Christine Hakim to get FIAPF award at ASPAs

The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) plans to announce this week that Indonesian actress-turned-producer, Christine Hakim, will be presented with the FIAPF Award during the ceremony on Queensland’s Gold Coast on December 2.

The prestigious annual award from the International Federation of Film Producers Associations is for outstanding achievement in film. It is understood that Hakim has been recognised as a model for the contribution producers can make to building sustainable national industries with links into their own and other regions of the world.

The multi-skilled Hakim is a legendary figure in Indonesia, has won many international awards for both her performance prowess — she has appeared in more than 30 films — and her producing skills and, outside her own country, and is particularly admired in France and Japan. Hakim has also been very active socially, setting up education and nutrition programs for children.

She also has a special relationship with the Cannes Film Festival: Leaf On A Pillow, her first film as a producer, and Serambi, her third, were in Un Certain Regard in 1998 and 2006 respectively; in 2002 she became the first Indonesian to serve on the Cannes jury.

George Miller (2007), Yash Chopra (2008) and Isao Matsuoka (2009) are the previous FIAPF Award winners.

Twenty-four national organisations that represent the interests of producers in 21 countries make up the membership of FIAPF, which claims that these members represent the majority of theatrical features made worldwide each year. FIAPF also regulates film festivals.

APSA’s other two most important partners are UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), which will be giving an award that recognises cultural importance, and the Queensland Government.

Head of the APSA international jury, Lord David Puttnam, arrived in Australia yesterday. After attending the annual conference of the Screen Producers Association of Australia in Sydney, he will head north to Queensland to wrangle his jury. Decisions will be made on both filmmaking excellence and the cultural impact of the work.

Beat feature contenders Aftershock (China), Honey (Turkey), Monga (Taiwan), Paju (Republic of Korea) and Poetry (Republic of Korea) are among the 31 films from 15 countries that have APSA nominations.