International cinema celebrated a wide array of cross-border artistic achievements as the 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards concluded on October 30 at The Star Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Georgian director Levan Koguashvili took home the evening's premier trophy, Best Film, for his multinational project "Guria." Produced across seven territories—Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Norway, and Saudi Arabia—the film saw Koguashvili share the honor alongside fellow producers Olena Yershova and Boris Frumin.
The annual ceremony highlighted 36 nominated titles representing 32 countries and regions across the Asia-Pacific territory. Tracey Vieira, chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, emphasized the importance of the gathering, remarking that the honored projects showcase the remarkable narratives emerging throughout the territory while creating pathways for filmmakers to gain vital international visibility.
Selected 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Winners
| Award Category | Winner | Title | Country / Territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Film | Levan Koguashvili, Olena Yershova, Boris Frumin | Guria | Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Norway, Saudi Arabia |
| Best Director | Sompot Chidgasornpongse | 9 Temples to Heaven | Thailand, Singapore, France, Norway, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Qatar |
| Jury Grand Prize | Shahrbanoo Sadat | No Good Men | Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Afghanistan |
| Best Performance | Pushpa Thing Lama | Elephants in the Fog | Nepal, Germany, Brazil, France, Norway |
| Best New Performer | Sim Su-bin | The World Before | South Korea |
| Best Screenplay | Rakan Mayasi, Wahid Ajmi, Pôl Seif | Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep | Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia |
| Best Cinematography | Nguyễn Vinh Phúc | Hearing | Vietnam, Singapore, Norway, France, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan |
| Best Animated Film | Ervin Han, Raúl García | The Violinist | Singapore, Spain, Italy |
| Best Documentary Film | Itab Azzam, Jack MacInness | One in a Million | U.K., U.S. |
| Best Youth Film | Paloma Schneideman | Big Girls Don’t Cry | New Zealand |
| Cultural Diversity Award | Isabelle Kalandar | Another Birth | Tajikistan, U.S., Qatar |
| FIAPF Award | Bobby Bedi | Career Achievement | India |
Directing and Acting Honors Span the Region
Directorial accolades were highlighted by Thai filmmaker Sompot Chidgasornpongse, who earned the Best Director prize for "9 Temples to Heaven." The film stands as an extensive multinational co-production involving Thailand, Singapore, France, Norway, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Qatar. Myanmar's Aung Phyoe also received recognition in the directing category, securing a special mention for "Fruit Gathering." The Jury Grand Prize went to Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat for "No Good Men."
In the acting fields, Pushpa Thing Lama of Nepal won Best Performance for "Elephants in the Fog," while South Korean actress Sim Su-bin secured the Best New Performer award for her turn in "The World Before." Technical and writing prizes demonstrated similar geographic breadth: the Best Screenplay award was presented to Rakan Mayasi, Wahid Ajmi, and Pôl Seif for "Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep," and Vietnamese cinematographer Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won Best Cinematography for "Hearing."
Specialty Categories and Career Achievements
Distinct cinematic forms were acknowledged throughout the ceremony, starting with the Best Animated Film prize awarded to "The Violinist," directed jointly by Singapore's Ervin Han and Spain's Raúl García. Best Documentary Film went to "One in a Million," an examination of the life of a Syrian refugee directed by Itab Azzam and Jack MacInness. New Zealand's Paloma Schneideman received Best Youth Film for "Big Girls Don’t Cry."
Cultural and emerging talent initiatives were central to the evening's recognitions. Isabelle Kalandar captured the Cultural Diversity Award for directing and producing "Another Birth." India's R. Gowtham claimed the Young Cinema Award, presented in partnership with NETPAC, for "Members of the Problematic Family." Additionally, Malaysian filmmaker Haziqah Azemi received the Forum Filmmaker Award for her project "Garek," which explores religious persecution after an unmarried pregnancy; Azemi had previously developed the work through the Griffith Film School and APSA Regional Reels initiative under the mentorship of Yulia Evina Bhara.
Veteran Indian producer Bobby Bedi received the prestigious FIAPF Award for his career contributions to cinema across the Asia Pacific. FIAPF President Luis Alberto Scalella pointed to Bedi's enduring influence, praising his work on seminal releases like "Bandit Queen" and "Fire" for challenging international audiences.
Development Grants and Academy Expansion
The event also highlighted the next wave of regional cinema by revealing five selections for the 2026 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund. Fully funded by the Motion Picture Association, each selected project receives a $10,000 production development grant. The recipients include Payal Kapadia's "A Memory of Being Here" (India), Davy Chou's "My Father’s Glory" (France, Cambodia), Taifeng Liu's "A Place in the Sun" (China), Nicole Midori Woodford's "Incarnation" (Singapore, Japan), and Zhanana Kurmasheva's documentary "The Story of My Shirt" (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Chile).
Three of the five fund recipients are helmed by women. Producer Anthony Chen, attached to Woodford's "Incarnation," returned to the fund after previously backing 2023 grant recipient "We Are All Strangers." Urmila Venugopalan, MPA president and managing director for the Asia Pacific, noted that past grant recipients—including Best Director winner "9 Temples to Heaven," supported in 2021—demonstrate the critical value of backing regional storytellers in their development stages.
With all 2026 nominees, council members, and jurors officially inducted, the APSA Academy—led by veteran Australian actor Jack Thompson—now totals over 1,816 screen professionals representing 84 countries and territories worldwide.
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Source: Variety
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