Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi’s searing Cannes Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident (Un simple accident) was awarded Best Film, with Panahi also receiving Best Director for his masterfully defiant and profound political thriller.
Gold Coast, Australia: The Asia Pacific Screen Academy tonight announced the winners of the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards supported by major partner Jewel Gold Coast hosted at The Langham Hotel, Gold Coast, honouring the most powerful and resonant filmmaking from across the world’s most diverse and prolific screen region. Drawn from 24 countries and regions with this years entries, the 2025 APSA winners reflect the artistic depth, cultural breadth and exceptional craft that defines cinema in the Asia Pacific.
Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi’s searing Cannes Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident (Un simple accident) was awarded Best Film, with Panahi also receiving Best Director for his masterfully defiant and profound political thriller. The Jury Grand Prize was awarded to Lost Land (Harà Watan) an emotionally rich and humanistic portrait of displaced Rohingya children navigating an uncertain world, directed by Japanese filmmaker Akio Fujimoto.
Powerful stories of youth, identity and belonging dominated this year, with Singaporean filmmaker Tan Siyou and producer Fran Borgia receiving Best Youth Film for Amoeba, while the bold and emotionally charged animation The Square by Korean director Kim Bo-sol was awarded with Best Animated Film.
Two extraordinary documentaries were honoured by the APSA Documentary Jury. Sepideh Farsi’s intimate, first-hand perspective Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk received Best Documentary Film, a profound testament to lived experience from within Gaza. A Special Mention was awarded to Always, directed by Deming Chen, a lyrical meditation on boyhood and memory in rural China through poetry.
Japan’s Chie Hayakawa was recognised with Best Screenplay for Renoir, which also saw rising star Yui Suzuki receive Best New Performer for her breakout role. The Best Performance Award went to acclaimed Hong Kong actor Sean Lau for Papa, delivering a haunting portrayal of a father navigating the fractures of grief and love.
Indonesia’s Batara Goempar received Best Cinematography for the visually arresting Samsara with Gold Coast actress Juliet Widyasari Burnett accepting the award on behalf of Goempar, while the Cultural Diversity Award was presented to Kyrgyzstan filmmaker Aktan Arym Kubat for Black Red Yellow, recognised for its preservation and celebration of Kyrgyz heritage through cinema.
India’s Rohan Parashuram Kanawade received the Young Cinema Award in partnership with NETPAC for Cactus Pears (Sabar Bonda), acknowledging an exceptional emerging voice, whose work represents the next generation of Asia Pacific filmmaking.
A new award for APSA this year in partnership with The Post Lounge Group is the Forum Filmmaker Award which was presented to Prabhath Gurung for his project Son of a Honey Hunter, recognised for demonstrating the most significant creative and professional growth throughout the 7th Asia Pacific Screen Forum. Introduced this year, the award reflects The Post Lounge Group’s commitment to elevating emerging voices and supporting projects that advance meaningfully across the four-day Forum program.
The FIAPF Award for outstanding contribution to film in the Asia Pacific was presented to Australian producer Greer Simpkin, honouring her entrepreneurial leadership and influential work throughout the Australian Film Industry.
Also announced during the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Ceremony were the four recipients of the 2025 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund grants of US$25,000, wholly supported by the MPA (Motion Picture Association) Asia Pacific. Chair of the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund Jury, Hong Kong curator Kiki Fung, headed the Jury in 2025 alongside additional jury members Ngo Thi Bich Hanh (Vietnam), a pioneering figure in Vietnam’s entertainment industry and Vice President of the Vietnam Film Development Association, and Schuyler Weiss (Australia), Academy Award–nominated producer and Bazmark Managing Director.
The 2025 fund recipients are director and Academy Member Anocha Suwichakornpong for the Thai project Fiction, director and Academy Member Kareem Abeed for the Syrian documentary Where is My Father, Indonesian director Yosep Anggi Noen and Academy Member/producer Gita Fara for The Sea Speaks His Name, and director Thien An Pham with Academy Member Jeremy Chua for the Vietnamese fiction feature Heaven in a Wildflower.
