Emile Sherman (Centre)
Brisbane, Australia: The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) today announced the winners of two major prizes for 2014 ahead of the 8th APSA ceremony on 11 December.
- APSA and the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) today announced Australian producer Emile Sherman as the 2014 recipient of the FIAPF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia Pacific region.
- APSA and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) supported by Griffith Film School, Griffith University announced Iranian writer/producer/director Reza Dormishian as the 2014 recipient of the APSA Academy NETPAC Development Prize for his second feature film Asabani Nistam! (I’m Not Angry).
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said today it was an honour to announce the recipients of these awards, representing filmmakers at two very different ends of the spectrum.
“Australian producer Emile Sherman receives his award having enjoyed outstanding achievement for a career body of work, while Iranian Reza Dormishian is an emerging filmmaker deserving of support and investment in the development of his next story,” Cr Quirk said.
The Lord Mayor will welcome Sherman and Dormishian to Brisbane next month to accept their awards and be inducted into the prestigious APSA Academy, a growing body of the region’s most influential names in film.
This year, the eighth for APSA, 36 films from 21 Asia Pacific countries and areas are vying for the region’s highest accolade in film. Over 250 films were considered in competition from 42 countries.
APSA, proudly presented by Treasury Casino and Hotel, is supported by Brisbane City Council and managed by economic development board Brisbane Marketing in a unique collaboration with Paris-based UNESCO and FIAPF. The awards recognise and promote cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the world’s fastest-growing film region: comprising 70 countries and areas, 4.5 billion people, and responsible for half of the world’s film output.
2014 APSA FIAPF AWARD – EMILE SHERMAN
The second Australian producer ever to win the Best Feature Film Academy Award (The King’s Speech), producer of the first Australian/Israeli co-production ($9.99) and a local producer with a truly international outlook, Emile Sherman is one of the most highly renowned and prolific producers working in the Australian film industry today. In only a short period of time, Sherman has created a diverse and acclaimed body of work that has had an enormous impact on the industry.
FIAPF President Luis Alberto Scalella said: “Taking creative and financial risks has always been one of the core missions of the film producer. Australian producer Emile Sherman impressively demonstrates these characteristics. Having been strongly involved in several international productions met by great critical acclaim and global audiences (The King’s Speech, Shame), Sherman is also deeply committed to producing films and television series with a strong connection with Pacific culture, including the recently acclaimed Top of the Lake. We are proud to celebrate Emile Sherman – and through him the entire Australian film community – at the 2014 APSA Ceremony where the FIAPF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia Pacific region will be presented to him.”
Previous winners of the APSA FIAPF Award are:
2007 Dr George Miller (Australia)
2008 Yash Chopra (India)
2009 Isao Matsuoka (Japan)
2010 Christine Hakim (Indonesia)
2011 Zhang Yimou (People’s Republic of China)
2012 Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japan)
2013 Lee Choon-yun (Republic of Korea)
FIAPF is the only existing global trade organisation dedicated to the defence and promotion of the legal, economic and creative interests of film and audiovisual producers throughout the world. FIAPF members are 32 national producers’ organisations from 28 countries across the globe, from the Asia Pacific, Africa, North America, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East.
The combined creative output of the production companies in FIAPF’s member organisations represents the majority of all theatrical feature films made each year in the world, and a fast-growing proportion of all television programming. FIAPF has been a foundation partner of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards since its inaugural staging.
2014 APSA Academy NETPAC Development Prize – Reza Dormishian
An award for emerging talent, the APSA Academy NETPAC Development Prize of USD$10,000, proudly supported by the Griffith Film School, Griffith University, is awarded to a first or second-time feature filmmaker in the narrative feature competition.
The prize is awarded by the 2014 APSA NETPAC Jury, which in 2014 is Professor Hong-Joon Kim (Republic of Korea), Mohammad Atebbai (Islamic Republic of Iran) and Wang Qun (People’s Republic of China). The NETPAC Jury each year is comprised of select NETPAC members of the APSA International Nominations Council.
The NETPAC Jury cited Reza Dormishian’s Asabani Nistam! (I’m Not Angry!) as “a stunning and heart-breaking love story, with convincing characters and settings, proving the talented filmmaker’s ability to control all aspects of his film, the image, performances and even editing for a maximum effect”.
Asabani Nistam! (I’m Not Angry) is nominated for two APSAs, Reza Dormishian is nominated for Best Feature Film and Navid Mohammadzadeh is nominated for Best Performance by an Actor.
Previous recipients of the APSA Academy NETPAC Development Prize are:
2009 Baek Seung-bin for Jang-rye-sik-ui (Members of the Funeral), Republic of Korea
2010 Park Chan-ok for Paju, Republic of Korea
2011 Sheron Dayoc for Halaw (Ways of the Sea), Philippines
2012 Marlon Rivera for Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (The Woman in the Septic Tank), Philippines
2013 Adilkhan Yerzhanov for Stroiteli (Constructors), Kazakhstan
The 2014 Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony will be held in Brisbane’s historic City Hall on Thursday 11 December, with nominees and industry luminaries in attendance.
View the full list of 2014 APSA nominees below and at:
http://www.asiapacificscreenacademy.com/the-awards/2014-nominees/