The inaugural edition of the Asia-Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) bestowed its first Best Picture prize on director Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine". The film also won leading actress Jeon Do-yeon the Best Actress award, reprising her win at Cannes earlier this year where LEE's film premiered in the competition section.
APSA was launched with ambitions to be the region's equivalent of the US Academy Awards and Europe's Cannes competition. Backed by UNESCO, CNN International, and FIAPF – the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, the event is a showcase for films from the Asia-Pacific region, which extends from as far as west as Egypt and Turkey all the way to New Zealand and the Fiji Islands in the east.
The ceremony took place Nov. 13th in Queensland on Australia's Gold Coast, and was broadcast globally on CNN. This year's event featured 34 films from 19 countries vying for 12 prizes. On the weekend leading up to the awards show, CNN broadcast a special 1-hour documentary titled Scene by Scene, presenting segments on major Asian film industries including Korea's. Interviews with top directors Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook were included in the program and seen worldwide.
Indian actress Shabana Azmi headed the APSA jury along side Korea's Pusan International Film Festival director KIM Dong-ho. "Secret Sunshine" has travelled the world since its premiere at Cannes, screening in such festivals as New York, London, Toronto, and Vancouver. It will screen along with a retrospective on director LEE at the upcoming Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
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