‘Guria’ Wins Best Film at 2026 Asia Pacific Screen Awards as Shahrbanoo Sadat Takes Jury Grand Prize
Thailand’s Sompot Chidgasornpongse wins Best Director for ‘9 Temples to Heaven’, while Indian producer Bobby Bedi receives the FIAPF Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film at the Gold Coast ceremony.
Georgian filmmaker Levan Koguashvili’s Guria has won Best Film at the 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), held at The Star Gold Coast on Friday night, October 30.
Thailand’s Sompot Chidgasornpongse was named Best Director for 9 Temples to Heaven, while acclaimed Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat received the Jury Grand Prize for No Good Men.
The awards celebrated filmmaking across one of the world’s most culturally diverse regions, with 36 nominated films representing 32 countries and regions.
The Best Film award for Guria recognised Koguashvili alongside producers Olena Yershova and Boris Frumin. The international co-production brings together partners from Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Norway and Saudi Arabia.
Chidgasornpongse’s Best Director win for 9 Temples to Heaven was another significant result for Asian cinema, with the Thai filmmaker recognised for a production involving eight countries and territories.
Myanmar filmmaker Aung Phyoe received a Special Mention for Best Director for Fruit Gathering.
Sadat’s Jury Grand Prize for No Good Men was among the evening’s major honours, recognising the Afghan filmmaker’s contribution to contemporary cinema.
The Germany-France-Norway-Denmark-Afghanistan co-production was one of five films nominated for Best Film.
New Zealand’s ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ Among Winners
New Zealand filmmaker Paloma Schneideman won Best Youth Film for Big Girls Don’t Cry, with producers Vicky Pope and Thomas Coppell also recognised.
The award was one of several highlighting emerging filmmaking talent and stories exploring youth, identity and the challenges of growing up.
Best Animated Film went to The Violinist, directed by Singaporean filmmaker Ervin Han and Spain’s Raúl García. The Singapore-Spain-Italy co-production was recognised for its creative collaboration and animation.
The Best Documentary Film award was presented to Itab Azzam and Jack MacInness for One in a Million, a United Kingdom-United States co-production exploring the experiences of a Syrian refugee.
In the performance categories, Nepalese actor Pushpa Thing Lama won Best Performance for Elephants in the Fog, while South Korea’s Sim Su-bin was named Best New Performer for The World Before.
The Best Screenplay award went to Rakan Mayasi, Wahid Ajmi and Pôl Seif for Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep, an international collaboration involving Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Vietnamese cinematographer Nguyễn Vinh Phúc received Best Cinematography for Hearing, while the Cultural Diversity Award went to Another Birth, directed and produced by Isabelle Kalandar.
Indian filmmaker R Gowtham received the Young Cinema Award, presented in partnership with NETPAC, for Members of the Problematic Family.
Bobby Bedi Honoured for Outstanding Contribution to Film
Indian producer Bobby Bedi received the FIAPF Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film in the Asia Pacific, recognising a career that has helped bring Indian cinema to international audiences.
Bedi’s producing credits include Bandit Queen and Fire, two films that challenged conventions and attracted international attention.
FIAPF president Luis Alberto Scalella praised Bedi’s creative achievements and his longstanding advocacy for independent filmmaking.
“Bobby Bedi’s career embodies the ambition, the independent and creative vision that this award celebrates,” Scalella said.
“Through landmark films such as Bandit Queen and Fire, he has championed powerful stories that have challenged audiences and resonated far beyond India.”
Scalella also acknowledged Bedi’s work representing producers internationally.
“This award also recognises Bobby Bedi’s steadfast commitment to the international community of producers,” he said.
“For more than two decades, he has brought his experience, conviction and generosity to our collective efforts to defend the conditions in which the film sector can thrive at national and global levels.”
Payal Kapadia Among Five Filmmakers Awarded Development Funding
The ceremony also announced the five recipients of the 2026 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, with each project receiving US$10,000 in development funding.
Among the recipients was acclaimed Indian director Payal Kapadia, whose project A Memory of Being Here, produced by Thomas Hakim, received support.
Cambodian-French director Davy Chou and producer Charlotte Vincent were awarded funding for My Father’s Glory.
Chinese director Taifeng Liu and producer Janet (Yan Yan) Wu received support for A Place in the Sun.
Director Nicole Midori Woodford and producer Anthony Chen were recognised for Incarnation, a Singapore-Japan co-production.
The fifth grant went to director Zhanana Kurmasheva and producer Banu Ramazanova for the documentary The Story of My Shirt, involving Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Chile.
The fund, supported by the Motion Picture Association, provides development assistance to filmmakers working on feature films and documentaries across the Asia Pacific.
This year’s recipients include three female directors.
Chen returns to the fund after his involvement in We Are All Strangers, which received development support in 2023 and was among this year’s APSA nominees.
