JAPAN, PRC LEAD NOMINEES FOR 2018 ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS

Japan and the People’s Republic of China lead the field of nominees at the 2018 Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), with their respective industries securing 7 nominations each. The pack tightens behind them, with Australia, India and Kazakhstan each earning 5 nominations in key categories.

The 12^th annual celebration of Asia Pacific cinema, a sector that provides half the world’s film output, features 46 films from 22 countries. Kore-Eda Hirokazu’s Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters (Japan; pictured, top) stands alone at the head of the nominee list with three nominations, including Film, Director and Screenplay nods. The film has sentimental ties to the APSAs, with star Kirin Kiki the 2015 Best Actress award winner for Naomi Kawase’s An; a beloved figure in Asian cinema, she passed away in September, aged 75.

Four other titles earned dual nominations - Lee Chang-dong’s Burning (Republic of Korea); Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s The Gentle Indifference of the World (Kazakhstan, France; pictured, right); Khavn’s Balangiga: Howling Wilderness (Philippines); and, Phuttiphong Aroonpheng’s Manta Ray (Thailand, People’s Republic of China, France).

The Australian sector’s five noms came across four categories. Paul Damien William’s Gurrumul will vie for the Best Documentary honour; amongst the Best Actress contenders is US actress Rooney Mara for Garth Davis’ Mary Magdalene; veteran Bruce Beresford earned his first APSA Best Director nomination for Ladies in Black; and, in the Best Original Score race, Harry Gregson-Williams (for Simon Baker’s Breath) and Hildur Guðnadóttir and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson (for Mary Magdalene) will compete.

The APSA nominee family expands in 2018 with the first ever contender from Uzbekistan. Best Actor nominee Karim Mirkhadiyev (pictured, left), star of Rashid Malikov’s stirring father/son drama Fortitude, will carry his nation’s hopes against a formidable field, including Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Manto; India), child actor and former Syrian refugee Zain Al Rafeea (Capharnaüm; Lebanon), Bahman Farmanara (Tale of the Sea; Islamic Republic of Iran) and Akylbek Abdykalykov (Night Accident; Kyrgyzstan).

Rooney faces a tough field of Best Actress contenders - Zhao Tao (Ash is Purest White; People’s Republic of China, France); Damla Sönmez (Sibel; Turkey, France, Germany, Luxembourg); Cannes Best Actress winner Samal Yeslyamova (Ayka; Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, People’s Republic of China, Germany, Poland); and, deaf actress Laura Koroleva (Sveta; Kazakhstan).

The awards, overseen by APSA Academy President Jack Thompson, will be held at a black-tie event on Thursday, 29 November 2018 at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Further details can be found at the official website.    

COMPLETE LIST OF 12^th ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE FILM
Balangiga: Howling Wilderness (Philippines; Dir: Khavn)
Burning (Republic of Korea; Dir: LEE Chang-dong
The Gentle Indifference of the World (Laskovoe Bezrazlichie Mira) (Kazakhstan, France; Dir Adilkhan YERZHANOV)
Manta Ray (Kraben Rahu) (Thailand, People’s Republic of China, France; Dir: Phuttiphong AROONPHENG)
Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku) (Japan; Dir: KORE-EDA Hirokazu)

BEST YOUTH FEATURE FILM
Ava (Islamic Republic of Iran, Qatar, Canada; Dir: Sadaf FOROUGHI)
Nervous Translation (Philippines; Dir: Shireen SENO)
Passage of Life (Boku no kaeru basho) (Japan, Myanmar; Dir: Akio FUJIMOTO)
The Pigeon (Güvercin) (Turkey; Dir: Banu SIVACI; trailer, below)
Village Rockstars (India; Dir: Rima DAS)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Hoffmaniada (Russian Federation; Dir: Stanislav SOKOLOV)
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (Sayonara no asa ni yakusoku no hana o kazarô
(Japan; Dir: Mari OKADA)
Mirai (Mirai no Mirai) (Japan; Dir: Mamoru HOSODA)
On Happiness Road (Hsing Fu Lu Shang) (Taiwan; Dir: SUNG Hsin-Yin)
Rezo (Znaesh’, mama, gde ya byl) (Russian Federation; Dir: Leo GABRIADZE)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Amal (Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, France, Germany, Norway, Denmark; Dir: Mohamed SIAM)
Gurrumul (Australia; Dir: Paul Damien WILLIAMS)
Of Fathers and Sons (Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon, Qatar, Germany; Dir: Talal DERKI; trailer, below)
Of Love & Law (Japan, United Kingdom, France; Dir: Hikaru TODA)
Up Down & Sideways (kho ki pa lü) (India; Dir: Anushka MEENAKSHI, Iswar SRIKUMAR)

