Winners of young cinema, best new performer & cultural diversity awards announced ahead of 17th asia pacific screen awards ceremony.
Australia’s Gold Coast: The Asia Pacific Screen Academy, together with strategic partner Jewel Private Residences, today announced the winners of three special awards ahead of the 17th APSA Ceremony on Saturday 30 November at The Langham, Gold Coast, with all three awards presented by the soon to launch Top 51 World Filmmakers Club.
Georgia’s Data Chachua has been named Best New Performer for Panopticon, US/Japan’s Neo Sora is the recipient of the APSA Young Cinema Award in partnership with NETPAC for Happyend and Nepali director Min Bahadur Bham’s Shambhala is the Cultural Diversity Award winner.
To be presented to winners on the night, the three special awards celebrate cinematic excellence, support emerging practitioners and foster the promotion and protection of cultural diversity. Reflecting the core values of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, this focus is shared by the Top 51 World Filmmakers Club, creating a natural fit for these three awards to be presented in partnership.
Winners will be inducted into the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, the powerful network that unites the filmmakers of the Asia Pacific and beyond, and will become the first members of the Top 51 World Filmmakers Club when it is launched in 2025.
Chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy Tracey Vieira said, “The Asia Pacific Screen Academy unites Asia Pacific filmmakers, celebrates the universal, honours the unique, and fosters understanding through storytelling. Congratulations to today’s three award winners, chosen by our esteemed APSA International Nominations Council.”
Chair of the Top 51 World Filmmakers Club and APSA Academy member Cliff Curtis said, “Many years ago, as an emerging producer, I was struck by APSA’s mission to celebrate the uniqueness and importance of cultural origin through the lens of moviemaking excellence. Throughout my career as both a producer and performer, I have been personally aware of the profile and opportunities an APSA acknowledgement can bring.
“The Top 51 World Filmmakers Club aims to create opportunities for networking, pathways to collaboration and connection, and, importantly, support for emerging filmmakers and storytellers. This is why we are so thrilled to sponsor these particular award categories, and I look forward to connecting with Neo Sora, Min Bahadur Bham and Data Chachua during the APSA events later this month at Jewel Private Residences and The Langham, Gold Coast.”
Top 51 World Filmmakers Club Young Cinema Award in partnership with NETPAC is presented to an impressive first or second time feature director in recognition of the abundant emerging talent of the Asia Pacific. Neo Sora’s Happyend (Japan, United States of America) is a Best Film nominee at the 17th APSAs, with Neo Sora also nominated for Best Screenplay. Happyend world premiered in the Orizzonti Competition at the Venice International Film Festival before being presented as a Centrepiece at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Neo Sora will participate in the Asia Pacific Screen Forum event Aruna Vasudev Series: Creative Voices of the Asia Pacific (Thursday 28 Nov).
Neo Sora said, “I am so excited that Happyend has received the Young Cinema Award from Asia Pacific Screen Awards and Top 51 World Filmmakers Club. I was extremely surprised but I am so happy because this is my first feature film, and I can’t wait to celebrate with everybody at the Awards ceremony.”
Top 51 World Filmmakers Club Best New Performer recognises an exceptional debut or sophomore performance in a feature film. Georgian coming-of-age drama Panopticon, written and directed by George Sikharulidze, world premiered in competition for the Crystal Globe at the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival, winning the Award of the Ecumenical Jury. Data Chachua’s performance as an introverted teen who is drawn into the world of a right-wing radical friend and his mother has been hailed as a triumphant feature film debut for the actor previously known for his stage and television appearances.
Data Chachua said, “To receive this award is a validation of all the hard work that I put into this film, and encouragement to work harder in the future. Thanks to everyone who worked on this film and I look forward to celebrating together on the Gold Coast.”
Top 51 World Filmmakers Club Cultural Diversity Award, known as one of APSA’s most significant awards, acknowledges cinematic excellence and outstanding contribution of the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity through film.
Nepali director and producer Min Bahadur Bham’s Shambhala (Nepal, France, Norway, Hong Kong, Türkiye, Taiwan, United States of America, Qatar) was shot in one of the highest human settlements on the planet, the Upper Dolpo region of the Himalayas between Nepal and Tibet. The award marks the first Nepali film to be awarded at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards after making history as Nepal’s first film in the Berlinale Competition section. In a Himalayan polyandrous village, pregnant Pema faces scrutiny when her husband vanishes. With her monk brother-in-law, her de facto spouse, she seeks her husband in the wild, unravelling her own self-discovery along the journey.
Min Bahadur Bham will feature in two events at the Asia Pacific Screen Forum: Cultural Preservation through Film Panel (Thursday 28 Nov) & Connect: The Human Side of Coproduction – case study on Shambhala (Friday 29 Nov).
Min Bahadur Bham said “I am truly honoured to receive this Cultural Diversity Award. This award means so much to me. It reflects the beauty of our differences and the strength in embracing them. Connected to my roots in Nepal, I truly believe our stories are vital for understanding each other. This award celebrates the rich tapestry of voices in our world.”