Australian Nominations – 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Actors Leah Purcell, Essie Davis and Caleb Landry Jones have received nominations along with Australian feature When Pomegranates Howl in the region’s highest accolade in film, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 

Winners will be determined by the APSA International Jury, who will be announced in the coming weeks and announced on Thursday 11 November at the 14th APSA Ceremony on Australia’s spectacular Gold Coast, and streamed across the globe. 

In 2021, 38 films from 25 Asia Pacific countries and areas were nominated, further highlighting the outstanding achievement of a nomination in the Awards, which encompass 70 countries and areas and represent half the world’s film output. 

Two Australians are nominated for Best Performance by an Actress. Leah Purcell is nominated for her powerhouse performance in The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson which Purcell also wrote and directed. Essie Davis is nominated for her triumphant role in Gaysorn Thavat’s acclaimed social drama, The Justice of Bunny King (NZ). Both films are screening in the upcoming Brisbane International Film Festival, and Sydney Film Festival, ahead of their cinema release.  

They are up against three remarkable actresses from the region. Alena YIV for her role in Asia, winner of Best Picture at Israel’s Academy Awards (Ophir Awards), Azmeri HAQUE BADHON for Rehana (Rehana Maryam Noor), the first Bangladeshi film to compete In Competition at Cannes, and from the remote Yakutia region of Russia Valentina ROMANOVA-CHYSKYYRAY for Scarecrow (Pugalo). 

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor, Nitram star Caleb Landry Jones was awarded the Cannes Best Actor for this role, and he vies with Iran’s Amir Jadidi for Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes Grand Prix winner A Hero (Ghahreman), and two actors from Georgia – Levan TEDIASHVILI for who recently won Best Actor at Tribeca for Brighton 4th and Merab NINIDZE for his role in Alexsy German Jnr’s Cannes’ Un Certain Regard selected House Arrest (Delo). Completing the Actor category is Japan’s Hidetoshi NISHIJIMA for Cannes-winner Drive My Car, who also stars in another film, nominated for Best Youth Feature Film, Voices in the Wind (Kaze no Denwa).

Iranian-Australian Granaz Moussavi’s stunning When Pomegranates Howl (Afghanistan, Australia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Netherlands) is also nominated for Best Youth Feature Film. Shot on the streets of Kabul in Afghanistan, the film follows a nine-year old boy who dreams of stardom, with the significance of this work is brought into sharp focus following the recent events in that country. 

When Pomegranates Howl is produced by Moussavi with Melbourne-based Afghan-Australian Baheer WARDAK, Iranian Marzieh VAFAMEHR and South Australian Christine WILLIAMS, and will also screen in Sydney Film Festival.

Moussavi is one of three women directors whose films are nominated in this category, along with Yoon Dan-bi for Moving On (Nam-mae-wui Yeo-reum-bam, Republic of Korea) and Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen’s Scales (Sayidat Al Bahr, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia). The fifth film in this category is Ferit Karahan’s Turkish drama Brother’s Keeper (Okul Tıraşı).

The APSA Ceremony on November 11 will also launch the 3rd Asia Pacific Screen Forum, an action-packed six-day program of industry-led networking opportunities, designed to facilitate relationships and collaborations between filmmakers across Asia Pacific. Like the ceremony, the forum will take place both in-person and virtually, with many nominees and APSA Academy Members participating from around the globe.

Forum registrations now open and more information https://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/asia-pacific-screen-forum

Quotes attributable to: 

Chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy Tracey Vieira: 

“The APSAs set a high bar for celebration of cultural diversity and cinematic excellence which is why, as an Australian-based organisation, it is so exciting to see so many Australians, and Australian productions, among the nominees.

The Asia Pacific Screen Academy is incredibly proud to present the 14th Awards Ceremony in 2021 with the full complement of Award categories, our special awards in collaboration with founding partners UNESCO and FIAPF, and the Academy-specific initiatives with the MPA and APSL. 

APSA continues to identify, support and amplify the careers of emerging storytellers throughout Asia Pacific, with 18 of the 38 nominated films by first or second feature directors, and the annual presentation of the Young Cinema Award in partnership with NETPAC and GFS. 

And perhaps most importantly, APSA continues to honour and respect the many cultures of this richly diverse region as represented through cinematic excellence. 

In 2021, the APSA International Nominations Council considered films in APSA competition from 43 Asia Pacific countries and areas, and we are thrilled to see the first nomination for a film from Vietnam with cinematographer Nguyễn Vinh Phúc nominated for his work in LÊ Bảo’s Taste (Vị).

