The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) has announced that ABC1 and iView will broadcast two APSA Scene by Scene documentary programs back to back on Sunday December 12. The programs will also be broadcast through the Australia Network and International Channel Shanghai.
The fourth annual APSA Ceremony will take place on December 2 on Queensland’s Gold Coast where 31 films from 15 countries and areas will compete for the region’s highest accolade in film.
This year’s APSA Jury President is renowned Academy Award-winning film maker Lord David Puttnam (Chariots of Fire, The Mission, Midnight Express, The Killing Fields) arguably one of the world’s most influential producers. The first Scene by Scene episode, to be broadcast on ABC1 on December 12 at 4:30pm, will look at Lord Puttnam’s prolific 30-year career and include highlights of his keynote address to APSA Nominees and Delegates.
The second Scene by Scene program will celebrate the diversity and reach of cinema from Asia Pacific. Featuring interviews with the directors, producers and stars, the program will travel widely from New Zealand and Iran, to Japan, China and India to report on latest developments in the film industries of the region and will also feature highlights of the APSA Ceremony on the Gold Coast. The broadcast times are:
Scene by Scene: Lord Puttnam Keynote Address
Sunday December 12, 4:30pm
Scene by Scene: Films of Asia-Pacific
Sunday December 12, 5:00pm
Both programs will also screen through the ABC’s online channel iView along with the APSA Ceremony in its entirety.
APSA Chairman Des Power said: “APSA has successfully partnered in previous years with the ABC and the Australia Network to broadcast a range of programs to Australia and the wider Asia Pacific region and we are delighted that the association will continue and strengthen in 2010.”
“One of APSAs key aims is to promote the outstanding work of our region’s filmmakers to a global audience. Broadcast on the ABC and iView gives Australian audiences a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the fascinating film industries and filmmakers of our region. Over time, it is also APSAs ambition to create opportunities for audiences in Australia and elsewhere to watch and applaud more of these wonderful films.”
Highlights of the Scene by Scene programs include the story of New Zealand filmmaker Gaylene Preston and her poetic film memoir, Home By Christmas, based on interviews with her father about the wartime marriage of her parents, Ed and Tui; a tribute to women filmmakers from the region who are at the forefront of the industry, including interviews with Indian acting legend Shabana Azmi; the star of Brick Lane and Road, Movie, Tannishtha Chatterjee; and the woman they call the Queen of Sri Lankan cinema, Malani Fonseka. The program journeys to Iran, where its highly regarded film industry is facing escalating challenges to its independence from an increasingly hostile regime, and to China for interviews with the makers of the box office smash hits Aftershock and City of Life and Death; as well as to India where Marathi language cinema, the original cinema of Mumbai, is staging a spirited cultural renaissance.
APSA is an international cultural initiative of the Queensland Government and a unique collaboration with UNESCO and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers Associations. APSA acclaims films from more than 70 countries and areas; one third of the earth; and half the world’s film output.
Winners in the fourth annual APSAs will be determined by the International Jury and announced at the fourth annual APSA Ceremony on December 2. Films are judged on cinematic excellence and the way in which they attest to their cultural origins.