2017 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund Recipient

Academy Award® nominatee and Emmy Award winner Guy Davidi has been directing, shooting and editing since the age of 16. He was inducted into the APSA Academy in 2012 for his film Five Broken Cameras which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film. After moving to Copenhagen, Davidi started working with Copenhagen-based production company, Danish Documentary, that will produce his upcoming feature documentary Senseless, which was awarded a development grant.

“Senseless is a hard-hitting insider’s view and critique of the Israeli army, providing a very important questioning of militarism that is of universal relevance. This essay film by a former Israeli soldier discusses the ethical dilemmas faced by many soldiers worldwide, facing the gap between morals and the practice and survival of combat.”

Rajit Kapur is a multi-award winning Indian actor recognised for his extensive work in film, television and on stage. He was a member of the APSA International Jury in 2014 and was subsequently inducted into the APSA Academy. He was a development grant recipient for the project Paradise in  Flames which was submitted in conjunction with writer/director Suman Mukhopadhyay.

“A mental health doctor with 45 thousand registered patients responds to the devastation of warfare in Kashmir.  With unexpected elements of magical realism, Paradise in Flames is an innovative and hard-hitting drama by Indian director, Suman Mukhopadhyay, and offers a unique insight into the psychological damage of combat.”

Robert Connolly has won AFI/AACTA awards for The Bank, Three Dollars, Balibo, Romulus, My Father and Paper Planes. As a director, he has screened his films in over thirty major international film festivals including the Berlin, Toronto and San Sebastian.  He was inducted into the APSA Academy in 2013 for producing The Turning which was nominated for Best Feature Film and was a development grant recipient for his animation project Magic Beach.

“An extraordinary assembly of some of Australia’s finest screen animators, providing a refreshing discovery of the wondrous natural life of the sea shore, seen through the eyes of children.. Magic Beach is a superb project from one of Australia’s most adventurous producers working with a beloved book.”

Vladimer Katcharava has been involved with the 2015 Sundance ScriptLab, the 2012 Producers on the Move (Cannes), 2011 EAVE, 2010 East  European Film  Alliance, and 2010 Berlinale Talent  Campus. He was inducted into the APSA Academy in 2017 for producing Dede which won the Cultural Diversity Award, under the patronage of UNESCO. He was a development grant recipient through his drama project Nene.

“Nene is a personal case study that addresses a universal issue in society today. The lack of control of violence by those in power who are assigned to keep the peace.”