The success of 9 Temples to Heaven, which received MPA APSA Academy Film Fund support in 2021 before winning Best Director this year, also demonstrated the program’s role in supporting projects from development through to international recognition.
Motion Picture Association president and managing director for Asia Pacific Urmila Venugopalan said the awards reflected the diversity of filmmaking talent across the region.
“The success of films such as 9 Temples to Heaven, which received MPA APSA Academy Film Fund support in 2021, shows the importance of supporting filmmakers and their stories from the earliest stages of development,” Venugopalan said.
“This year, we are proud to support five more exceptional projects through the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, providing script development grants to help these filmmakers progress their work.”
Emerging Filmmaker Recognised
Malaysian filmmaker Haziqah Azemi received the Forum Filmmaker Award, presented in partnership with The Post Lounge Group, for her project Garek.
The film explores the experiences of a woman facing religious persecution following a pregnancy outside marriage.
Azemi previously participated in the Griffith Film School and APSA Regional Reels program and returned to the awards this year after developing her project under the mentorship of APSA Academy member Yulia Evina Bahara.
The award recognises her progress through the Asia Pacific Screen Forum and provides further support for the project’s development.
The Post Lounge Group general manager Kurt Royan said the award reflected the importance of providing emerging filmmakers with professional guidance and industry connections.
“This year’s Forum Filmmaker Award recipient, Haziqah Azemi, has demonstrated the ambition, development and commitment that this award was established to recognise,” Royan said.
Celebrating the Diversity of Asia Pacific Cinema
Asia Pacific Screen Awards chair Tracey Vieira said this year’s winners demonstrated the strength of filmmaking across the region.
“Tonight we celebrate an exceptional group of filmmakers whose work reflects the courage, creativity and cultural richness of the Asia Pacific,” Vieira said.
“From Guria and No Good Men to Elephants in the Fog, this year’s winners remind us of the extraordinary stories emerging from our region and the importance of creating opportunities for these voices to be recognised internationally.”
Vieira said the emergence of new filmmaking talent and the increasing number of international collaborations were particularly encouraging.
“What has been particularly rewarding this year is seeing the strength of collaboration behind these films, alongside the emergence of exciting new filmmaking talent,” she said.
Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney said the awards and accompanying Asia Pacific Screen Forum provided opportunities for Queensland filmmakers to connect with international peers.
“Together with the Asia Pacific Screen Forum, APSA creates important opportunities for Queensland filmmakers to connect with international peers, strengthen industry relationships and explore new pathways for their projects,” Feeney said.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy, presided over by Australian actor Jack Thompson AM, now comprises more than 1,816 members from 84 countries and areas.
All APSA nominees, nomination council members and jury members are inducted into the Academy, creating an international network of filmmakers and screen industry professionals.
The 2026 ceremony marked the 19th edition of the awards, which continue to recognise filmmaking from across the Asia Pacific while providing a platform for emerging voices and international collaboration.
2026 Asia Pacific Screen Awards — Full Winners List
Best Film
Guria — Directed by Levan Koguashvili. Produced by Olena Yershova, Levan Koguashvili and Boris Frumin.
Jury Grand Prize
Shahrbanoo Sadat — No Good Men
Best Director
Sompot Chidgasornpongse — 9 Temples to Heaven
Best Director — Special Mention
Aung Phyoe — Fruit Gathering
Best Youth Film
Big Girls Don’t Cry — Directed by Paloma Schneideman. Produced by Vicky Pope and Thomas Coppell.
Best Animated Film
The Violinist — Directed by Ervin Han and Raúl García.
Best Documentary Film
One in a Million — Directed by Itab Azzam and Jack MacInness.
Best Screenplay
Rakan Mayasi, Wahid Ajmi and Pôl Seif — Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep
Best Cinematography
Nguyễn Vinh Phúc — Hearing
Best Performance
Pushpa Thing Lama — Elephants in the Fog
Best New Performer
Sim Su-bin — The World Before
Cultural Diversity Award
Another Birth — Directed and produced by Isabelle Kalandar.
Young Cinema Award (NETPAC)
R Gowtham — Members of the Problematic Family
FIAPF Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film
Bobby Bedi — India
Forum Filmmaker Award
Haziqah Azemi — Garek
2026 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund Recipients
Each project receives US$10,000 in development funding.
A Memory of Being Here (India)
Director: Payal Kapadia
Producer: Thomas Hakim
My Father’s Glory (France, Cambodia)
Director: Davy Chou
Producer: Charlotte Vincent
A Place in the Sun (China)
Director: Taifeng Liu
Producer: Janet (Yan Yan) Wu
Incarnation (Singapore, Japan)
Director: Nicole Midori Woodford
Producer: Anthony Chen
The Story of My Shirt (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Chile)
Director: Zhanana Kurmasheva
Producer: Banu Ramazanova