Every week, I get several press releases, screening invitations and other notifications from a handful of studio contacts. While I won’t be sharing any information regarding my screening invites, some of the press releases might be of interest to my readers, so I thought I’d start sharing them in toto with all of you. These could include new image galleries for various films or important updates to upcoming releases from various smaller studios and art house production companies.

• Image Gallery: Cloud Atlas
• Press Release: Kelly Marcel to Pen Screenplay for ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’
• Press Release: DCTV Unveils Plans for Dedicated Documentary Theater in New York City
• Press Release: ‘The Fifth Beatle’ Adaptation to Be Written by Vivek J. Tiwary
• Press Release: Asia Pacific Screen Awards Announce Nominees

Image Gallery: Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas gallery

Press Release: Kelly Marcel to Pen Screenplay for ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’

KELLY MARCEL TO WRITE THE SCREENPLAY TO UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND FOCUS FEATURES’ FILM ADAPTATION OF “FIFTY SHADES OF GREY”

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, October 8, 2012—Universal Pictures and Focus Features today announced that Kelly Marcel will write the screenplay to the highly anticipated film adaptation of “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti will produce the film based on E L James’ #1 Bestselling book, alongside James. The announcement was made by Universal Pictures Co-Chairman, Donna Langley and Focus Features’ Chief Executive Officer, James Schamus.

Marcel wrote the 2011 Black List script, Saving Mr. Banks, the story of Walt Disney’s twenty-year pursuit of the film rights to author P.L. Travers’ novel, “Mary Poppins,” and the rocky relationship that formed between the two. The film is currently in production at Walt Disney Studios starring Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson and Colin Farrell with John Lee Hancock directing. Marcel served as the co-creator and executive producer of the Amblin/FOX-TV series Terra Nova, for which she wrote the series’ pilot episode. She will also produce The Madonnas Of Echo Park for HBO.

“Kelly’s work demonstrates her flawless structural technique and passionate commitment to emotion, humor and depth of character which is particularly visible in the celebrated screenplay for the upcoming Saving Mr. Banks,” said De Luca. “We were all taken with the depth and passion of Kelley’s engagement with the characters and world E L James has created and we knew she was the right person to augment our Fifty Shades family,” added Brunetti.

Universal Pictures and Focus Features acquired the rights to the three books in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” Trilogy in March of this year. Focus Features will market and distribute the first film in partnership with Universal. “Fifty Shades of Grey” has become a global phenomenon and the trilogy has been translated in 45 languages worldwide since its release. In the U.S. alone, the “Fifty Shades” trilogy has sold over 32 million copies in e-book and print making it one of the fastest selling book series ever.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” follows the relationship of 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey and college student Anastasia Steele. Subsequent novels in the series, “Fifty Shades Darker” (September 2011) and “Fifty Shades Freed” (January 2012) explore the couple’s deepening relationship. For more information please see the official Fifty Shades of Grey Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/fiftyshadesofgreymovie.

Marcel was represented in the deal by WME and Casarotto Ramsay & Associates Limited.

About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

About Focus Features
Focus Features and Focus Features International (www.focusfeatures.com) comprise a singular global company. This worldwide studio makes original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. The company operates as Focus Features in North America, and as Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world; and is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2012.

Focus Features and FFI are part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

Press Release: DCTV Unveils Plans for Dedicated Documentary Theater in New York City

DCTV Announces New Dedicated Documentary Theater In Lead Up To 40th Anniversary Celebration

New York City-funded theater to break ground in Spring 2013

October 8, 2012 – New York, NY – In anticipation of its 40th anniversary celebration, Downtown Community Television Center Inc. (DCTV) has announced they will begin construction on a documentary-only movie theater, the first of its kind in the United States. This 73 seat state-of-the-art public cinema equipped with 4K digital cinema technology will screen first-run documentary films throughout the year and host special events showcasing the work of established and emerging filmmakers. The theater will be constructed inside the DCTV headquarters, the landmark firehouse on Lafayette and White Street in Lowe Manhattan.

The announcement comes in advance of DCTV’s upcoming 40th Anniversary celebration. This momentous occasion will be celebrated on October 11, 2012, when DCTV will transform their firehouse into a party space in order to celebrate their well-deserved legacy as well as their promising future. Sheila Nevins and the HBO Documentaries Team will be honored at the event as well as DCTV Board Chair and longtime supporter, Cora Weiss.

Founded in 1972 by husband and wife filmmakers Jon Alpert and Keiko Tsuno DCTV’s early educational programs operated out of a dilapidated old truck. Since then, DCTV has grown into one of the leading documentary film education and production resources in the country, providing resources for thousands of filmmakers and students, including equipment and facility rentals, post-production services and of course, educational programs.

DCTV is also a renowned production entity for documentary films. Over the past 35 years, DCTVʼs landmark documentaries have earned 15 Emmy Awards, 3 DuPont Columbia Awards, and every other major award in the television industry. Each year, DCTV Productions are seen by millions each year on networks that include HBO, PBS, the Discovery Channel, Hallmark, MTV and more.

New Theater
DCTV co-founder Jon Alpert said, “This is an important moment for both the growth of our organization and the city itself. New York City is a major hub of documentary cinema — there are great documentaries being made here and New Yorkers love documentaries. There should be a dedicated place in the city that celebrates them.”

The construction of the new theater is being supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, as part of their continuing investment in the cultural infrastructure of the city. The groundbreaking is currently scheduled for March 2013 and construction is expected to take one year.

“Over the last 40 years DCTV has fostered an extraordinary community of documentary filmmakers in New York City,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin. “From producing award-winning feature films to providing students and professionals alike with the training and equipment they need to develop compelling work, DCTV cultivates the very best storytelling from across the five boroughs and beyond. We are thrilled to join the public-private partnership that will create a state of the art theater in this landmark facility and allow the organization to welcome even more artists and audiences for generations to come.”

Keiko Tsuno added, “We are very excited to be creating a new home for documentary cinema and to give both emerging and more established filmmakers an opportunity to share their work with engaging audiences. It is our hope that New Yorkers who want to share their appreciation for documentary cinema are going to find a community at the new DCTV theater.”

Capital funding for the DCTV Cinema will be provided by the following organizations: Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (funded through Community Development Block Grants); US Department of Housing & Urban Development; Office of the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg; Office of the New York City Council, Christine Quinn; The City Council of New York Office of the Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer; The Manhattan Delegation of the New York City Council; The Rockefeller Foundation; The Samuel Rubin Foundation; The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; NY State Assembly Member, Deborah Glick; The New York State Council on the Arts and The Hyde & Watson Foundation.

Celebrating the Anniversary
Said Alpert and Tusno in a joint statement, “Our simple survival is something to be proud of. When we started, there were half a dozen similar organizations that were committed to helping young filmmakers – but sadly they’re all gone. Not only did we survive but the work we’re doing now in all areas is better than at any time in our 40 years. The youth programs are more effective and our students are accomplishing more. The films we produce are stronger, the equipment has improved and more filmmakers are coming to DCTV for master classes, screenings and affordable production resources than ever before. We’ve taken a building that was falling apart in the 1970s and turned it into a thriving community center. Watching our organization continue to excel and expand is really exciting.”

Education & Filmmaker Support
Over the past 40 years, DCTV has seen more than 50,000 young people come through its doors, many as part of PRO-TV, their free youth media arts training program, the most successful in the country.

After attending seminars, hands-on workshops and internships, including training in video production, post- production, producing, and graphic & web design, almost 100% of PRO-TV media fellowship students go on to attend college and/or gain employment in the media industry.

While assistance to working filmmakers and educating the next generation of young people might be the two most high-profile of DCTV’s functions, they have many other goals, says Alpert. “For example, we are very active with our own productions and that’s really how we started, by making our own films. We’re lucky that we’re still able to do that and more than ever, more people see them.”

As a one-stop-shop for filmmakers ranging from the “wet behind the ears” beginner to the established documentarian, DCTV provides everything a filmmaker needs to realize their vision and DCTV’s training and education initiatives reach far beyond the youth aspect. Alpert, Keiko and other award-winning producers on the staff take an active role in working with and mentoring the youth.

A vital part of the organization is DCTV Training & Resources, through which DCTV supports filmmakers and media artists by offering affordable and accessible resources to everyone, including 150 hands-on workshops in production, post-production, producing, and graphic & web design, taught by working industry professionals in an intimate and interactive environment.

