Guria wins the Asia Pacific Screen Awards’ top film prize
Levan Koguashvili’s Guria took best film at the Gold Coast ceremony, where 36 nominated films represented 32 countries and regions. The seven-country production includes Türkiye. Other major winners included director Sompot Chidgasornpongse and filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, while five new projects received development grants at the same event.
Arts··Midday
Guria leads the Gold Coast winners
Guria, a film by Georgian director Levan Koguashvili, won best film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards on 30 October. The ceremony, held at The Star Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, was the awards’ 19th edition. Koguashvili shared the honour with producers Olena Yershova and Boris Frumin. The winning production involves Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Norway and Saudi Arabia. The nominated field contained 36 films from 32 countries and regions.[1], [2]
Directing and jury honours go to Thailand and Afghanistan
Thai filmmaker Sompot Chidgasornpongse received best director for 9 Temples to Heaven. Aung Phyoe, a director from Myanmar, earned a special mention for Fruit Gathering. Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat took the Jury Grand Prize with No Good Men. In the performance categories, Pushpa Thing Lama from Nepal won for Elephants in the Fog, and South Korea’s Sim Su-bin received best new performer for The World Before.[1]
Youth films, animation and documentaries also recognised
Paloma Schneideman’s Big Girls Don’t Cry won best youth film. The animation prize went to The Violinist, directed by Ervin Han and Raúl García. Documentary honours went to Itab Azzam and Jack MacInness for One in a Million, which follows the life of a Syrian refugee. Isabelle Kalandar’s Another Birth received the Cultural Diversity Award. The ceremony also announced development grants for five new film projects.[1]
