TEHRAN – Iranian actress Fatemeh Motamed-Arya won a special mention at the 9th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), which was held Thursday at the Brisbane City Hall in Brisbane, Australia.

She received the mention for the portrayal of a nurse in Iranian director Morteza Farshbaf’s acclaimed drama “Avalanche”. Motamed-Arya was nominated for best actress award at the APSA this year.

In the movie, Homa is offered a 10-day nightshift taking care of an elderly female patient. This sudden and complete change triggers challenges in her everyday life as a result of insomnia.

Celebrated Iranian actress Negra Javaherian was on the jury panel presided by South Korean film industry legend Kim Dong-Ho. Javaherian is a star of Maziar Miri’s “Painting Pool”, which won the UNESCO Award at the APSA in 2013.

The award for Best Performance by an Actress was presented to Kirin Kiki for her role in “An” from Japan while the award for Best Performance by an Actor went to Jung Jaeyoung for his collaboration in “Right Now, Wrong Then” from South Korea.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul from Thailand received the best film award for “Cemetery of Splendor” and Alexey German Jr. from Russia won the best director award for “Under Electric Clouds”.

The award for best cinematographer went to Mark Lee Ping-bing from Taiwan for his collaboration in director Hou Hsiaohsien’s “The Assassin”.

Established in 2007, the APSA is directed by the Brisbane City Council under the auspices of UNESCO and FIAPF – International Federation of Film Producers Associations.

Photo: Iranian actress Fatemah Motamed-Arya poses after receiving a special mention for her role in “Avalanche” during the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) at the Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on November 26, 2015. (APSA)

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