Press release from APSA
Alicia Mayer Beverley today announces her resignation as vice patron of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSAs). As such, her involvement with the regional film awards concluded with the fifth annual APSAs held last November, 2011.
Ms Mayer Beverley was appointed in 2008 by the chairman of the APSAs, Des Power.
In her role as vice patron, Ms Mayer Beverley, in conjunction with patron and legendary Australian actor Jack Thompson, inducted APSA nominees into the Academy in an event held prior to the gala awards night each year.
“I had the honour and the pleasure of presiding over four years of APSA induction ceremonies with Jack, which included meeting some of the world’s most talented filmmakers,” said Ms Mayer Beverley who is based in Sydney, Australia. “It was also thrilling to watch the growth and impact of these regional Awards, especially as my Uncle Louis B. Mayer had founded the Academy Awards over eight decades ago.
“You’ve got to start somewhere and the APSAs at just a few years old have enjoyed the involvement of some very high profile jury presidents, such as Bruce Beresford, Huang Jianxin, Nansun Shi and Lord David Puttnam.”
APSA Academy inductees have included this year’s Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, director of A Separation, and Warwick Thornton, director of 2009’s Australian box office success Samson and Delilah, a winner of the Cannes’ Camera D'Or award.
“Each year the APSAs gave me a unique opportunity to spend time with filmmakers whose sheer grit and determination to make films on their terms, sometimes under desperate conditions, was incredibly inspiring.
“I wish the APSA team every success with the sixth annual awards,” said Ms Mayer Beverley.