By Natasha ChakuMelbourne, Oct 13 (PTI) "Dangal", "Pink" and "Kasav:Turtle" are among the nine films nominated for the inauguralAustralian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts' (AACTA) bestAsian film award.
The award, which was announced earlier this yearalongside AACTA's Asia International Engagement Program,acknowledges the finest Asian films of the last 12 months,reflecting the popularity and importance of Asian films inAustralia.
The winner of the award, determined by the Best AsianFilm Grand Jury led by Oscar and multiple AFI and AACTA Award-winning actor Russell Crowe, will be announced in Sydney atthe Seventh AACTA Awards Ceremony in December this year.
The other nominees include Chinese films "Our Time WillCome", "I Am Not Madame Bovary", Philippines' foreign-languageOscar contender "Birdshot", South Korea's "Train to Busan" andJapanese film "Your Name".
The line-up of nominees, representing films from India,China, South Korea, Japan and the Philippines, includesrecord-breaking box office hits, Best Foreign Language FilmOscar entries, arthouse masterpieces and critically acclaimedsocial commentaries that have triggered worldwide debate.
The AACTA noted that "Dangal" not only received criticalacclaim but also broke box office records, becoming the firstIndian film to gross USD 300 million worldwide and thehighest-grossing Indian film worldwide.
Recently, the Aamir Khan-starrer also became the highestgrossing foreign film in Australia and had won this year'sTelstra People's Choice Award at Indian Film Festival ofMelbourne (IIFM).
Announcing "Kaasav: Turtle" and "Pink" as other nomineesfor the Asian Film award, the AACTA noted the Marathi film hadbeen lauded for addressing the subject of mental health whilethe Amitabh Bachchan-Taapsee Pannu film received universalacclaim for its candid focus on the treatment of women inIndian culture.
Veteran actors Anupam Kher and Shabana Azmi will alsoserve as jury members on Australian Academy's inaugural BestAsian Film Award.
"We are proud to honour the work of our Asian neighbours,whose films are more popular in Australia than ever before,and to recognise the rich storytelling from this regionthrough the inaugural AACTA Award for Best Asian Film.
"The nine nominees form a unique snapshot of the finestAsian films released in Australia in the last year and are allmust see films," AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella said.
The AACTA said the competition for the nomination fromthe list of eligible Asian films released in Australia wasfierce. PTI NC RDSRDS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.