And the APSA goes to . . . .

Out of 31 films, representing 15 countries and territories, it was China's highest grossing film of all time that shocked judges at the 4th annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards last night. Chinese film Aftershock (above) took out two of the major categories including Best Feature Film and Best Performance By Actor for Chen Daoming at the awards ceremony at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. Academy-Award winning producer Lord David Puttnam (Chariots Of Fire, The Killing Fields) was the President of the International Jury for 2010 and said Aftershock was the standout film.
``Ultimately Aftershock won best film because, in my own view, it has everything,'' he said.
``It is as good a `big' movie as any I've seen from Hollywood in years.
``It doesn't disappoint at any level.
``It has already attracted a huge audience and it has every chance of going on to capture a bigger international audience.
``It is incredibly moving and, at the same time, it is really an extraordinarily restrained film and it ends beautifully.''


Aftershock is China's official entry for the 2011 Academy Awards and Puttnam said it, along with several other APSA-nominated films, have good chances in the foreign film category. Another big winner on the night was Korean film Poetry, which won an Achievement In Directing award for Lee Chang-dong and Best Performance By Actress for Yun Jung-hee. Writer/Director Samuel Maoz took out the Screen International Jury Grand Prize for his film Lebanon (below) and the Israeli, French and German co-production also won Best Screenplay.

One of the big upsets was New Zealand favourite Boy losing the Best Children's Film category to Iranian film The Other. Boy's Oscar-nominated producer Ainsley Gardiner attended the event with 13-year-old star of the film, James Rolleston, who wore his signature `jandles' with a tuxedo. Gardiner said although they lost, she said loved the `quality of the films we were up against.'

For my video of the vent click HERE and the full list of winners is below:

BEST FEATURE FILM
Aftershock
People's Republic of China
Produced by Guo Yanhong, Han Sanping, Wang Zhonjun, Peter Lam Kin Ngok, Wang Tonguan and Albert Yeung.

SCREEN INTERNATIONAL JURY GRAND PRIZE
Actress Shinobu Terajima for Caterpillar
Japan
Writer/Director Samuel Maoz for Lebanon
Israel / France / Germany

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Lee Chang-dong for Shi Poetry
Republic of Korea

BEST PERFORMANCE BY ACTRESS
Yun Jung-hee for Poetry
Republic of Korea

BEST PERFORMANCE BY ACTOR
Chen Daoming for Aftershock
People's Republic of China

BEST SCREENPLAY
Samuel Maoz for Lebanon
Israel / France / Germany

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sudhir Palsane for The Well
India

BEST CHILDREN'S FEATURE FILM
The Other
Islamic Republic of Iran
Produced by Mohammad Ali Najafi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Piercing I
People's Republic of China
Produced by Lynne Wang

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Last Train Home
People's Republic of China / Canada
Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross.
Co-Produced by Bob Moore

FIAPF AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM
Christine Hakim

UNESCO AWARD
Honey
Turkey / Germany
Written and directed by Semih Kaplanoglu

HIGH COMMENDATION
High Commendation for Performance by an Actor
Tony Barry for Home By Christmas
High Commendation for Outstanding Technology and Special Effects
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole