Yash Chopra, Kazakh comedy win at Asia-Pacific Screen Awards

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - A Kazakh comedy about a family coping with the harsh life of sheep and goat herding on a barren landscape took top honours at the second annual Asia-Pacific Screen Awards on Tuesday.

The movie "Tulpan", the first feature film by Kazakh documentary-maker Sergey Dvortsevoy, is set in southern Kazakhstan and tells of a young nomad who returns from military service to a family yurt and tries to win the heart of his neighbour, Tulpan.

The film, which won several awards including the top prize in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival, beat Hong Kong's "Men Jeuk" (Sparrow), Turkish film "Uc Maymun" (Three Monkeys), "Om Shanti Om" from India, and China's "The Red Awn" for top prize.

Yash Chopra, founder of Yashraj Films and a major player in the Indian film industry, was awarded the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations) Award for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia-Pacific region.

Israeli actress Hiam Abbass won the award for best actress for her role in Israeli movie "Etz Halimon" (Lemon Tree), which also won the award for best screenplay, while the best actor award went to Iranian Reza Naji for his performance in "Avaze Gonjeshk-Ha" (The Song of Sparrows).

Des Power, chairman of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards that were set up last year to help promote films from the Asia-Pacific internationally, said the region was "the emerging giant of cinema".

"The quality and depth of story-telling amazed not only our jury this year but is certain to attract more audience at the global level," Power said in a statement after announcing the awards in a ceremony on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

"There is a growing fascination and respect for films from this diverse region."

A total of 32 films from 17 countries were finalists in the awards, an international cultural initiative by the state government of Queensland, with winners coming from Kazakhstan, Israel, Korea, Australia, Turkey, Iran, and China.