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SWEET COUNTRY wins BEST FEATURE FILM at 11th ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS - ABCG Film for APSA
24 Nov 2017 2:36 AM
AUSTRALIA’S SWEET
COUNTRY WINS BEST FEATURE FILM
AT 11TH ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS
- Australian co-production The
Seen and Unseen wins Best Youth Feature Film
Brisbane: Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country was tonight
named Best Feature Film at the
prestigious 11th Asia Pacific
Screen Awards (APSA) ceremony in Brisbane, hosted by David Wenham and Lee
Lin Chin. Benjamin Law hosted the red carpet. Sweet Country was produced by David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin and
directed by Warwick Thornton, who were all present to accept the award. Sweet Country was inspired by true
stories told to co-producer and writer David Tranter by his grandfather.
Starring Sam Neill, Bryan Brown and introducing
Hamilton Morris, Sweet Country is a
powerful period Western set in the uncompromising outback of
the Northern Territory.
The win makes APSA history, with Warwick Thornton
becoming the first director to have two films win Best Feature Film following Samson and Delilah’s historic win in
2009. He is also the only Australian director ever to have a film win in this
category.
The Brisbane-based Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the region’s highest
accolade in film, honours the cinematic excellence and the cultural diversity
of the world’s fastest-growing film region: comprising 70 countries and areas,
4.5 billion people, and responsible for half of the world’s film output. Forty-two films from 25 countries and areas of the
Asia Pacific region received APSA nominations in 2017, including the first
nomination for a film from Bhutan.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy is a powerful network
of the region’s most influential filmmakers, headed by Academy President Jack
Thompson AM PhD.
Winners were determined by the APSA International
Jury, headed by acclaimed Australian film editor Jill Bilcock ACE ASE (Moulin Rouge, Muriel’s Wedding, Elizabeth),
joined by Filipino writer/director Adolfo Alix Jr, Chinese actress He Saifei (Lust, Caution), Tokyo Film Festival
Programmer Yoshi Yatabe and Kazakh writer, director and cinematographer
Adilkhan Yerzhanov.
President of the APSA International Jury, Oscar® and
BAFTA®-nominated film editor Bilcock said: “Sweet
Country is a milestone film about Australia’s shameful history. It is
uniquely told through Warwick Thornton’s strong cinematic style and personal
knowledge of his own culture. Our jury from five countries have been
transported by cinema into diverse communities and privileged to share in their
personal stories, history and traditions. I was particularly impressed by the
rise of stories featuring strong women characters and also the emergence of
some truly talented female directors. Overall the Asia Pacific region continues
to bring us extraordinary stories and talent with a highly original slant.”
Brisbane
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said: “Winning an Asia Pacific Screen Award is a huge
achievement and, on behalf of the City of Brisbane, I’d like to congratulate
the winners and thank them for sharing their extraordinary stories. I’d like to
commend Best Feature Film winner, the Australian-made Sweet Country and director Warwick Thornton, who took Australia’s
only other win in this category in 2009 for his debut feature Samson and Delilah. Brisbane is honoured
to be part of this journey and delighted to further strengthen ties with our
neighbours in the culturally rich region of the Asia Pacific.”
MATERIALS FOR MEDIA
HI-RES PHOTOS, RED CARPET VISION, WINNER
CLIPS & INTERVIEWS FOR MEDIA DOWNLOAD HERE:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h54owpv7ajlxw59/AABiaLDZCjCyeQBwk9-2Btgsa?dl=0
Ceremony Clip - SWEET
COUNTRY WINS BEST FEATURE FILM AT 11th APSAs
Benjamin Law interviews
Warwick Thornton backstage after SWEET COUNTRY won Best Feature Film at Asia
Pacific Screen Awards
6minute APSA Ceremony compilation news clip
SWEET COUNTRY Producer David Jowsey, APSA Jury President Jill Bilcock, SWEET COUNTRY Producer Greer Simpkin and Director/cinematographer Warwick Thornton
MEDIA CONTACT
Cathy
Gallagher 0416 227 282 [email protected]
Alicia
Brescianini 0400 225 603 [email protected]
APSA Best Feature Film SWEET COUNTRY.jpg