Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car triumphed this eve at the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The movie scooped best film, which Japanese filmmaker Hamaguchi shared with producer Teruhisa Yamamoto, and best screenplay, which the director shared with Oe Takamasa. Scroll down for the full list of winners on the night.
Further winners included Asghar Farhadi, who took Best Director for A Hero, and Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya, which win Best Documentary Feature Film.
Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, one to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Georgian actor Merab Ninidze for Alexey German Jr’s House Arrest, while Best Performance by an Actress went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana. Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won achievement in cinematography for Taste.
This was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s second screenplay APSA after Happy Hour in 2016. “I’m deeply honored that our film was selected not only for the Best Screenplay but also for the Best Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards,” said the filmmaker.
“I’d like to thank Mr. Haruki Murakami for his original work. Our film is based on his novel Drive My Car. We made many changes to the original, and Mr. Murakami let us write freely. We deeply appreciate Mr. Murakami’s decision to share his story with us. Also, I’d like to thank Mr. Takamasa Oe, our co-writer, for his advice and support. Without his presence and contribution, the screenplay would never be completed,” he added.
The five-member International Jury was comprised of: President, French/Vietnamese filmmaker Trần Anh Hùng, Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, Director of Sydney Film Festival Nashen Moodley (Australia), Indian photographer, screenwriter and filmmaker Sooni Taraporevala and President of Heaven Pictures and Director of China Film Foundation – Wu Tianming Film Fund for Young Talents, Janet Wu (People’s Republic of China).
Chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy Tracey Vieira commented: “The Asia Pacific Screen Academy remains fiercely committed to supporting and celebrating the screen industries of Asia Pacific, and I congratulate all the winners in the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and acknowledge the many extraordinary nominees whose work we honored here tonight.”
Full list of winners:
BEST FEATURE FILM
Drive My Car
Japan
Directed by Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI
Produced by Teruhisa YAMAMOTO
JURY GRAND PRIZE
Abdullah Mohammad SAAD for Rehana (Rehana Maryam Noor)
Bangladesh, Qatar, Singapore
Leah PURCELL for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson
Australia
BEST YOUTH FEATURE FILM
Moving On (Nam-mae-wui Yeo-reum-bam)
Republic of Korea
Directed by YOON Dan-bi
Produced by YOON Dan-bi, KIM Gi-hyeon
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
The Nose or The Conspiracy of Mavericks (Nos ili zagovor netakikh)
Russian Federation
Directed by Andrey KHRZHANOVSKY
Produced by Andrey KHRZHANOVSKY
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Sabaya
Sweden
Directed by Hogir HIRORI
Produced by Antonio RUSSO MERENDA, Hogir HIRORI
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Asghar FARHADI for A Hero (Ghahreman)
Islamic Republic of Iran, France
BEST SCREENPLAY
Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI, OE Takamasa for Drive My Car
Japan
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
NGUYỄN Vinh Phúc for Taste (Vị)
Vietnam, Singapore, France, Thailand, Germany
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Azmeri HAQUE BADHON for Rehana (Rehana Maryam Noor)
Bangladesh, Qatar, Singapore
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Merab NINIDZE for House Arrest (Delo)
Russian Federation
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARD UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF UNESCO
Children of the Sun (Gaadi)
Sri Lanka
Directed by Prasanna VITHANAGE
Produced by Sandya SALGADO, Alan MCALEX, Ajay RAI, H D PREMASIRI, Prasanna VITHANAGE
The Cultural Diversity Award under the patronage of UNESCO is awarded to a film that creatively utilises its medium to best exemplify the manifold ways in which a society’s cultural heritage and its artistic expressions are showcased.
YOUNG CINEMA AWARD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NETPAC AND GFS
LÊ Bảo for Taste (Vị)
Vietnam, Singapore, France, Thailand, Germany
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
Sergey Selyanov
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
Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL (Producer) for 9 Temples to Heaven
Thailand
Gutierrez MANGANSAKAN II (Writer, Director) for The Spellcaster of Tamontaca
Philippines
Rakhshan BANI-ETEMAD (Writer, Director, Producer) for Red Mist Descending
Islamic Republic of Iran
Dea KULUMBEGASHVILI (Writer, Director) for Historia
Georgia
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