My sincere thanks to the 2021 APSA International Nominations Council, headed once again by the eminent Professor Hong-Joon Kim for your outstanding work with this most difficult task.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate: 

“As Mayor, I’ve replaced the red carpet with a gold carpet as we roll out the welcome mat for these awards and the amazing talent that supports the industry.’’

“The Asia Pacific Screen Forum underscores our city’s commitment to this global industry.”

 

Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich:

“Each year, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards shines a light on inspirational talent from the region, including Queensland’s diverse and creative local content creators. As host for the Awards and the Forum, our state is positioned as an important screen hub for the wider Asia Pacific region. Screen Queensland is proud of our ongoing support of the event, which  allows Queensland practitioners to connect and collaborate with industry counterparts from across the Asia Pacific.” 

When Pomegranates Howl writer/director/producer Granaz Moussavi:

“I’m very excited and honoured to be nominated for the APSA Youth Feature Film Award, and am hoping that my film will find a wider audiences who will relate to the plight of children stuck in adult wars.”

MORE INFORMATION & FULL LIST OF NOMINATIONS FOLLOWS

Films from Japan and Islamic Republic of Iran lead the field with seven nominations each. Two films, both winners at Cannes this year, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car and Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero (Ghahreman), achieved the most nominations, with both films up for the same four categories – Best Feature Film, Achievement in Directing, Best Screenplay and Best Performance by an Actor. 

Another Cannes winner, Payal Kapadia’s breakthrough A Night of Knowing Nothing (India) is also nominated for Best Feature Film, as is Russian director Natalya Nazarova’s The Pencil (Prostoy karandash) and Iranian Mohammad Rasoulof’s Golden Bear winner There is No Evil (Sheytan vojud nadarad).

Given the impact of COVID on the region, the eligibility of films in competition this year was extended back to the end of 2019, increasing the field and calibre of competition significantly.

Best Youth Feature Film award features three emerging women directors with their debut or second feature nominated. They are Yoon Dan-bi for Moving On (Nam-mae-wui Yeo-reum-bam, Republic of Korea), Granaz Moussavi’s When Pomegranates Howl (Afghanistan, Australia) and Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen’s Scales (Sayidat Al Bahr, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia) who follows in the footsteps of Haifaa al-Mansour, the first Saudi woman filmmaker who was nominated in this category in 2013. 

Competing for the nominations for Best Youth Feature Film are Ferit Karahan’s Brother’s Keeper (Okul Tıraşı, Turkey, Romania) and Nobuhiro Suwa’s Voices in the Wind (Kaze no Denwa, Japan) which also features Drive My Car Best Actor nominee Hidetoshi Nishijima. 

Best Animated Feature Film offers a diverse selection of themes, cultures and disciplines of animation amongst the five nominees: Bashir El Deek and Ibrahim Mousa’s The Knight and The Princess (Saudi Arabia, Egypt), Beauty Water (Gigigoegoe Seonghyeongsu, Republic of Korea), Ayumu Watanabe’s Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (Gyoko no Nikuko-chan, Japan), Andrey Khrzhanovsky’s The Nose or The Conspiracy of Mavericks (Nos ili zagovor netakikh, Russian Federation) and Ari Folman’s Where is Anne Frank (Belgium). 

As always, the Best Documentary Feature Film nominations represent some of the most important stories of Asia Pacific, and often made in the most difficult circumstances. The nominees in 2021 are Vitaly Mansky’s Gorbachev. Heaven (Latvia, Czech Republic), Eliane Raheb’s Miguel’s War (Aanaf Hob, Lebanon, Spain, Germany), Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya (Sweden), Mohammed Abugeth and Daniel Carsenty’s The Devil’s Drivers (Lebanon, Qatar, France, Germany) and finally Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s Writing With Fire (India). 

Nominations for Achievement in Directing, Best Screenplay, Achievement in Cinematography and Best Performance categories for Actress and Actor follow in the list below. The winners will be determined by the APSA International Jury, who will be announced in the coming weeks.

Winners will also be announced in APSA’s three special categories, the Cultural Diversity Award under the patronage of UNESCO, the Young Cinema Award in partnership with NETPAC and GFS, and the FIAPF Award for Contribution to Asia Pacific Cinema. 

The APSA Ceremony will include the annual announcement of recipients of the four MPA APSA Academy Film Fund grants for 2021. 

The 25 Asia Pacific countries and areas represented in the nominees are Afghanistan, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and, for the first time, Vietnam. 

The 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the 3rd Asia Pacific Screen Forum is presented by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, with the support of the City Of Gold Coast, Screen Queensland, Netflix, Motion Picture Association, Griffith University Griffith Film School.