The 2025 APSA winners once again highlight the vibrancy and emotional power of Asia Pacific storytellers, marking another exceptional year for the region’s filmmakers. All APSA nominees, Nominations Councils and Jury members are inducted into the prestigious APSA Academy presided over by Australian screen legend Jack Thompson AM PhD. In 2025 the APSA Academy will total more than 1,725 of the region’s leading filmmakers.
QUOTES:
Chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Tracey Vieira:
“Tonight, we honour extraordinary cinematic voices from across 22 countries and areas of the Asia Pacific, and I extend my warmest congratulations to all the winners of the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. This year, we continue to see a powerful surge of emerging filmmakers whose bold, authentic storytelling reflects one of the most diverse collections of perspectives APSA has ever showcased.
With the continued support of our exceptional partners AW Jewel, The Langham, City of Gold Coast, Screen Queensland, MPA, The Post Lounge and Screen Australia, APSA’s future shines brighter than ever. Together, we are championing connections beyond borders within the culturally rich and creatively ambitious Asia Pacific.”
CEO of Screen Queensland Jacqui Feeney said:
“Screen Queensland is proud to support the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, a vital platform that celebrates cinematic excellence and fosters meaningful cultural exchange across our region. We warmly congratulate this year’s winners on their remarkable achievements.
The connections formed at APSA throughout this week between local and international screen practitioners, through the Forum and the Awards help strengthen our creative ecosystem, and we look forward to seeing the stories and collaborations that grow from this year’s gathering.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said:
“Congratulations to all this year’s APSA winners, celebrated right here at The Langham on the Gold Coast. Hosting such an extraordinary gathering of international filmmakers underscores our city’s growing reputation as a global hub for screen storytelling and production.
The exchange of ideas, culture and creativity that APSA brings to our shores is invaluable, and we’re proud to welcome these talented Asia Pacific voices who continue to elevate the Gold Coast on the world stage.”
President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Motion Picture Association Urmila Venugopalan said:
“With more than 70 nations represented and an extraordinary mosaic of cultures, voices, and cinematic traditions, the ASPAs stand as a true global celebration of film,” said Urmila Venugopalan, President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Motion Picture Association. “The Asia Pacific region is delivering stories that resonate across borders and speak to audiences in every corner of the world. The storytellers we recognize tonight – and the remarkable filmmakers we champion through the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund – embody the power of our industry not only to entertain, but to illuminate, uplift, and inspire. We congratulate all the winners and nominees of the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards and look forward to our continued partnership.”
Co-Founding Partner, Orange Entertainment Co. / GM – The Post Lounge said:
“Supporting filmmakers as they elevate their stories from concept to delivery is at the heart of what we do at The Post Lounge Group (The Post Lounge & Orange Entertainment Co.) The Forum Filmmaker Award which is new this year to the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, allows us to recognise a participant whose project has truly grown across the week creatively, professionally and with a clear path forward. We’re proud to champion emerging voices at APSA and to help transform bold ideas into production-ready works that can travel far beyond borders.”
2025 APSA WINNERS – BY AWARD CATEGORY
BEST FILM
It Was Just an Accident (Un simple accident)
Islamic Republic of Iran, France, Luxembourg
Directed by Jafar Panahi | Produced by Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin
Panahi’s gripping, slow-burn drama begins with a minor incident that spirals into life-altering consequences, earning the film the highest honour of APSA 2025.
JURY GRAND PRIZE
Lost Land (Harà Watan)
Japan, France, Malaysia, Germany
Directed by Akio Fujimoto | Produced by Kazutaka Watanabe
A moving journey of Rohingya siblings separated from family, Fujimoto’s film was honoured for its humanity, craft and emotional depth.
BEST YOUTH FILM
Amoeba
Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, Republic of Korea
Directed by Tan Siyou | Produced by Fran Borgia
Capturing the tension between individuality and expectation, Amoeba explores adolescence within the pressure-cooker of Singapore’s societal norms.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Square
Republic of Korea
Directed by Kim Bo-sol | Produced by Park So-hye, Kim Bo-sol
Set against the charged political backdrop of the DPRK, this stylish and compelling animation impressed for its cinematic ambition and narrative control.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
France, Palestine
Directed by Sepideh Farsi | Produced by Javad Djavahery
Farsi’s intimate feature, built from video conversations inside Gaza, offers a powerful and urgent snapshot of daily life under siege.
