Guria, directed by Levan Koguashvili from Georgia, won the Best Film award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) held on the Gold Coast, Australia. The film’s producers, Olena Yershova, Koguashvili, and Boris Frumin, were honored for their international co-production efforts.
Best Director was awarded to Thai filmmaker Sompot Chidgasornpongse for his work on 9 Temples To Heaven. A Special Mention in the Best Director category was given to Myanmar’s Aung Phyoe for his film Fruit Gathering.
The Jury Grand Prize went to Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat for her film No Good Men, recognizing her compelling storytelling and contributions to contemporary Afghan cinema.
New Zealand’s Paloma Schneideman, along with producers Vicky Pope and Thomas Coppell, received the Best Youth Film award for Big Girls Don’t Cry. Best Animated Film was awarded to The Violinist, co-directed by Singapore’s Ervin Han and Spanish filmmaker Raúl García.
The Best Documentary Film prize was secured by filmmakers Itab Azzam and Jack MacInness for One In A Million, which explores the experiences of a Syrian refugee. Best Screenplay went to Rakan Mayasi, Wahid Ajmi, and Pôl Seif for Yesterday The Eye Didn’t Sleep, featuring a collaboration among Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Rising South Korean talent Sim Su-bin was honored with the Best New Performer award for her role in The World Before, while Nepalese performer Pushpa Thing Lama received Best Performance for Elephants In The Fog. Vietnamese cinematographer Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won Best Cinematography for Hearing, and the Cultural Diversity Award was presented to Another Birth, directed and produced by Isabelle Kalandar, a collaboration between Tajikistan, the U.S., and Qatar.
Tracey Vieira, chair of the APSA, commented on the significance of the awards, stating, “Tonight we celebrate an exceptional group of filmmakers whose work reflects the courage, creativity, and cultural richness of the Asia Pacific.” She highlighted the importance of recognizing these voices in the international film community.
A total of five filmmakers were also announced as recipients of the 2026 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, each receiving $10,000 in support. The recipients are Indian director Payal Kapadia and producer Thomas Hakim for A Memory Of Being Here; Cambodian-French director Davy Chou and producer Charlotte Vincent for My Father’s Glory; Chinese director Taifeng Liu and producer Janet Wu for A Place In The Sun; Singaporean director Nicole Midori Woodford and producer Anthony Chen for Incarnation; and Zhanana Kurmasheva and producer Banu Ramazanova for the documentary The Story Of My Shirt, a co-production involving Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and Chile.
