Queensland’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) has closed the doors on this year’s nominations, but not before a record 230 titles threw their hats in the ring.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall Past Lives
This year’s usual Kiwi suspects of Boy and Home By Christmas are both in the running at this stage.
Other high-profile entries include Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Cannes winner and foreign-language Oscar-nominee Uncle Boonmee, box-office record-breakers from China and India: Feng Xiaogang’s Aftershock and 3 Idiots. The yet-to-be-seen Legends of the Guardians: Owls of Ga’Hoole, the first 3D animated feature out of Australia, is also in contention.
Several submissions come from previous nominees, including Koreans Lee Chang-dong and Hong Sang-soo. Lee’s Poetry and Hong’s Un Certain Regard winner Hahaha both screened at the NZ Film Festival this year.
The APSA virgins this year will be Fiji and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).
The advisory committee has now begun the selection process. In October, up to five finalists will be announced for each of the nine categories. Final judging will be completed by the jury headed by SPADA keynote speaker Lord David Puttnam. The awards ceremony takes place 2 December on the Gold Coast.