Rentals & Resources
From equipment rental (DCTV Equipment Rentals is one of the only rental houses that does not require production insurance and is open 7 days a week) to editing, color correction, and mastering suites to accessing a pool of freelance film professionals for hire, DCTV gives the filmmaking community access to otherwise prohibitively expensive professional video equipment at rates significantly below market.

In addition, there’s DCTV Presents, a screening and event series, designed to showcase innovative and provocative work from emerging artists and renowned groundbreakers in the industry.

Press Release: ‘The Fifth Beatle’ Adaptation to Be Written by Vivek J. Tiwary

VIVEK J. TIWARY SET TO WRITE AND PRODUCE FEATURE FILM ADAPTATION OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL THE FIFTH BEATLE

First feature film about The Beatles to secure music rights to their songs

New York, NEW YORK (October 10, 2012) – Award-winning producer and writer, Vivek J. Tiwary, is set to write and produce a feature film adaptation of his upcoming graphic novel, THE FIFTH BEATLE, which chronicles the life of The Beatles little-known manager, Brian Epstein. As Paul McCartney said, “If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian.” This groundbreaking project also marks the first time a feature film about the band has ever secured rights to include Beatles songs.

Tiwary has signed a deal with Sony/ATV (who control the Lennon/McCartney music catalog) which gives him unprecedented access to Beatles songs for the film.

The graphic novel, THE FIFTH BEATLE, is being written by Tiwary and drawn by fan-favorite artist Andrew Robinson (STAR WARS, BATMAN, SUPERMAN) with additional contributions by multiple Eisner and Harvey award-winning artist Kyle Baker (PLASTIC MAN, WHY I HATE SATURN, NAT TURNER). It is slated to be published in 2013. Both Robinson and Tiwary will attend the upcoming New York Comic Con from October 10th-14th to present the graphic novel and meet fans. Artwork from the novel will be exclusively displayed online at www.thefifthbeatle.com.

On Wednesday, October 10 at 7pm, Tiwary and Robinson will appear on the panel “A Celebration of Pop Music Comics” at Jim Hanley’s Universe store. They will then sign exclusive artwork from THE FIFTH BEATLE at New York Comic Con’s Dark Horse booth at the Javitz Center on Friday, October 12th at 5pm.

THE FIFTH BEATLE from M Press Books, a division of Dark Horse Comics, recounts the untold true story of Epstein, the brilliant visionary who discovered The Beatles and helped guide the band to international stardom as their manager, securing their first record deal at a time when no one else was interested, and successfully bringing them to the world stage with a scale and scope no music impresario had ever attempted.

Epstein’s boast—“The Beatles will be bigger than Elvis!”— seemed absurd in 1961, but proved humbly prophetic by 1967. When he died at the age of 32, he was an extremely successful artist manager and entertainment impresario, but a painfully lonely young man. The film will deal with Epstein’s struggles with his sexuality and religion, while desperately trying to fit into the “Fab Four’s” world.

“My interest in the Brian Epstein story began almost 20 years ago, when I decided that music management was the area of the entertainment industry that I first wanted to pursue,” says Vivek. “ I had been a lifelong Beatles fan, so I thought that it made sense to study the management of the band that had written the rules of the modern music industry. What I unearthed after much research (there is a paltry amount of information readily available on Brian, which is part of why I want to bring his story to the world) was not just an inspirational business story and a blueprint for what I wanted to accomplish with my career, but also a very human story. This is a true labor of love, passion project for me.”

Tiwary is represented by David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis at Circle of Confusion.

