The Iranian film ‘I’m Not Angry’ was awarded the NETPAC Development Prize at the 2014 Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA).
The APSA has announced the winners of two major prizes for 2014 ahead of the 8th APSA ceremony on December 11: Australian producer Emile Sherman as the recipient of the FIAPF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia Pacific region, and Iranian writer/producer/director Reza Dormishian as the 2014 recipient of the APSA Academy NETPAC Development Prize for his second feature film ‘I’m Not Angry’.
In the eighth edition of APSA, 36 films from 21 Asia Pacific countries and areas are competing for the region’s highest award in films. Over 250 films were considered for the competition section from 42 countries, MNA reported.
NETPAC or the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema, in collaboration with APSA awards a first or second-time feature filmmaker in the narrative feature competition. The prize is designed to nurture outstanding talent in the region.
The prize jury comprises of Prof. Hong-Joon Kim (Republic of Korea), Mohammad Atebbai (Iran) and Wang Qun (China).
The jury cited Dormishian’s film as “a stunning and heart-breaking love story, with convincing characters and settings, proving the talented filmmaker’s ability to control all aspects of his film, the image and performances and even editing for maximum effect”.
Iran participated with five nominees: ‘I’m Not Angry’ running for the Best Feature Film, and Best Performance by an Actor Navid Mohammadzadeh; Rakhshan Bani-Etemad’s ‘Tales’ for the award in the Achievement in Directing; Merila Zareie for Best Performance; and Nima Javidi’s feature film ‘Melbourne’ for Best Screenplay.
The awards ceremony will be held in the historic City Hall of Brisbane, Australia, on December 11, with nominees and industry luminaries in attendance.