14th ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS – FULL LIST OF NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE FILM

A Hero (Ghahreman)

Islamic Republic of Iran, France

Directed by Asghar FARHADI

Produced by Asghar FARHADI, Alexandre MALLET-GUY

A Night of Knowing Nothing

India, France

Directed by Payal KAPADIA

Produced by Thomas HAKIM, Julien GRAFF, Ranabir DAS

Drive My Car

Japan

Directed by Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI

Produced by Teruhisa YAMAMOTO

The Pencil (Prostoy karandash)

Russian Federation

Directed by Natalya NAZAROVA

Produced by Maxim DASHKIN, Anna VON DZIEMBOWSKA, Boris FRUMIN, Danil FERBIKOV, Denis KOVALEVSKIY

There is No Evil (Sheytan vojud nadarad)

Islamic Republic of Iran, Czech Republic, Germany

Directed by Mohammad RASOULOF

Produced by Mohammad RASOULOF, Kaveh FARNAM, Farzad PAK

 

BEST YOUTH FEATURE FILM

Brother’s Keeper (Okul Tıraşı)

Turkey, Romania

Directed by Ferit KARAHAN

Produced by Kanat DOĞRAMACI

Moving On (Nam-mae-wui Yeo-reum-bam)

Republic of Korea

Directed by YOON Dan-bi

Produced by YOON Dan-bi, KIM Gi-hyeon

Scales (Sayidat Al Bahr)

Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia

Directed by Shahad AMEEN

Produced by R Paul MILLER, Stephen STRACHAN, Rula NASSER

Voices in the Wind (Kaze no Denwa)

Japan

Directed by Nobuhiro SUWA

Produced by Eiji IZUMI

When Pomegranates Howl

Afghanistan, Australia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Netherlands

Directed by Granaz MOUSSAVI

Produced by Granaz MOUSSAVI, Baheer WARDAK, Marzieh VAFAMEHR, Christine WILLIAMS

 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Beauty Water (Gigigoegoe Seonghyeongsu)

Republic of Korea

Directed by CHO Kyung-hun

Produced by JEON Byung-jin

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (Gyoko no Nikuko-chan)

Japan

Directed by Ayumu WATANABE

Produced by Sanma AKASHIYA, Eiko TANAKA, Shu KAMIGASO, Mitsugu YAMADA

The Knight and The Princess

Saudi Arabia, Egypt

Directed by Bashir EL DEEK, Ibrahim MOUSA

Produced by Alabbas BIN ALABBAS

The Nose or The Conspiracy of Mavericks (Nos ili zagovor netakikh)

Russian Federation

Directed by Andrey KHRZHANOVSKY

Produced by Andrey KHRZHANOVSKY

Where is Anne Frank

Belgium 

Directed by Ari FOLMAN

Produced by Jani THILTGES, Yves KUGELMANN, Ari FOLMAN, Alexander RODNYANSKY

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

Gorbachev. Heaven

Latvia, Czech Republic

Directed by Vitaly MANSKY

Produced by Natalia MANSKAIA, Filip REMUNDA, Vít KLUSÁK

Miguel’s War (Aanaf Hob)

Lebanon, Spain, Germany

Directed by Eliane RAHEB

Produced by Eliane RAHEB

Sabaya

Sweden

Directed by Hogir HIRORI

Produced by Antonio RUSSO MERENDA, Hogir HIRORI

The Devil’s Drivers

Lebanon, Qatar, France, Germany

Directed by Mohammed ABUGETH, Daniel CARSENTY

Produced by Daniel CARSENTY, Felix BLUM

Writing With Fire

India

Directed by Rintu THOMAS, Sushmit GHOSH

Produced by Sushmit GHOSH, Rintu THOMAS

 

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Asghar FARHADI for A Hero (Ghahreman)

Islamic Republic of Iran, France

Dea KULUMBEGASHVILI for Beginning (Dasatskisi)

Georgia, France

Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI for Drive My Car

Japan

P S VINOTHRAJ for Pebbles (Koozhangal)

India

Kamila ANDINI for Yuni

Indonesia, Singapore, France

 

BEST SCREENPLAY

Asghar FARHADI for A Hero (Ghahreman)

Islamic Republic of Iran

Nasim AHMADPOUR, Shahram MOKRI for Careless Crime (Jenayat-e bi deghat)

Islamic Republic of Iran

Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI, OE Takamasa for Drive My Car

Japan

Dana IDISIS for Here We Are (Hine Anachnu)

