Australian films Scarygirl and Blueback are vying for Best Film in their categories at the biggest international film awards to be held in Australia.
Winners in the Asia Pacific Screen Awards will be announced on November 3 at Gold Coast’s HOTA (Home of the Arts), on the traditional land of the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region. The unique APSA awards celebrate the screen storytelling and rich cultural diversity of the region’s 78 countries and areas, representing a third of the earth and half the world’s film.
Both stories of girls with a deep connection to the ocean and the drive to preserve the precious natural environment, the films are nominated for different awards.
Australia’s Scarygirl features an exceptional voice cast including Jillian Nguyen, Sam Neill, Tim Minchin, Dylan Alcott and Deborah Mailman, in an animation feature about a young girl, Arkie, with one tentacle arm, who must leave the safety of her home to travel to a mysterious city of light to save her Octopus father from a powerful scientist, and prevent the destruction of her planet.
Based on Australian artist Nathan Jurevicius’ popular graphic novels, Scarygirl is directed by Ricard Cussó, co-directed by Tania Vincent and produced by Sophie Byrne, Kristen Souvlis, Nadine Bates and Ryan Greaves.
Scarygirl is in the running for APSA Best Animated Film where it is up against Deep Sea (Shen hai, People’s Republic of China), The First Slam Dunk(Japan), The Siren (La Sirène; France, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium) and Suzume (Suzume no Tojimari, Japan).
Scarygirl producer Sophie Byrne said “What an honour it is to have our film recognised by the prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and to be selected from a large pool of world class animated feature films. Scarygirl is the product of years of dedication from a small team of like-minded creatives and individuals: From my co-producers at Like A Photon Creative, our directors, our talented diverse voice cast, all crew, distributors, financiers and ultimately Scarygirl’s creator and production designer, Nathan Jurevicius, whose distinct and unique vision has resulted in the creation of a truly ‘one of a kind’ Australian animated feature film. “
Scarygirl releases nationally in Australia on October 26 through Madman Films.
Released in Australia earlier this year, Blueback is based on the novel by Tim Winton and stars Mia Wasikowska, Radha Mitchell, Eric Bana and a giant blue groper. Blueback was filmed in the spectacular natural landscapes and marine worlds of Western Australia’s Bremer Bay and UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef.
Nominated for APSA Best Youth Film, Blueback competes with nominees from across the region: Bauryna Salu (Kazakhstan), A House in Jerusalem(Palestine, United Kingdom, Qatar, Netherlands, Germany), Monster (Kaibutsu, Japan) and Tiger Stripes (Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, France, Germany, Netherlands, Indonesia, Qatar).
Produced by James Grandison, Robert Connolly and Liz Kearney, and directed by Robert Connolly, the film has garnered the second APSA nomination for Robert Connolly, 10 years after his APSA Best Film nomination for The Turning in 2013, and the second nomination for Liz Kearney who was nominated in the same category last year with Sweet As.
Blueback director and producer Robert Connolly said “We are delighted to be nominated by the APSA Awards for Blueback, excited to be part of the community of films and filmmakers that the awards continue to champion throughout the Asia Pacific, and looking forward to joining this important celebration of diverse storytelling and cinema.”
Winners are determined by the APSA Youth, Animation, Documentary International Jury composed of Taiwan filmmaker Midi Z (Chair), Indian filmmaker Rima Das, and acclaimed documentary maker Hikaru Toda (Japan).
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy today announced the full list of nominations and the first two winners for the 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA). Blueback and Scarygirl are among 32 films from 17 Asia Pacific countries and areas to be nominated.
The five films in the running for the prestigious APSA Best Film Award are the two Japanese films Evil Does Not Exist (Aku Wa Sonzai Shinai) and Perfect Days, Snow Leopard (Xue bao) from the People’s Republic of China, the Georgian story Citizen Saint (Mokalake Tsmindani) and Qas fromKazakhstan.
At this unique event, dedicated to celebrating culture through screen stories, the winner of the 16th APSA Cultural Diversity Award is Rapture(Rimdogittanga), directed by Dominic Megam Sangma. A rare co-production between India and China, this Garo-language story explores the politics of fear in a north-east Indian village, where the community fears kidnapping and the church prophesises a period of apocalyptic darkness.