ABOUT VIVEK J. TIWARY
Vivek J. Tiwary is an award-winning producer, writer, and financier for film, television, theater, music, and graphic novels. He is the producer and writer of “The Fifth Beatle,” a feature film and graphic novel based on the life of Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein. “The Fifth Beatle” has secured unprecedented access to Beatles’ music and is in development to shoot in 2013. In television, Vivek sold a sitcom pilot “Punk Rock Dad” to CBS, based on the bestselling memoir/parenting manual by Pennywise lead singer Jim Lindberg, and he is developing a number of additional series including “Ascension,” a historical fiction / thriller juxtaposing the history of astronomy with mankind’s future in the stars. On Broadway, Vivek’s productions have won a combined 25 Tony Awards from 44 Tony nominations—every single one of his shows have been decorated. They include “The Addams Family,” Green Day’s “American Idiot” (the groundbreaking adaptation of the superstar rock band’s multi-platinum album), Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” (the most Tony Awards ever) and “Young Frankenstein”, “A Raisin In The Sun” (starring Sean Combs), and “A Little Night Music” (starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury). Off-Broadway, Vivek produced a theatrical collaboration between electropop/performance artists Fischerspooner and avant-garde theatre collective The Wooster Group (founded by Willem Dafoe, Spalding Gray, and others) that launched the 2008 Sao Paulo Art Bienal. Vivek also serves on the Board of Directors for Valiant Entertainment (www.valiantentertainment.com), a multi-platform company that boasts the third largest and most-loved universe of comic book characters and has been hailed by the New York Times as “Marvel 2.0”. Prior to founding Tiwary Entertainment Group (www.tiwaryent.com) and online music education/empowerment company StarPolish, Vivek held a number of major label music-industry positions, including launching and heading the Alternative Marketing Department at Mercury/PolyGram Records, and managing Video Promotion for Mercury/PolyGram, where he worked closely with MTV and VH1. Vivek has worked with artists covering the entire musical spectrum including Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Kiss, LL Cool J, John Mellencamp, Allen Ginsberg, Oasis, Hanson, 311 and The Mighty Mighty BossTones to name but a few. Among many charitable pursuits, Vivek is the Co-Founder of Musicians On Call (www.musiciansoncall), a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of both the Wharton School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences. Vivek also holds a filmmaking certificate from The New York Film Academy and is an acting student of Susan Batson/Black Nexxus Acting Studio.

ABOUT DARK HORSE
Founded in1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, Guillermo Del Toro and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, Game of Thrones and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

Press Release: Asia Pacific Screen Awards Announce Nominees

JAN CHAPMAN TO HEAD APSA INTERNATIONAL JURY

Acclaimed Australian film producer Jan Chapman will head the six-member International Jury for the sixth annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards, to be held in Brisbane on November 23, 2012.

The Asia Pacific Screen Awards are the region’s highest accolade in film, and Ms Chapman follows previous International Jury Presidents Nansun Shi (2011, Hong Kong, PRC), Lord David Puttnam (2010, UK), Huang Jianxin (2009, People’s Republic of China), Bruce Beresford (2008, Australia) and Shabana Azmi (2007, India).

Ms Chapman has produced some of Australia’s most critically successful and popular films including The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992), three-time Academy Award® winner The Piano (1993), Caméra d’Or recipient Love Serenade (1996), Holy Smoke (1999), Walk the Talk (2000), AFI Best Film winner Lantana (2001) and multi award-winning Bright Star (2009). Ms Chapman was executive producer of Australian film Somersault (2004) and Suburban Mayhem (2006), both of which were selected for Un Certain Regard at Cannes and the Toronto International Film Festival, and AACTA award-winning Griff the Invisible (2010) which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Ms Chapman has supported and mentored the careers of many Australian filmmakers. She is the recipient of numerous lifetime achievement awards for her services to the Australian film industry. In 2004 she was awarded the Order of Australia. She has served on the boards of the Australian Film Finance Corporation and the New South Wales Film and Television Office and is presently a board member for The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). In 2010 Ms Chapman was president of the Sydney Film Festival Jury and in 2011 she was a member of the Berlinale International Jury. Jan was recently appointed as a Sydney Film Festival patron and is also a member of the AACTA Honorary Council. As a member of the AACTA Honorary Council, Chapman’s appointment as International Jury President underlines the recent formation of an international coalition of three film academies: the Asia Pacific Screen Academy (APSA), the European Film Academy (EFA), and the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AFI | AACTA).
On accepting the appointment Jan Chapman said: “I’m delighted to have this opportunity to view the best cinema from the diverse Asia Pacific region and look forward to meeting the filmmakers representing 70 countries in Brisbane. I was impressed by APSA’s shared UNESCO goal to foster cultural diversity and promote mutual understanding, dialogue and peace.”

APSA Chairman Des Power said: “We are honoured to have a filmmaker of Jan Chapman’s calibre to head our International Jury and preside over this incredibly important task. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role.”

