Georgian filmmaker Levan Koguashvili’s “Guria” has won Best Film at the 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), handed out on Oct. 30 at The Star Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The top prize caps a night that celebrated cinema from across the Asia Pacific region.
Asia Pacific Screen Awards winners 2026 (Credits: Variety)
Koguashvili shared the Best Film prize with fellow producers Olena Yershova and Boris Frumin. “Guria” – which premiered in Venice and is Georgia’s entry for next year’s Academy Awards – was made across seven countries: Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Turkiye, Norway and Saudi Arabia.
Guria wins Best Film at Asia Pacific Screen Awards
The film triumphed over a strong five-title Best Film field: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden”, Abinash Bikram Shah’s “Elephants in the Fog”, Shahrbanoo Sadat’s “No Good Men” and Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s “9 Temples to Heaven”. Thirty-six films from 32 countries and regions were represented across this year’s awards, hosted by Yidinji and Birri Gubba comedian Kylan Ambrum.
Sompot Chidgasornpongse takes Best Director for 9 Temples to Heaven
The Best Director prize went to Thailand’s Sompot Chidgasornpongse for his debut feature “9 Temples to Heaven”, itself an eight-country production spanning Thailand, Singapore, France, Norway, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Qatar. The film is also Thailand’s entry to the Academy Awards.
Other honorees included Shahrbanoo Sadat’s “No Good Men”, which took the Jury Grand Prize, and New Zealand’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (directed by Paloma Schneideman), which won Best Youth Film. Myanmar director Aung Phyoe earned a special mention for “Fruit Gathering.”
The 19th APSA is presented by UNESCO, FIAPF and the Brisbane City Council – a fitting cap to a year of remarkable co-productions from the region.
Source: Variety — read the full story there.