SPECIAL MENTION — DOCUMENTARY
Always
USA, France, People’s Republic of China, Taiwan
Directed by Deming Chen | Produced by Hansen Lin
A poetic reflection on youth in rural China, recognised by the jury for its emotional sensitivity and craft.
BEST DIRECTOR
Jafar Panahi — It Was Just an Accident (Un simple accident)
Islamic Republic of Iran, France, Luxembourg
Awarded for his commanding and precise direction in a film of escalating intensity and moral complexity.
BEST SCREENPLAY
Chie Hayakawa — Renoir
Japan, France, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar
A richly imagined suburban tale set in 1987 Tokyo, balancing fantasy, grief and childhood imagination.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Batara Goempar — Samsara
Indonesia
Striking black-and-white imagery and meticulous composition distinguish the cinematography of this Indonesian period work.
BEST PERFORMANCE
Sean Lau — Papa
Hong Kong
A deeply felt portrayal of a father grappling with grief, memory and forgiveness.
BEST NEW PERFORMER
Yui Suzuki — Renoir
Japan, France, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar
Recognised for an exceptional breakout performance of emotional honesty and imaginative depth.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARD
Black Red Yellow
Kyrgyzstan
Directed & Produced by Aktan Arym Kubat
An evocative and culturally rich work celebrating Kyrgyz craft, tradition and identity.
YOUNG CINEMA AWARD (in partnership with NETPAC)
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade — Cactus Pears (Sabar Bonda)
India, United Kingdom, Canada
Honouring an outstanding emerging filmmaker whose voice signals a major new talent in Asia Pacific cinema.
FIAPF AWARD
Greer Simpkin (Australia)
Recognised by FIAPF–International Federation of Film Producers Associations for her significant contribution to the screen industry in the region.
2025 MPA APSA ACADEMY FILM FUND RECIPIENTS
Academy Member Anocha Suwichakornpong for the Thai project Fiction.
Academy Member and director Kareem Abeed for the Syrian documentary Where is My Father.
Indonesian director Yosep Anggi Noen and Academy Member/producer Gita Fara for The Sea Speaks His Name.
Director Thien An Pham with Academy Member Jeremy Chua for the Vietnamese fiction feature Heaven in a Wildflower.
FILMMAKER FORUM AWARD (presented by The Post Lounge Group)
Prabhath Gurung – Son of a Honey Hunter
Whose project shows the greatest creative and professional growth across the week of the APSA Forum.
For further information please reach out to the APSA Media Team below:
Amanda Goddard / Bec Pini – APSA Media/ Publicity Lead
Cell phone: + 61 405 101 739 || Email – [email protected]
About Asia Pacific Screen Academy (APSA)
Asia Pacific Screen Academy is the flagship advocacy organisation which stands as the preeminent champion of cinematic excellence across the world’s most dynamic film region. Encompassing 78 countries and areas, representing 4.5 billion people and producing half of the world’s films, APSA celebrates the extraordinary diversity and creative power of Asia Pacific storytelling.
Through our signature events – the prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the innovative Asia Pacific Screen Forum – APSA creates transformative connections between filmmakers, fostering international collaborations that transcend borders and cultures. Our platform has become a catalyst for groundbreaking co-productions, artistic exchanges, and the emergence of new voices in global cinema.
Backed by strong partnerships with screen industry leaders including Screen Queensland, Screen Australia, and the City of Gold Coast, APSA has built a robust foundation of support. Our strategic alliances with FIAPF, the European Film Academy, Motion Picture Association (MPA), Premios Platino del Cine Iberoamericano, and NETPAC extend our global reach.
As a dynamic cultural bridge between Queensland and the Asia Pacific region, APSA drives innovation in storytelling, champions emerging talent, and creates lasting impact through initiatives like the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund. Our commitment to excellence, diversity, and meaningful industry connections has established APSA as an influential force in shaping the future of Asia Pacific cinema.
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