Georgia's 'Guria' Wins Top Prize at Asia Pacific Screen Awards — SkimNews
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- Levan Koguashvili's 'Guria' won best film at the 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards on October 30, produced across seven countries including Georgia, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia.
- Sompot Chidgasornpongse received best director for '9 Temples to Heaven,' a multinational co-production involving Thailand, Singapore, France, and China, among others.
- Bobby Bedi was awarded the FIAPF Award for outstanding contribution to Asia Pacific cinema, recognized for landmark films like 'Bandit Queen' and 'Fire.'
- Haziqah Azemi won the Forum Filmmaker Award for her project 'Garek,' a Malaysian story about religious persecution following an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
- Five projects were selected for the 2026 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, each receiving a $10,000 grant, including Payal Kapadia’s 'A Memory of Being Here' from India and Taifeng Liu’s 'A Place in the Sun' from China.
- Pushpa Thing Lama won best performance for 'Elephants in the Fog,' and South Korea’s Sim Su-bin was named best new performer for 'The World Before.'
Why it matters: The geographic and thematic diversity of winners—spanning 32 countries and tackling issues from religious persecution to refugee life—shows a growing platform for underrepresented voices in Asian and Pacific cinema, with tangible support through grants and global recognition that can shape future production opportunities.
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