The 6th ANNUAL ASIAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (AWFF) announced Festival award winners during the Closing Night Gala Awards Ceremony on March 15, 2021.
Almost 40 films from over 20 participating countries were presented during the six-day Festival that included 11 Oscar submissions for Best International Feature Film and 12 Golden Globe submissions for Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language.
Circus of Life, the Oscar submission from Pakistan, took the Snow Leopard Award for Best Film. Director Sarmad Sultan Khoosat received the award from Jury member Luba Balagova Kandoor.
Better Days, the Hong Kong Oscar submission, received the Snow Leopard Special Jury Award. Director Derek Tsang received the award from Jury member Livi Zheng. The Festival is delighted that on the day of the Awards Ceremony, Better Days was nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
The Snow Leopard Award for Best Actress went to Zhou Dongyu for her performance in Better Days. The award was presented by Jury member Lan Huang.
The Snow Leopard Award for Best Actor went to Arif Hassan for his performance in Circus of Life. The award was presented by Jury member Joanne Goh.
The Snow Leopard Distinction Award went to the Women Ensemble Cast for Japanese Oscar submission True Mothers. The award was presented by Jury member Nicolas Traube.
Uzbekistan Golden Globe submission 2000 Songs of Farida received the Snow Leopard Audience Award. Director Yalkin Tuychiev received the award from Jury President Gulbara Tolomushova.
The HFPA Scholarship Award, presented to a new Asian short filmmaker, went to Tattoo (Iran), directed by Farhad Delaram. The runner-up was Monsters Never Know (China), directed by Ming Yang and in third place was Exam (Iran), directed by Sonia Hadad.
Executive and Program Director Georges Chamchoum said, "Throughout all our screenings, special events and the Gala Ceremony for the Snow Leopard Award presentations and Honorary recipients, the Spirit of the Asian World Film Festival has been riding high. We have stayed true to ourselves, in that the Festival continues to showcase Creativity, Performance and Entertainment. It is a Journey of Discovery and not about Political Correctness, Creed or Color! We carry and hold our banner high with one word… TALENT!"
“AWFF is thrilled that Tunisia's The Man Who Sold His Skin, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, and screened during the Festival, has also received an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature Film. We would like to wish both Better Days and The Man Who Sold His Skin every success at the 93rd Academy Awards this coming April!” added Managing Director Asel Sherniyazova.
AWFF would like to thank all their partners and sponsors, in particular Winn Slavin Fine Art in Beverly Hills, a premier provider of fine art painting, sculpture and glass art from an international collection of artists, the Korean Cultural Centre LA, operated by the South Korean government's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, SPRK Music, a social media and talent sporting platform for the music industry and the Snow Leopard Trust which protects and secures the future of the snow leopard across twelve range countries in South and Central Asia.
Other valued sponsors and partners of the Festival include the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), AKIpress, Asia Society Southern California, City of Culver City, Asiania, Fifth Atrium, Argentum Studios, Novartizan, Moredii, Well Go USA ENTERTAINMENT, We Distribution Hong Kong, Film Movement, Joshua Jason PR, Media Plan PR, Asians in LA, 중앙일보 (Joongang Ilbo), Emporium Thai LA, Gaby's Mediterranean LA and Brothers BBQ, LA.
The seventh edition of the Asian World Film Festival will be a physical event and take place from November 3-11, 2021 in Culver City, Los Angeles. The Festival will be bigger and bolder than ever, with sneak screenings, world premieres, exclusive panels and new, exciting programs, including a 'Window to the World' segment featuring special limited screenings from Europe and Africa.
About THE ASIAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (AWFF)
The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF), founded by Kyrgyz public figure Sadyk Sher Niyaz, brings the very best of a broad selection of Asian World cinema to Los Angeles to draw greater recognition to the region's wealth of filmmakers and strengthen ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries. Uniting through cross-cultural collaboration, the Festival champions films from over 50 countries across Asia, spanning from Turkey to Japan and from Russia to India and South-East Asia. The Festival is unique in that it predominantly screens Oscar and Golden Globe submissions for Best International Feature Film and Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language respectively. All films that participate in the Festival will have a unique chance to be guided through the challenging awards season and showcased to members of the Motion Picture Academy, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and all Guilds for enhanced exposure, media attention and awards consideration. AWFF is a non-profit organization under Aitysh USA.
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