Dynamic Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua has officially been named as the recipient of the prestigious FIAPF Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asia Pacific Cinema, to be presented to him at the 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) Ceremony on November 3 on Australia’s Gold Coast.
The announcement was made by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy together with founding partner FIAPF–International Federation of Film Producers Associations, the peak body representing film producers across the world, celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2023.
APSA’s FIAPF Award celebrates a film practitioner from the region whose career and actions contribute strongly to the development of the Asia Pacific film industry.
In 2014 Mr Chua founded production company Potocol, focusing on the international co-production of Asian films telling Asia stories, championing both established and new talent.
In the nine years since, he has fast become a prolific producer of great renown. In the past 13 months alone, he has had no less than four different films from four different countries have their world premieres at the Venice, Berlin, Cannes and San Sebastian Film Festivals.
Mr Chua has produced two films in competition at APSA this year, in addition to contributing his talents as a mentor for 2023 in the Asia Pacific Screen Lab, while his 2022 film Autobiography, a previous APSA winner, is a current Oscar contender.
Mr Chua will attend the APSA Ceremony and will also take part in the Asia Pacific Screen Forum, sharing his extensive experience as part of the First Time Producers Roundtable event.
President of FIAPF, Luis Alberto Scalella said: “Proudly celebrating its 90th year, FIAPF is honoured to have producer Jeremy Chua accept the FIAPF Award at APSA in 2023. FIAPF acknowledges Jeremy Chua’s bold decisions as a producer, backing a new generation of filmmakers, while collaborating with financial partners and talents from the region to bring audacious stories to the screens as international co-productions thriving on the international circuit.”
Chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy Tracey Vieira said “Together with our founding partner FIAPF we congratulate Jeremy Chua as the recipient of the FIAPF Award at APSA in 2023. Jeremy Chua is an incredible producer working with talented filmmakers across many countries of the region to bring more Asia Pacific stories to the screen and the world stage. He is also generous with his talents, sharing his knowledge through initiatives like the Asia Pacific Screen Lab and at this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Forum, working with first time producers. We look forward to welcoming him to APSA.”
Jeremy Chua said “The FIAPF award has a respected list of past recipients whom I admire and draw inspiration from. It is an honour to have been recognised by my peers and be in their company. Independent cinema in today’s world is becoming more relevant as a medium to address the urgent issues that affect our future humanity, yet increasingly difficult to make and reach an audience. I aim to continue collaborating with my directors to keep their precious voices alive in the public consciousness. I wish to thank FIAPF, my mentors and fellow producers for their unyielding support and friendship.”
Mr Chua’s 2023 co-production between Vietnam, Singapore, France and Spain, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng), has already seen director Phạm Thiên Ân win the Cannes Film Festival’s Caméra d’Or award and the APSA Young Cinema Award for his feature debut – a Vietnamese–language film journeying from urban to rural Vietnam to reunite a grieving family. The Young Cinema Award, given in partnership with NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) and Griffith Film School, recognises the abundant emerging talent of the Asia Pacific.
Mr Chua’s phenomenal representation at this year’s APSA includes a further two nominations for the film Last Shadow at First Light, a five-country co-production between Singapore, Japan, Slovenia, Philippines and Indonesia that premiered at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September this year. The story of a young Japanese woman on a journey from Singapore to Japan to find her missing mother, it is nominated for APSA Best Screenplay for writer/director Nicole Midori Woodford and APSA Best Performance for Mihaya Shirata.
In 2023, Mr Chua is also an official mentor in the Asia Pacific Screen Lab, to filmmaker Amir Amenov, a Kazakh filmmaker developing his directorial project Warm Night, Cold Beer. The initiative is a year-long immersive development program in conjunction with APSA Academy, Griffith University, Griffith Film School and NETPAC, to encourage film co-productions by early career feature filmmakers from across the Asia Pacific.
Mr Chua co-produced Autobiography, the debut feature of Makbul Mubarak and winner of the 2022 APSA Best Screenplay award and Venice Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize. The film is Indonesia’s official submission for the Best International Feature category of the Oscars for 2024.
In 2021 his film Rehana (Rehana Maryam Noor), about a woman’s fight for justice in Bangladesh, took out two APSA Awards, with director Abdullah Mohammad Saad winning the APSA Jury Grand Prize and Best Performance by an Actress going to Azmeri Haque Badhon.
With an ongoing development slate, Chua’s upcoming title Filipinana, the debut feature from Rafael Manuel, was last week awarded three prizes at the Busan Asia Project Market, more than any other film.
He has trained at EAVE Ties That Bind, Berlinale Talents, SEAFIC, Produire au Sud, and TorinoFilmLab.
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Forum are presented by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy with the support of major partners the City of Gold Coast, Screen Queensland, the Motion Picture Association and Griffith Film School, Griffith University.
APSA acknowledges and celebrates its founding partnership with FIAPF – International Federation of Film Producers Associations.
The 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Red Carpet and Ceremony will take place Friday 3 November at Home of the Arts (HOTA) on the Gold Coast, Australia, on the traditional land of the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
Tickets are on sale for the full Forum and the 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony: https://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com