Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ‘Drive My Car’ the big winner at 2021 Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car was the big winner at the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The Japanese entry for the International Feature Film Oscar won best film, which the director shared with producer Teruhisa Yamamoto, and best screenplay, which he shared with Oe Takamasa.

“I’m deeply honored that our film was selected not only for the Best Screenplay but also for the Best Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards,” said the filmmaker.

Hamaguchi continued, saying “I’d like to thank Mr. Haruki Murakami for his original work. Our film is based on his novel Drive My Car. We made many changes to the original, and Mr. Murakami let us write freely. We deeply appreciate Mr. Murakami’s decision to share his story with us. Also, I’d like to thank Mr. Takamasa Oe, our co-writer, for his advice and support. Without his presence and contribution, the screenplay would never be completed.”

Review: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s 3-hour ‘Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー)’ is a detailed and meticulous ride that will quietly reward your patience [Grade: B+]

Asghar Farhadi took home achievement in directing for A Hero and the acting prizes went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana and Merab Ninidze for House Arrest.

Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, to Abdullah Mohammad Saad for Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson.

The five-member International Jury was comprised of: President, French/Vietnamese filmmaker Trần Anh Hùng, Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, Director of Sydney Film Festival Nashen Moodley (Australia), Indian photographer, screenwriter and filmmaker Sooni Taraporevala and President of Heaven Pictures and Director of China Film Foundation – Wu Tianming Film Fund for Young Talents, Janet Wu (People’s Republic of China).

Tracey Vieira, Chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, said, “The Asia Pacific Screen Academy remains fiercely committed to supporting and celebrating the screen industries of Asia Pacific, and I congratulate all the winners in the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and acknowledge the many extraordinary nominees whose work we honored here tonight.”

Here is the full list of winners.

BEST FEATURE FILM

Drive My Car
Japan
Directed by Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI
Produced by Teruhisa YAMAMOTO


JURY GRAND PRIZE (2 winners)

Abdullah Mohammad SAAD for Rehana (Rehana Maryam Noor)
Bangladesh, Qatar, Singapore

and

Leah PURCELL for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson
Australia


BEST YOUTH FEATURE FILM

Moving On (Nam-mae-wui Yeo-reum-bam)
Republic of Korea
Directed by YOON Dan-bi
Produced by YOON Dan-bi, KIM Gi-hyeon


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

The Nose or The Conspiracy of Mavericks (Nos ili zagovor netakikh)
Russian Federation
Directed by Andrey KHRZHANOVSKY
Produced by Andrey KHRZHANOVSKY


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

Sabaya
Sweden
Directed by Hogir HIRORI
Produced by Antonio RUSSO MERENDA, Hogir HIRORI


ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Asghar FARHADI for A Hero (Ghahreman)
Islamic Republic of Iran, France


BEST SCREENPLAY

Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI, OE Takamasa for Drive My Car
Japan


ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

NGUYỄN Vinh Phúc for Taste (Vị)
Vietnam, Singapore, France, Thailand, Germany


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS

Azmeri HAQUE BADHON for Rehana (Rehana Maryam Noor)
Bangladesh, Qatar, Singapore


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR

Merab NINIDZE for House Arrest (Delo)
Russian Federation


CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARD UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF UNESCO

Children of the Sun (Gaadi)
Sri Lanka
Directed by Prasanna VITHANAGE
Produced by Sandya SALGADO, Alan MCALEX, Ajay RAI, H D PREMASIRI, Prasanna VITHANAGE


YOUNG CINEMA AWARD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NETPAC AND GFS

LÊ Bảo for Taste (Vị)
Vietnam, Singapore, France, Thailand, Germany


FIAPF AWARD

Sergey Selyanov

• Author
• Recent Posts

Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)

• 2025 Oscar Predictions: SUPPORTING ACTOR (November) - November 21, 2024
• 2025 Oscars: Eligibility Lists for Animated Feature, Documentary Feature and International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards - November 21, 2024
• Nava Mau, Sean Wang Among 2024 BAFTA Breakthroughs Championing New ‘Must-Watch’ Creatives - November 21, 2024