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Nadine LABAKI for Capharnaüm (Lebanon)
Bruce BERESFORD for Ladies in Black (Australia)
Emir BAIGAZIN for The River (Ozen; Kazakhstan, Norway, Poland)
KORE-EDA Hirokazu for Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku; Japan)
Ivan AYR for Soni (India)

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Saumyananda SAHI for Balekempa (India)
Hideho URATA for A Land Imagined (Singapore, France, Netherlands)
Nawarophaat RUNGPHIBOONSOPHIT for Manta Ray (Kraben Rahu; Thailand, People’s Republic of China, France; trailer, below)
Chaiyapruek CHALERMPORNPANIT for Malila: The Farewell Flower (Thailand)
ZHANG Miaoyan, XU Zhiyong for Silent Mist (People’s Republic of China, France)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Payman MAADI for Bomb, A Love Story (Bomb, Yek Asheghaneh; Islamic Republic of Iran)
OH Jung-mi, LEE Chang-dong for Burning (Republic of Korea)
Adilkhan YERZHANOV, Roelof Jan MINNEBOO for The Gentle Indifference of the World (Laskovoe Bezrazlichie Mira; Kazakhstan, France)
KORE-EDA Hirokazu for Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku; Japan)
Dan KLEINMAN, Sameh ZOABI for Tel Aviv on Fire (Israel, Belgium, France, Luxembourg)

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARD UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF UNESCO
Ala Changso (People’s Republic of China; Dir: Sonthar GYAL)
Balangiga: Howling Wilderness (Philippines; Dir: Khavn)
The Lord Eagle (Toyon Kyyl) (Russian Federation; Dir: Eduard NOVIKOV)
Memories of My Body (Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku) (Indonesia; Dir: Garin NUGROHO; trailer, below)
The Taste of Rice Flower (Mi Hua Zhi Wei) (People’s Republic of China; Dir: Pengfei)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
ZHAO Tao for Ash is Purest White (Jiang hu er nv; People’s Republic of China, France)
Samal YESLYAMOVA for Ayka (Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, People’s Republic of China, Germany, Poland)
Rooney MARA for Mary Magdalene (Australia, United Kingdom)
Damla SÖNMEZ for Sibel (Turkey, France, Germany, Luxembourg)
Laura KOROLEVA for Sveta (Kazakhstan)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Zain AL RAFEEA for Capharnaüm (Lebanon)
Karim MIRKHADIYEV for Fortitude (Sabot; Uzbekistan)
Nawazuddin SIDDIQUI for Manto (India)
Akylbek ABDYKALYKOV for Night Accident (Tunku Kyrsyk; Kyrgyzstan)
Bahman FARMANARA for Tale of the Sea (Hekayat-e Darya; Islamic Republic of Iran)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Eléni KARAÏNDROU for Bomb, A Love Story (Bomb, Yek Asheghaneh; Islamic Republic of Iran)
Harry GREGSON-WILLIAMS for Breath (Australia)
Hildur GUÐNADÓTTIR, Jóhann JÓHANNSSON for Mary Magdalene (Australia, United Kingdom)
Ryan CAYABYAB for The Portrait (Ang Larawan; Philippines)
Omar FADEL for Yomeddine (Egypt)