these prizes to be decided by the APSA Jury.

In addition, the APSA NETPAC Development Prize will be awarded ahead of the APSA Ceremony – a prize of US$5000 offered by APSA in collaboration with the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) to a filmmaker from within the pool of nominees. The recipient of the APSA NETPAC Development Prize is decided by three members of the APSA Nominations Council who are also NETPAC members and is designed to nurture new and rising talent in the region.

source: apsa