In 2023, the APSA Young Cinema Award goes to director Phạm Thiên Ân for his feature debut Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng), a Vietnamese-language film journeying from urban to rural Vietnam to reunite a grieving family. This award, given in partnership with NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) and Griffith Film School, recognises the abundant emerging talent of the Asia Pacific.
32 films from 17 Asia Pacific countries and areas are nominated in the 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, with films from Japan receiving 11 nominations and films from the People’s Republic of China receiving 9 nominations.
The film with the most nominations for the 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, with a total of four, is Evil Does Not Exist (Aku Wa Sonzai Shinai), from Japanese writer-director and previous APSA Best Film winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car). It is nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography (Yoshio Kitagawa).
With three nominations including Best Film is the late Pema Tseden’s Snow Leopard (Xue bao, People’s Republic of China), which sees Pema Tseden nominated for Best Screenplay and Jinpa nominated for Best Performance.
Chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy Tracey Vieira said: “APSA would like to congratulate the first winners and all nominees for the 16th edition of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. As the region’s film industry flourishes, it is significant that almost half of the nominations this year go to first or second time filmmakers, who are vying for the awards alongside some of the most celebrated filmmakers of our time. APSA would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the sad loss of two highly accoladed filmmakers, Pema Tseden and Ryuichi Sakamoto, APSA winners whose last works are nominated this year, and whose stories live on in their films, cherished around the world.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said: “An internationally spectacular event like no other, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards is set to shine at HOTA this November. The 16th edition of APSA to take place on the Gold Coast will revel in uniting the best of the best from the world of Asia Pacific cinema for a memorable night.”
Major Partner Screen Queensland CEO, Jacqui Feeney said: “Screen Queensland is incredibly proud to host the 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards and we heartily congratulate the first winners and all the nominees. It’s wonderful to see two Australian-made films recognised in this year’s award nominations, including locally made Scarygirl, which was supported by Screen Queensland. APSA has always been an event that brings talented filmmakers from across our vast region to Queensland to celebrate their work. Of equal importance, the Asia Pacific Screen Forum offers the chance to connect, to learn from each other and to help our respective industries strengthen, grow and diversify. We look forward to welcoming all guests from across the Asia Pacific this November.”
Nominations are determined by the APSA Nominations Councils. In 2023 the APSA International Nominations Council is composed of Bina Paul (India) – Chair, Anderson Le (United States), Delphine Garde-Mroueh (France), Gulnara Abikeyeva (Kazakhstan), John Badalu (Indonesia), Kiki Fung (Hong Kong) and Yoshi Yatabe (Japan). On the 2023 APSA Youth, Animation, Documentary International Nominations Council are Faramarz K-Rahber (Australia) – Chair, Carl Joseph Papa (Philippines) and Zoe Sua Cho (New Zealand, Republic of Korea).
Running concurrently from 1 – 4 November, the 5th Asia Pacific Screen Forum is a unique programme for the screen industry, encouraging relationship-building networking opportunities, as well as cultural and knowledge exchange both from within Australia and across the Asia Pacific. It features in-conversations, workshops, panel discussions and intimate roundtables with a public programme of screenings and Q&As.
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Forum are presented by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy with the support of major partners the City of Gold Coast, Screen Queensland, the Motion Picture Association and Griffith Film School, Griffith University.
APSA acknowledges and celebrates its founding partnership with FIAPF – International Federation of Film Producers Associations.
The 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Red Carpet and Ceremony will take place Friday 3 November at Home of the Arts (HOTA) on the Gold Coast, Australia, on the traditional land of the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
See below for the complete list of nominations, winners and juries.
APSA nominated films with Australian distributors are: Evil Does Not Exist (Hi Gloss), Blueback (Roadshow Films); Past Lives (Studio Canal); Suzume (Crunchyroll/Sony); Riceboy Sleeps (Icon Film Distribution); Scarygirl, Beyond Utopia, Perfect Days, Monster and Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV (Madman); Inshallah a Boy (Palace Films); and The First Slam Dunk (Sugoi Co).
Tickets are on sale for the full Forum and the 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony: https://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com
