MUMBAI: Two films - Dharm (India) and Lucky Miles (Australia) – both forerunners vying for the best film award category, finished together at the Asian Festival of 1st Films (AFFF) Awards in Singapore.

In honour of the efforts by these first-time filmmakers, this festival was graced by international film celebrities including Auraeus Solito (Philippines), Josie Ho (Hong Kong) and Nagesh Kukunoor (India). Several first-time filmmakers, including nominees of the 23 feature films and documentaries from 17 countries, attended the week-long festival.

AFFF is a key event of the Asia Media Festival (AMF) 2007, which is hosted by the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA). This year, AFFF received over 500 submissions from 53 countries, from which a selection of films and documentaries were nominated in the 9 award categories by an eminent selection committee.

MDA CEO, Dr Christopher Chia said, “AFFF continues to be one of the highlists of AMF that celebrates the excellence of first-time filmmakers across Asia. The films shown over the last week captured the remarkable depth of talent and untapped potential within the region.”

“It was an extremely hard decision to make this year, as the submissions were all top class and impressive in terms of film production, acting, script and cinematography. While the decision of a winner was hard to make, the overall festival presented an excellent showcase of what the future holds for the Asian filmmaking industry,” said festival director Sanjoy Roy. “This year’s results also validate the very premise of the festival as a platform for the best first-time film producers, new emerging talent that is garnering increasing attention in the global film industry.”

“Asia’s diversity, daily complexities and visually spectacular locations dominated this year’s film festival. From the steppes of Mongolia to the depths of the Pacific Ocean, filmmakers struggled to capture the essence of daily life filled with trials and tribulations, sorrow and joy, and did so with great skill. The awards are a tribute to their excellence in the craft of filmmaking,” Roy added.

Nine awards and the Foreign Correspondents Association Purple Orchid Award were also presented tonight after a week-long festival from 27 November – 4 December 2007 held at Golden Village Vivocity, The Arts House and HOUSE@Dempsey.

For the best producer category, the jury decided to give the awards to Jo & Lesley Dyer from Australia, who produced the film Lucky Miles. The best director category was won by Kabir Khan who directed the Hindi film Kabul Express.

The summary of awards presented at the ceremony is as follows:

Best Film
Dharm, Bhavna Talwar (India)
Lucky Miles, Jo & Lesley Dyer (Australia)

Best Producer
Lucky Miles, Jo & Lesley Dyer (Australia)

Best Director
Kabul Express, Kabir Khan(India)

Best Screenplay / Script
Keeping Watch, Fen Fen Cheng (Taiwan)

Best Cinematography
Family On Sky Lake, Hu Linping (China)

Best Actor Male
Khadak, Batzul Khayankhyarvaa (Germany)

Best Actor Female
Vanaja, Mamatha Bhukya (India)
Khadak, Tsetsge Byambaa (Germany)

Best Documentary
The Boy Who Died Of Fear, Idit Avrahami (Israel)

Asian Festival of 1st Films Special Citation for the Best Anthropological Documentary
The Last Lumberjacks, Yu Guangyi (China)

Best Director of Documentary
Richard, Maya Newell (Australia)

Foreign Correspondents Association Purple
Orchid Award
Kabul Express, Kabir Khan (India)

Each winner received a Swarovski trophy. The winner of the Best Film and Best Director received a cash prize sponsored by MDA. The Best Cinematographer went home with a Royal Caribbean Cruise Award. In addition, the presenters each received a limited edition watch from Time Watch.