Wednesday, November 29, 2006

S. Korea sweeps Asia-Pacific film fest Festival

2006/11/26The China Post & agencies
South Korea swept the most awards at the 51st Asia-Pacific Film Festival held in Taipei late Friday, winning six awards -- best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best sound effects, best short film and best editing, while the Iranian film "The Unwanted Woman" won three top honors -- best feature film, best director and best screenplay.


In results announced Friday night, Iranian director Tahmineh Milani clinched top honors with a complicated story about a wife who helps a murderer escape while escorting a young widow on a journey home.
The awards have further established Milani as one of the most influential directors in Asia, despite the Iranian government's suppression of her films at home.

South Korean actress Son Ye-Jin won the best actress award for her performance in "April Snow," about a man and a woman who have an affair after their spouses get into a traffic accident.
Lee Jae-eung of Seoul was honored as the best actor for his portrayal in "Bravo, My Life," which portrays the growing pains of a youngster.
Best supporting actor went to Byun Hee-bong for "The Host," a thriller about a family's fight against a mutant monster.

Host Taipei garnered two awards, with Lu Yi jing winning best supporting actress for her outstanding performance in the feature film "Blue Cha Cha," and the 10 minute "A Fish With A Smile" capturing the best animation award.
The lifetime achievement award went to Run Run Shaw, who founded the famous Shaw Brothers movie company in 1958 with his siblings.

The studio churned out more than 900 Chinese films over the next 30 years.
A total of 53 films from 12 member cities took part in this year's competition.
The other winners at the 51st Asia-Pacific Film Awards are as follows:
-- Best Documentary: Lasting With Time (Hanoi)
-- Best Animation: A Fish With A Smile (Taipei).
-- Best Short Film: Atomic Punch, My Darling (Seoul).
-- Best Editing: The Host (Seoul).
-- Best Art Director: Perhaps Love (Hong Kong)
-- Best Soundtrack: Perhaps Love (Hong Kong)
-- Best Sound Effects: The Host (Seoul)
-- Best Photography: The Banquet (Hong Kong)
-- The Panel of Judges Award: Living in Fear (Hanoi)
--Special Awards: Story of Poa (Hanoi); GIE (Jakarta); and Bilut (Kuala Lumpur)

The award presentation was held at Taipei County's Multi-function Gymnasium, with the participation of senior Taiwan officials, including Government Information Office Cheng Wen-tsang and noted film professionals in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Asia-Pacific Film Festival was launched in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954 to promote cultural exchange in the region. Since then, it has been held every year by one of the festival's 21 member countries.
The Asia-Pacific Film Festival has stolen the limelight from Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Festival, the award ceremony for which was held Saturday evening in Taipei.

The Golden Horse Film Festival is the world's largest film festival for films made by Chinese directors and offers a rare opportunity for directors and movie stars from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and elsewhere to show up on the same stage.

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