“April” Takes Center Stage at APSA Awards
The highlight of the event was the Georgian drama April which won the Best Film and another one at the annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) as its success could not be ignored. It was directed by Dea Kulumbegashvili, and apart from the film receiving the Best Film award, the lead character was played by Ia Sukhitashvili, who was awarded the Best Performance award because of how unforgettable she was while portraying her character in the movie. These honors earned by the April are indicative of the depth of artistic expression of the film and the cast and crew that were involved in the film production.
April addresses topics that are very captivating and tragic as the film follows around an obstetrics and gynecology who is accused in connection with the death of a newborn. The protagonist’s acceptance to deal with mainstream society’s scorn is a display of human courage and grit. Purposely, the emotions and the society issues are made in a perfect manner by Kulumbegashvili’s direction and therefore the film is a good one to lots of people. This multi-faceted character and context development has earned April a position as one of the best in modern cinema.
April made its APSA success look like it was its first time on the global stage which was not the case. The movie was screened at the Toronto Film Festival in September and received great reviews. At Venice, April won the Special Jury Prize, a great achievement that reinforced the films successful run. Furthermore, the film was recognized to be Best Film in the Zabaltegi – Tabakalera competition which was an outstanding accomplishment especially considering how the film proved to be accessible and artistically advanced.
Celebrating Ia Sukhitashvili’s Performance
Another great performance in April was by Ia Sukhitashvili who anchored and brought authenticity to the film. Sukhitashvili’s restrained performance embodied the spirit of a woman grappling with both exposition and oppression, which eventually won her the Best Performance at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Sukhitashvili also received both awards at the award ceremony held in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Her presence in April made the event rather special as her skill and professionalism was acknowledged at global level.
Georgian cinema has witnessed a remarkable moment in the evening, with the fact that it was another Georgian filmmaker, Tato Kotetishvili, who won a major award too. The debut feature brought him the APSA Best Director award for his work on Holy Electricity. This dark brooding revolves around the absurd premise of two cousins who offer portable neon crucifixes, door to door, in Tbilisi. The film showcases his sense of humor and his sense of social awareness, making for an impressive debut for Kotetishvili.
As for Indian cinema, women’s narrations and Indian films also featured in the list of winners at the APSA award. An Indian filmmaker, Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light impressively came out as another highlight of the evening who won the Jury Grand Prize, one of the APSA awards. It narrates the interesting tale of two working nurses in Mumbai defeated in a film contest by a couple of foreign nuns and packed its bags for Cannes earlier this year. This award is of course a discretionary award of the jury and acknowledges the works of Kapadia, which is an engaging and strong storyline about a woman’s experience in the most simple but interesting manner.
A Celebration of Diverse Storytelling
The 2024 APSA awards were structured around various themes since different stories and voices were showcased and emphasized the role of film in overcoming barriers and reaching out to audiences all over the world. The ceremony featured the gripping drama of April, the biting humor of Holy Electricity, and the tender tale of All We Imagine as Light, among other winning films that encapsulated global cinema. April and other films led by great filmmakers with great actors allow new depth of storytelling that expands narratives and also provide new contacts.
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) awarded Boong directed by India’s Lakshmipriya Devi as the Best Youth Film, in turn making it a notable accomplishment for the women film directors of the area.
In this gracious image, a young boy hailing from the distant state of Manipur takes a bold step in making a sincere attempt to unite his family. The team of producers comprising Alan McAlex, Vikesh Bhutani, Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, and Shujaat Saudagar, Boong comprehensively explores themes of hope, belonging, companionship and family attachment. The award received at the APSA corroborates its claim to reach out to the masses with its touching and true to life tale, portraying the distinctive cultural and family attributes of Manipur but at the same time enabling the broader audience to relate to it.
The Missing (Iti Mapukpukaw) from The Philippines stands out as the Best Animated Picture winner, demonstrating a rare feat in the space of adult sci-fi animation. The film extends the conventions of its genre form to new territories through its intricate narratives, expressive visual language, and more sophisticated in its form design. As an adult sci-fi animation, it discusses complex and challenging ideas that are not only cerebral but deal with human experiences at an advanced time period.
A Platform for Diverse Voices
The award of Best Documentary Film by APSA was won by No Other Land, a credible effort by the joint Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham, who collaborated on the film. The film, a joint endeavor, portrays in vivid and gruesome detail what is faced on a daily basis in their home country. The directors provide a powerful portrayal of the tragedy of conflict by bringing together different experiences and images of its violence on both sides. Documentary film shows unity and understanding through the art of film that makes strong arguments about violence and how it perpetuates itself. The film received a commendation at the APSA as a mark of appreciation towards its stakeholders but most importantly as a means of amplifying the voices of the people who are the subjects of the film.
The 2024 APSA awards showcase even more competitive submissions of multicultural stories from different countries and regions within the Asia Pacific. The films Boong, The Missing, and No Other Land are the examples of the variety of the thematic diversity among the films nominated this year. Funny coming of age tales about the youth, innovative animated films or powerful docudramas that we had the chance to witness are all prime examples of the communicative potential of cinema in a cross-cultural context. In this way, APSA does not only celebrate great artistry, but also inspires new creativity that will be different in every way and appeal to everybody at some level.
