Two films directed by women, Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light and Dea Kulumbegashvili’s April, have emerged as the top contenders at this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA). Both films received five nominations, including best film, best director, best screenplay, best cinematography, and best performance, according to the announcement on Wednesday.
Joining them in the best film category are three other contenders: Yoko Yamanaka’s Desert of Namibia, a Japanese film that explores a young woman’s struggle with mental illness in Tokyo; Happyend, a co-production between Japan and the U.S. by Neo Sora, depicting a futuristic Tokyo under intense social surveillance; and To Kill a Mongolian Horse by Jiang Xiaoxuan, a true story about a Mongolian horseman turned performer. This film represents a collaboration between Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the U.S.
A notable trend this year is that four of the five films nominated for best film are directed by women. Additionally, all five best film nominees are either debut or second feature films, marking a first in APSA’s history.
Veteran And Emerging Directors Among Best Director Nominees
Alongside Kapadia, Kulumbegashvili, and Jiang, the best director nominees include Tato Kotetishvili for Holy Electricity and seasoned French-Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh for Meeting with Pol Pot.
Women Dominate Best Performance Nominations
For the first time since APSA introduced an ungendered best performance category, all five nominees are women. They include India’s Kani Kusruti (All We Imagine as Light), Georgia’s Ia Sukhitashvili (April), Japan’s Yuumi Kawai (Desert of Namibia), Kazakh actress Madina Akylbekova (Madina), and Iranian performer Soheila Golestani (The Seed of the Sacred Fig).
“In 2024, two-thirds of our nominated films are debut or second films, showcasing the exceptional talent of the next generation of Asia Pacific filmmakers and the unique stories they bring to life,” said APSA chair Tracey Vieira.
Awards Ceremony Set for Nov. 30
The awards ceremony will take place on Nov. 30 at the Gold Coast, Queensland, following the four-day Asia Pacific Screen Forum (Nov. 27-30). During the event, four recipients of the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund grants, each valued at $25,000 and fully funded by the Motion Picture Association, Asia Pacific, will also be announced.
APSA 2024 Nominees
Best Film
- All We Imagine as Light
- April
- Desert of Namibia
- Happyend
- To Kill a Mongolian Horse
Best Youth Film
- Boong (India)Magic
- Beach (Australia)
- She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones (aka Kai Shi De Qiang) (China)
- Sunshine (Philippines)
- The Mountain (New Zealand)
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