Russian film Leviathan has taken out the award for Best Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards held in Brisbane last night.
Producer by Alexander Rodnyansky and Sergey Melkumov, and co-produced by Marianna Sardarova, Leviathan follows the plight of a man who is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. It was directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev.
The APSA Award for directing went to Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan for his work on the film Winter Sleep, which has also been awarded a Palme d’Or. Though he was unable to attend the ceremony, his award was accepted by his long time producing partner Zeynep Özbatur Atakan.
New Zealand actor Chris Curtis took home the gong for Best Performance by an Actor for his role in The Dark Horse, while Australia’s David Gulpilil received a special mention for his role in Charlie’s Country.
Lü Zhong was awarded Best Performance by an Actress for her work in Red Amnesia (People’s Republic of China), while Iranian actress Merila Zareie received a special mention for her role in Track 143.
“This evening’s winners have displayed cinematic excellence through their films and they should be congratulated on their achievements,” said Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said.
“The Asia Pacific Screen Awards are a unique testament to the vibrancy, diversity and divergence of the Asia Pacific region. This year’s winners are from a total of nine different countries and areas of the vast Asia Pacific region.”
“The awards enrich Brisbane’s cultural relationship with our regional neighbours and strengthen our position in the Asia Pacific market.”
See the full list of award winners here