Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden” and Abinash Bikram Shah’s “Elephants in the Fog” lead the 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards nominations with three nods each: best film, best director and best performance. This account is based on reporting by Variety.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy unveiled 36 nominated films from 32 countries and regions ahead of the Oct. 30 ceremony in Australia. Hamaguchi and Shah will compete for best director against Sompot Chidgasornpongse (“9 Temples to Heaven”), Aung Phyoe (“Fruit Gathering”) and Jennifer Peedom (“Tenzing”).
“All of a Sudden,” a France-Japan-Germany-Belgium production, and “Elephants in the Fog,” from Nepal, Germany, Brazil, France and Norway, underline the multinational makeup of the leading contenders. Best performance is an ungendered category.
Other best-film nominees are Shahrbanoo Sadat’s “No Good Men,” Levan Koguashvili’s “Guria” and Chidgasornpongse’s “9 Temples to Heaven.” The awards also recognize screenplay, cinematography, youth film, animated film and documentary film.
According to the Academy, 69% of directors behind nominated films are presenting a first or second feature. Every youth-film nominee is directed by a first-time filmmaker, while all animated-film contenders come from first- or second-time directors. The Asia Pacific Screen Forum runs Oct. 28–30 on the Gold Coast, with sessions focused on financing, distribution and cross-border collaboration.
How the effects could spread
Nominations can give filmmakers and producers a stronger discovery signal as they enter a forum built around financing and distribution. If attendees engage directly with nominated teams, buyers and financing partners may devote more meetings and development attention to internationally partnered projects. That chain could weaken if the awards attention remains mostly ceremonial or partners prioritize projects outside the slate.
Impact assessment
The creative teams behind “All of a Sudden” and “Elephants in the Fog” gain immediate prominence through their three-category showing. First-time youth-film directors also receive concentrated recognition.
For financiers, distributors and co-production partners, the forum creates an opportunity rather than a guaranteed deal flow. In the following weeks, nominations could improve emerging filmmakers’ access to industry conversations, particularly where international partners view the slate as a useful selection signal.
Scenarios
Our outlook (informed speculation):
Most likely: If forum participants use nominations to identify projects and talent, nominated teams will receive a short-term increase in meetings and conversations around financing, distribution and collaboration through the Oct. 30 ceremony and afterward. Signs would include nominee participation in forum events and project-specific business discussions.
Upside: If financiers and distributors treat the early-career-heavy slate as evidence of market-ready new voices, emerging nominees could gain access to new cross-border development or financing partnerships over the next six to 12 months. Announced support for projects connected to nominated filmmakers would strengthen that outcome.
Downside: Unless the forum converts awards visibility into buyer and funder engagement, attention may concentrate on eventual winners and only a small group of leading titles. Limited post-event financing, distribution or co-production activity involving the wider nominee pool would point to that result.
What to watch next
The Academy’s completed forum program, expected before Oct. 28, may show whether nominated teams are directly involved in financing, distribution or collaboration sessions. The Oct. 30 awards will determine the winners, including the races led by “All of a Sudden” and “Elephants in the Fog.” Subsequent financing, distribution or co-production announcements involving nominees would offer the clearest measure of whether the recognition translated into wider industry opportunity.
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