AFI | AACTA Chair and former APSA International Jury member Alan Finney said: “Jan Chapman is a most appropriate choice as President of the International Jury as she brings a history of passionate commitment to Film which has been recognised by audiences around the world and by the AFI | AACTA Awards she has won. Having served on the jury, I appreciate its important role and the AFI looks forward to working with APSA in the years ahead.”

Ms Chapman will be joined on the 2012 International Jury by previously announced members – Professor of Directing Department of the prestigious Beijing Film Academy and the president of China International Children’s Film Festival, Professor Hou Keming (People’s Republic of China), one of the most prolific and highly respected actors working in Israeli cinema Sasson Gabbay (Israel, APSA and EFA academy member), and APSA winning producer Zeynep Özbatur Atakan (Turkey, APSA and EFA academy member) whose recent credits include the award-winning Once Upon A Time in Anatolia, Three Monkeys and Climates, all directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

SIXTH ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED 34 FILMS FROM 18 COUNTRIES AND AREAS

Brisbane, Australia: Nominees in the sixth annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (the APSAs) were announced today with 34 films from 18 Asia Pacific countries and areas nominated in the region’s highest accolade in film.

The five films nominated for Best Feature Film are Khers (Bear, Islamic Republic of Iran), Tepenin Ardi (Beyond the Hill, Turkey, Greece), Orda (The Horde, Russian Federation), Bumchoiwaui Junjaeng (Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time, Republic of Korea) and Wu Xia (Hong Kong (PRC), People’s Republic of China).

An unprecedented total of 264 films were entered in this year’s competition. Asia Pacific countries and areas represented by the nominated films are Australia, Hong Kong (PRC), India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iraqi-Kurdistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Taiwan and Turkey. Seven of the 2012 nominees are already members of the rapidly expanding APSA Academy. A six-member International Jury headed by acclaimed Australian producer Jan Chapman will determine the winner of Best Feature Film as well as winners of the five major craft awards, the Screen International Jury Grand Prize and the UNESCO Award for outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity through film. APSA Academy members will determine the winners in the Best Children’s, Documentary and Animated Feature Film categories. All winners in the sixth annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards will be announced at a glittering ceremony on Friday November 23 in Brisbane, Australia.

The Asia Pacific Screen Awards, an initiative of the Queensland Government, Australia, are endorsed by UNESCO and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations. The awards recognise films from 70 countries and areas in Asia Pacific, an area that encompasses one-third of the earth, is home to 4.5 billion people and produces half the world’s film. Films are judged on cinematic excellence and the way in which they attest to their cultural origins. APSA Patron and founder and honorary festival director of the Busan International Film Festival Kim Dong-Ho said, ““The Asia Pacific Screen Awards have emerged as a driving force in the support and promotion of the region’s filmmakers. The APSA Academy has gone from strength to strength since its visionary conception in 2008 by APSA Chairman Des Power. It now counts among its members a diverse and talented group of acclaimed filmmakers that represent not only the quality of filmmaking in the region but also the many cultures that make up our large and varied Asia Pacific region.

“As we further enter what is becoming ever more widely considered the Asia Pacific century, it is only fitting to see such a blossoming academy of filmmakers, akin to those in other areas of the world, such as the European Film Academy with whom APSA has a special relationship. We are proud to announce that APSA Academy members will determine the winners in three categories, again this year.

“This year’s nominees are an outstanding representation of filmmakers from Asia Pacific and I am personally delighted to see Korean nominees in so many categories.”

Nominated for Best Feature Film, Tepenin Ardi (Beyond the Hill, Producers Enis Köstepen, Seyfi Teoman, Emin Alper, Co-Producer Nikos Moutselos) from Turkey and Greece received three nominations in total, with nominations also in the categories of Best Screenplay (Emin Alper) and Best Performance by an Actor for Tamer Levent. Beyond the Hill has already received accolades around the world including the Caligari Film Prize at Berlinale 2012, Best Film, Best Script and the FIPRESCI Award at this year’s Istanbul International Film Festival and the NETPAC Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, among others.

The four other Best Feature Film nominees have received two nominations each: Khers (Bear, Islamic Republic of Iran) has received nominations for Best Feature Film (Producer Javad Norouzbeigi) and Achievement in Directing for Khosro Masoumi. Bear was recently awarded the Golden Goblet for Best Feature, Shanghai International Film Festival. Epic historical drama Orda (The Horde, Russian Federation) is nominated for Best Feature Film (Producers Natalya Gostyushina, Sergei Kravets) and Achievement in Cinematography for Yury Raysky. The Horde is the biggest Russian production of 2012.