Israel, Italy

Asif RUSTAMOV, Roelof Jan MINNEBOO, Ilgar NAJAF for Sughra’s Sons

Azerbaijan, France, Germany

 

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

 

FENG Yuchao Robbin for A New Old Play (Jiao ma tang hui)

Hong Kong, France

Phuttiphong AROONPHENG for Anatomy of Time (Wela)

Thailand, Singapore, France, Netherlands

Vignesh KUMULAI, Che PARTHIBAN for Pebbles (Koozhangal)

India

NGUYỄN Vinh Phúc for Taste (Vị)

Vietnam, Singapore, France, Thailand, Germany

Akiko ASHIZAWA for Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas)

Indonesia, Singapore, Germany

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS

Alena YIV for Asia

Israel

Azmeri HAQUE BADHON for Rehana (Rehana Maryam Noor)

Bangladesh, Qatar, Singapore

Valentina ROMANOVA-CHYSKYYRAY for Scarecrow (Pugalo)

Russian Federation

Leah PURCELL for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson

Australia

Essie DAVIS for The Justice of Bunny King

New Zealand

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR

Amir JADIDI for A Hero (Ghahreman)

Islamic Republic of Iran, France

Levan TEDIASHVILI for Brighton 4th

Georgia, Russian Federation, Bulgaria, Monaco, United States of America

Hidetoshi NISHIJIMA for Drive My Car

Japan

Merab NINIDZE for House Arrest (Delo)

Russian Federation

Caleb LANDRY JONES for Nitram

Australia

 

Further Awards to be announced 

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARD UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF UNESCO

YOUNG CINEMA AWARD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NETPAC AND GFS

The Young Cinema Award in partnership with NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) and Griffith Film School (GFS) recognises the abundant emerging talent of the Asia Pacific.

FIAPF AWARD

Determined by FIAPF–International Federation of Film Producers Associations for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region.

MPA APSA Academy Film Fund Recipients x 4

 

ABOUT THE ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN ACADEMY & ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS

The Asia Pacific Screen Academy proudly presents the region’s highest accolade in film, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Established in 2007, APSA ignites and honours the cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the world’s fastest growing film region: comprising 70 countries and areas, 4.5 billion people, and responsible for half of the world’s film output. 

APSA and its Academy is committed to its ongoing global partnerships with UNESCO, FIAPF, the European Film Academy (EFA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), Premios Platino del Cine Iberoamericano, NETPAC (the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema), the Asia Pacific Screen Lab (APSL) and Griffith Film School.

All APSA nominees, Nominations Councils Jury members are inducted into the prestigious APSA Academy presided over by Australian screen legend Jack Thompson AM PhD. The Academy boasts over 1,300 of the region’s leading filmmakers and provides exclusive networking, development and funding opportunities available to Academy members through the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, and Academy mentoring opportunities for the next generation of Asia Pacific filmmakers through the Asia Pacific Screen Lab. 

www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/about-academy

 

ABOUT THE ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN FORUM

Launched in 2019, the Asia Pacific Screen Forum presents an action-packed program of industry-led networking opportunities, designed to facilitate relationships and collaborations between filmmakers across Asia Pacific. Providing fertile creative ground for APSA nominees and guests to strengthen their connections, the program is open to all industry professionals, providing an unprecedented opportunity to meet and learn from filmmakers from right across the region. 

In 2021 the Forum will inspire new connections and models of filmmaking under the theme The Influence of Production on Story. This topic will be explored through a series panel discussion and interactive case studies. The forum will also feature in-conversations, screenings, roundtable discussions and one-on-one meetings and mentorships across Asia Pacific.

The Asia Pacific Screen Forum Steering Committee is crafting a diverse and accessible program with industry at its core. Facilitated by Tracey Vieira, Chair of the APSA Academy and Chief Content Officer of Emmy™ Award production house Hoodlum the Committee is comprised of Loani Arman (Australia), Jo Dillon (Australia), Stephen Jenner (Singapore), Bali Padda (Australia), Bina Paul (India), Debra Richards (Australia), Bain Stewart (Australia), Pearl Tan (Australia), Lorna Tee (Malaysia), Herman Van Eyken (Australia), Jaclyn McLendon (Australia).

 

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:  

Cathy Gallagher + 61 (0) 416 227 282 / [email protected]

Georgina Stegman +61 (0) 415 622 213 / [email protected]

 

MATERIALS FOR MEDIA: 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gy8n2d0jc675w4p/AADsSV5TvqFVmoFD7AXETlJHa?dl=0

Clips available on request

 

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#APSA2021