Iran’s “Painting Pool” wins UNESCO Award at APSA 2013

TEHRAN,Dec.14(MNA) – The Iranian family drama “The Painting Pool” has won the UNESCO Award at the seventh annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA). Directed by Maziar Miri, the film received the award for “outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity through film,” the organizers announced on Thursday. The award was accepted by the film’s star, Negar Javaherian, during the award presentation ceremony at the City Hall of Brisbane, Australia. Javaherian was also a nominee for the award for Best Performance by an Actress. “The Painting Pool” is about physically challenged parents who face a problem with their only son. The Best Feature Film Award went to the Palestinian film “Omar”. Produced, written, and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, the film is the first to be fully funded by the Palestinian film industry. Bangladeshi producer Mostofa Sarwar Farooki was awarded a Jury Grand Prize for his “Television” and the Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen won the Achievement in Directing award for his touching debut feature film “Ilo, Ilo”. The award for Best Performance by an Actor was presented to Lee Byung-hun for his role in “Masquerade” from South Korea, and the award for Best Performance by an Actress went to Zhang Ziyi for her role in “The Grandmaster” from Hong Kong. APSA is endorsed by UNESCO, with which it shares a common goal -– to foster cultural diversity and promote mutual understanding, dialogue and peace. APSA also has the endorsement of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), which regulates the world’s most important film festivals and events.