Bumchoiwaui Junjaeng (Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time, Republic of Korea) has received nominations for Best Feature Film (Producers Park Shin-kyu, Han Jae-duk) and Best Performance by an Actor for Choi Min-sik.

Wu Xia (Hong Kong (PRC), People’s Republic of China, Producers Peter Ho-sun Chan, Jojo Hui Yuetchun. Co-Produced by Lu York, Dong Keyan, Hong Tao, Jiang Wenbo) has also received a nomination for Achievement in Cinematography for Jake Pollock and Lai Yiu-fai. Jake Pollock is an APSA Academy member, having been nominated in the same category for Monga in the 2010 APSAs. Wu Xia screened Out of Competition at Cannes, and was awarded Best Cinematographer at both the Asian Film Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA), receiving a further nine nominations for the HKFA.

Writer/directors who have received nominations for both Achievement in Directing and Best Screenplay are Cheng Er for Lethal Hostage (People’s Republic of China), and Reis Çelik for Lal gece (Night of Silence, Turkey), winner of the Crystal Bear for Best Film Generation 14plus at the 2012 Berlinale.

Also receiving a nomination for Achievement in Directing is Brillante Ma. Mendoza for Sinapupunan (Thy Womb, Philippines), with the lead actress Nora Aunor nominated for Best Performance by an Actress for her role. Nora Aunor previously starred in Himala which was awarded the CNN APSA Viewers Choice Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of All Time at the 2008 APSAs.

APSA Academy member Anurag Kashyap has been nominated for Achievement in Directing for Gangs of Wasseypur (India). Anurag was previously nominated for an APSA in 2009 for Achievement in Directing for Dev D and again in 2010 for Udaan in the APSA Best Children’s Feature Film category. Lead actor in Gangs of Wasseypur, Manoj Bajpayee, is nominated for Best Performance by an Actor.

Bol (Pakistan) has received two nominations –– Best Screenplay for Shoaib Mansoor and Best Performance by an Actress for Humaima Malick. Bol achieved a new box office record for Pakistani cinema with the strongest first-week box office takings in Pakistani history. The fifth nominee in the Best Screenplay category is Chris Martinez for Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (The Woman in the Septic Tank, Philippines).

Bahman Ghobadi’s Fasle Kargadan (Rhino Season, Iraqi-Kurdistan, Turkey) received a nomination for Achievement in Cinematography for Touraj Aslani, recent winner of the Best Cinematography prize at the 2012 San Sebastian Film Festival in October. Starring celebrated Iranian actor Behrouz Vossoughi and Italian actress Monica Bellucci, Rhino Season had its world premiere only weeks ago at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was presented by Martin Scorsese.

Also nominated for Achievement in Cinematography are Charin Pengpanich for Bunohan (Bunohan: Return to Murder, Malaysia), Malaysia’s official film submission to the 85th Academy Awards® for the Best Foreign Language Film category, and Chin Ting-Chang for Seediq Bale (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, Taiwan).

Alongside Tamer Levent, Manoj Bajpayee and Choi Min-sik, the nominees in the category of Best Performance by an Actor are Lior Ashkenazi for the Oscar®-nominated feature Hearat shulayim (Footnote, Israel) and Wu Tianming, who is also an award-winning director, for Full Circle (People’s Republic of China).

For Best Performance by an Actress, in addition to Humaima Malick and Nora Aunor, the nominees are Vidya Balan for The Dirty Picture (India) who was awarded the Best Actress Award at India’s National Film Awards, Darya Ekamasova for Zila bila odna baba (Once Upon a Time There Lived a Simple Woman, Russian Federation) and Cho Min-soo for Kim Ki-duk’s 2012 Venice Golden Lionwinner Pieta (Republic of Korea), which is also the official film submission to the 85th Academy Awards® for the Best Foreign Language Film category.