Cliff Curtis Honored for Championing Indigenous Stories
The actor from New Zealand has also made names in films such as: Boy, The Meg, Whale Rider, Colombiana, Cliff Curtis, and the acclaimed Warsudo actor was awarded the “Special FIAPF Award” at the Asia Pacific screen awards. Curtis reflected on the principle that humanity resides in the space between the sky and Earth. Such a worldview was present among the Maori people, as one of the speakers has introduced the Culture Diversity at the Asia-Pacific Screen Awards, this Australia-based event represents the Great Asia, stretching from the Palestinian territory to the New Zealand region. Such recognition extends to Curtis’s efforts to tell native stories throughout the film, demonstrating the importance of culture through cinema.
The director of Happyend, Neo Sora, was there to collect the Young Cinema Award from the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, this time partnered with NETPAC. The purpose of this award is to provide assistance to those young directors whose films are quite different from the rest. According to the Happyend film standpoint, the modern storytelling is at the core of emotions, but its plot layer is executed in a more complex and integrated manner. Sora’s participation at the occasion emphasized the need of developing the younger generation in the Asia Pacific area, which is one of APSA’s key concerns. The recognition of Happyend is one of the manifestations of the endorsement of the creativity and diversity which the young generation of film makers has in the region and which will secure the progression of telling stories in the region.
Min Bahadur Bham Wins Cultural Diversity Award for “Shambhala”
The Cultural Diversity Award was received by the Nepali director Min Bahadur Bham for the film Shambhala in which he presents Nepal’s cultural landscape and the conceptual human being very beautifully. This award is directed towards the projects that uphold and preserve the richness and variety of the culture in any film, and therein Bham’s work shines through. Shambhala is about the people and their triumphs and traditions exploring the ethos of Nepalese culture and interdependent themes of hope and love. Bham accepting this award brings forward the essence of making a film that cuts across the cultures and takes such diverse stories to the other world.
At the APSA awarding ceremony, another highlight was Georgia’s Data Chachua who won Best New Performer for his role in the film Panopticon. This film, which features Ia Sukhitashvili among its cast, has kept audiences glued with its remarkable acting and solid narrative structure. Chachua’s performance was noted for the tonality and emotion he captured in the character and already positioned himself as a new face in the industry. His acceptance of the award stresses the need for developing and nurturing new voices in the Asia Pacific region in a bid to guarantee a vibrant future for film through new ideas and captivating performances.
The APSA ceremony this year could be described as celebration of the creation and the cultural diversity of the Asia Pacific region. The awards allowed for the spectrum of narrative ranging from Cliff Curtis’s activism towards indigenous filmmakers to the success of young filmmakers such as Neo Sora, Min Bahadur Bham and Data Chachua. By recognizing both veteran and young artists, the American Painting Society of Asia, is still emerging as a hub for cultural exchange, progression and history in storytelling.
An Esteemed Main Jury Panel
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) has announced a new main jury this year, which mirrors the global nature of the film. It was chaired by the prominent Thai director, Pen-ek Ratanaruang, who is known for his remarkable filmmaking works. Others on the panel included Chris Pang, an Australian actor who featured in the movie Cra*y Rich Asians; Papua New Guinean and New Zealand producer Kerry Warkia; Korean filmmaker, educator, and policymaker Park Kiyong; and Yuliya Kim, a producer from Kazakhstan. Their experience together has present additional dimension into the judging process which allows for fair and all-round assessment of the competing films. This multipronged group of jurors represents the collaborative nature that APSA defends which looks at the stories from all over the Asia Pacific region.
Other outstanding professionals of the industry made up the other section of the APSA Youth, Animation, and Documentary International Jury, which was in addition to the main jury. Leading the panel was Sabrina Baracetti who is director of Udine Far East Film Festival and who has great knowledge of Asian cinema. Also present was Alex C Lo who is a producer from Japan and the US and was able to bring his cross- cultural experience to the jury. From Indonesia also the program director, Gugi Gumilang, provided his extensive knowledge that entails narratives from the region, while Jillian Nguyen, an Australian actress, provided her point of view from the perspective of the artist as an actor. Collectively, this group of jurors proved that there was no relevant film in the field of animation or documentary film, or aimed at children, which would be without a separate nomination category.
Film Fund Grants Empower New Projects
Yet another thrilling aspect of the festivities included the awarding of four recipients for the $25,000 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund grants. These grants are aimed at encouraging and funding promising film projects in the Asia Pacific region and are backed by the Motion Picture Association. One of the supported ones was the Chinese feature Fuxi which is currently in post-production and is claiming to be a rich narrative. Another grant was awarded to Watch It Burn which is a project by reputed director Makbul Mubarak for which his last project Autobiography was well received. ‘It is a good thing that APSA focuses on aspiring storytellers as these narratives are powerful and memorable,’ the press release adds.
The initiative of bringing in various jury members as well as the announcement of very large film fund grants at APSA highlights the events commitment toward impact and possibilities. Such endeavors enrich the quality of the award ceremony by inviting competent practitioners of the film industry from different parts of the world as well as establishing opportunities for communication and progress. In this respect, the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund is one of those concrete types of aid that enables filmmakers to expand their imagination and create something that can appeal to a wider audience. This year’s APSA remains true to its objectives of encouraging creativity, appreciating talents and the diversity of cultures in the Asia Pacific region.