APSA Academy members determine both the nominees and winners in three categories, Best Children’s Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature Film and Best Animated Feature Film. Headed by APSA Academy President Jack Thompson, the APSA Academy is a growing body of the region’s most influential names in film including past APSA Nominees and Winners, International Jury and Nominations Council members. All APSA Nominees are automatically inducted into the APSA Academy which carries benefits including the right to apply to both the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund and the APSA Children’s Film Fund, along with the right to view and vote in the memberdetermined categories. The Nominees in the APSA Academy voted categories are:

Nominees for the Best Children’s Feature Film Award are:
Gattu (India) — Dr. Shravan Kumar (Children’s Film Society of India)
Laut Bercermin (The Mirror Never Lies, Indonesia) — Garin Nugroho (APSA Best Feature Film nomination in 2007 for Opera Jawa) and Nadine Chandrawinata
Orchim Lerega (Off White Lies, Israel) — Aurit Zamir, Yoav Roeh. Co-Produced by Janja Kralj
Australia Sheli (My Australia, Poland, Israel) — Marek Rozenbaum, Itai Tamir, Dariusz Jablonski, Violetta Kaminska, Izabela Wojcikl
Kiseki (I Wish, Japan) — Kentaro Koike, Hijiri Taguchi. Co-Produced by Odake Satomi

Nominees for Best Documentary Feature Film are:
Hams Caeraten Maksura/Hamesh Matzlemot Shvurot (Five Broken Cameras, Israel, Palestine, France) — Christine Camdessus, Serge Gordey, Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi
In My Mother’s Arms (Iraq, UK, Netherlands) — Isabelle Stead, Atia Jabarah Al-Daradji, Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji
Planet of Snail (Republic of Korea, Japan, Finland) — Kim Min-chul, Gary Kam. Co-Produced by Janne Niskala, Imamura Ken-ichi
Negeri di Bawah Kabut (The Land Beneath the Fog, Indonesia, Germany) — Shalahuddin Siregar
Shiton Hachok (The Law in These Parts, Israel, USA, Germany) — Liran Atzmor. Co-Produced by BZ Goldberg, Laura Poitras, Martin Hagemann

Nominees for Best Animated Feature Film are:
Kokurikozaka Kara (From Up on Poppy Hill, Japan) — Toshio Suzuki
Happy Feet Two (Australia, USA) — Doug Mitchell, George Miller, Bill Miller. Co-Produced by Martin Wood. Dr George Miller was the recipient of the 2007 APSA FIAPF Award and is an APSA Academy member
Momo e no tegami (A Letter to Momo, Japan) — Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Hiroyuki Ikeda, Shigeru Watanabe, Kazuya Hamana
Nijiiro Hotaru (Rainbow Fireflies, Japan) — Atsutoshi Umezawa
Ookamikodomo no Ame to Yuki (Wolf Children, Japan) — Yuichiro Saito, Takuya Ito, Takashi Watanabe. The producers and director Mamoru Hosoda of Wolf Children are APSA Academy members, having been nominated in this category previously for Summer Wars

Two additional major awards for outstanding achievement will be presented at the ceremony.

FIAPF Award: Each year FIAPF––International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations determines the winner of the FIAPF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia Pacific region

UNESCO Award: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization presents the UNESCO Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Promotion and Preservation of Cultural Diversity Through Film

WATCH THE CEREMONY WEBCAST LIVE on Friday November 23, 2012 at:
http://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/webcast

The APSA ceremony is televised to 44 countries across Asia, the Pacific and India via the ABC’s Australia Network. Within Australia, the APSA Ceremony will be broadcast on the SBS television network.

Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an initiative of the Queensland Government, Australia with the support of Events Queensland,
endorsed by UNESCO and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers Associations and in collaboration with the
European Film Academy

SIXTH ANNUAL ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE FILM
Bumchoiwaui Junjaeng (Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time) —Republic of Korea—Produced by Park Shin-kyu, Han Jae-duk
Khers (Bear) —Islamic Republic of Iran—Produced by Javad Norouzbeigi
Orda (The Horde) —Russian Federation—Produced by Natalya Gostyushina, Sergei Kravets
Tepenin Ardi (Beyond the Hill) —Turkey, Greece — Produced by Enis Köstepen, Seyfi Teoman, Emin Alper—Co-Produced by Nikos Moutselos
Wu Xia—Hong Kong (PRC), People’s Republic of China—Produced by Peter Ho-sun Chan, Jojo Hui Yuet-chun—Co-Produced by Lu York, Dong Keyan, Hong Tao, Jiang Wenbo

BEST CHILDREN’S FEATURE FILM
Australia Sheli (My Australia) —Poland, Israel—Produced by Marek Rozenbaum, Itai Tamir, Dariusz Jablonski, Violetta Kaminska, Izabela Wojcikl Gattu—India—Produced by Dr. Shravan Kumar (Children’s Film Society of India)
Kiseki (I Wish) —Japan—Produced by Kentaro Koike, Hijiri Taguchi—Co-Produced by Satomi Odake
Laut Bercermin (The Mirror Never Lies) —Indonesia—Produced by Garin Nugroho, Nadine Chandrawinata
Orchim Lerega (Off White Lies) —Israel—Produced by Aurit Zamir, Yoav Roeh—Co-Produced by Janja Kralj

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Hams Caeraten Maksura / Hamesh Matzlemot Shvurot (Five Broken Cameras) —Israel, Palestine, France—Produced by Christine Camdessus, Serge Gordey, Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi
In My Mother’s Arms—Iraq, UK, Netherlands—Produced by Isabelle Stead, Atia Jabarah Al-Daradji, Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji
Negeri di Bawah Kabut (The Land Beneath the Fog) —Indonesia, Germany—Produced by Shalahuddin Siregar
Planet of Snail—Republic of Korea, Japan, Finland—Produced by Kim Min-chul, Gary Kam—Co-Produced by Janne Niskala, Imamura Ken-ichi
Shiton Hachok (The Law in These Parts—Israel, USA, Germany—Produced by Liran Atzmor—Co-Produced by BZ Goldberg, Laura Poitras, Martin Hagemann

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Happy Feet Two—Australia, USA—Produced by Doug Mitchell, George Miller, Bill Miller—Co-Produced by Martin Wood
Kokurikozaka Kara (From Up on Poppy Hill) —Japan—Produced by Toshio Suzuki
Momo e no tegami (A Letter to Momo) —Japan—Produced by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Hiroyuki Ikeda, Shigeru Watanabe, Kazuya Hamana
Nijiiro Hotaru (Rainbow Fireflies) —Japan—Produced by Atsutoshi Umezawa
Ookamikodomo no Ame to Yuki (Wolf Children) —Japan—Produced by Yuichiro Saito, Takuya Ito, Takashi Watanabe

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Anurag Kashyap for Gangs of Wasseypur—India
Brillante Ma. Mendoza for Sinapupunan (Thy Womb) —Philippines
Cheng Er for Lethal Hostage—People’s Republic of China
Khosro Masoumi for Khers (Bear) —Islamic Republic of Iran
Reis Çelik for Lal gece (Night of Silence) —Turkey

BEST SCREENPLAY
Cheng Er for Lethal Hostage—People’s Republic of China
Chris Martinez for Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (The Woman in the Septic Tank) —Philippines
Emin Alper for Tepenin Ardi (Beyond the Hill) —Turkey, Greece
Reis Çelik for Lal gece (Night of Silence) —Turkey
Shoaib Mansoor for Bol—Pakistan

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Charin Pengpanich for Bunohan (Bunohan: Return to Murder) —Malaysia
Chin Ting-Chang for Seediq Bale (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale) —Taiwan
Jake Pollock and Lai Yiu-fai for Wu Xia—Hong Kong (PRC), People’s Republic of China
Touraj Aslani for Fasle Kargadan (Rhino Season) —Iraqi-Kurdistan,Turkey
Yury Raysky for Orda (The Horde) —Russian Federation

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Choi Min-sik for Bumchoiwaui Junjaeng (Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time) Republic of Korea
Lior Ashkenazi for Hearat shulayim (Footnote) —Israel
Manoj Bajpayee for Gangs of Wasseypur—India
Tamer Levent for Tepenin Ardi (Beyond the Hill) —Turkey, Greece
Wu Tianming for Full Circle—People’s Republic of China

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Cho Min-soo for Pieta—Republic of Korea
Darya Ekamasova for Zila bila odna baba (Once Upon a Time There Lived a Simple Woman) — Russian Federation
Humaima Malick for Bol—Pakistan
Nora Aunor for Sinapupunan (Thy Womb) —Philippines
Vidya Balan for The Dirty Picture—India