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The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers Associations announced today that Chinese film producer and director Zhang Yimou will be the 2011 recipient of the FIAPF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia-Pacific region.

The honour will be awarded at the fifth annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony on Australia's Gold Coast on November 24.

One of the world's most acclaimed filmmakers, Zhang Yimou's films have opened the eyes of the world to the wonders of Chinese cinema. As a young man, he donated blood for months to buy his first camera. His brilliant photography won him entry to the Beijing Film Academy where he graduated in 1982, alongside directors Chen Kaige and Tian Zhuangzhuang.

Zhang began work as a cinematographer shooting Chen Kaige's landmark film, Yellow Earth, which was widely seen as the start of a new era in Chinese filmmaking. Zhang Yimou is a leading member of the renowned Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, which brought increased popularity of Chinese cinema abroad.

As the recipient of the FIAPF Award, Zhang Yimou will be inducted into the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, joining fellow Fifth Generation filmmakers Tian Zhuangzhuang and Chen Kaige.

Zhang Yimou's many international film festival awards include the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Silver and Golden Lions at Venice and Berlin's Silver and Golden Bear.

He was the creative genius behind the spectacular opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and coordinated the celebrations for China's 60th anniversary in 2009.  Film Producer and Director Steven Spielberg has said Zhang Yimou had "obtained a stature shared by very few peers".

Zhang Yimou's brilliance was first revealed to the world in his 1987 directorial debut Red Sorghum, starring legendary Chinese actress Gong Li in her first leading role. Red Sorghum achieved international acclaim and box office success.  It won a Golden Bear for Best Picture at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival in 1988 and moved Zhang Yimou to the forefront of the world's cinema directors.

In 1990, Zhang's film Ju Dou became China's first Academy Awards nomination in the Best Foreign Film category. His next film, Raise the Red Lantern, was nominated the year after. Its outstanding use of colour captivated audiences and critics around the world. Such rich use of colour has become Zhang Yimou's hallmark across films including To Live, Hero and The House of Flying Daggers.

His films are also famed for their portrayal of the Chinese people's resilience in the face of adversity and hardship. The Story of Qiu Ju won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and To Live won the Jury's Grand Prix at the Cannes film Festival. Zhang Yimou's many films since include Shanghai Triad, The Curse of the Golden Flower, Keep Cool, Not One Less, The Road Home and Under the Hawthorn Tree.

Zhang Yimou headed the jury at Venice International Film Festival in 2007 and served as jury member at the 1993 Berlin International Film Festival.  Yale University awarded him an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts in 2010, describing him as "a genius with camera and choreography".  He also received the Special Grand Prix of the Americas for his exceptional contribution to cinema at Montreal's World Film Festival in 1995.

His current project, The Flowers of War, set for a December release in China is considered one of the most ambitious films ever made in China and stars Christian Bale and Shigeo Kobayashi.

Zhang Yimou is the fifth person to be honoured by FIAPF through their partnership with the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Previous recipients are George Miller (2007), Yash Chopra (2008), Isao Matsuoka (2009) and Christine Hakim (2010).

FIAPF President, Mr Luis Alberto Scalella, said: "The FIAPF Award aims to celebrate iconic professional and artistic careers in film production in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to his amazing creative contribution to the world of cinematography and film directing, FIAPF wishes to place emphasis on Zhang Yimou's outstanding role for increasing circulation and awareness of Chinese film production outside its national borders. I thank the Chinese Film Producers Association and its leaders for their strong support in accompanying FIAPF's will to celebrate the dynamism of Chinese film through the granting of the 2011 FIAPF Award to Zhang Yimou at the coming Asia Pacific Screen Awards."

The International Federation of Film Producers Associations is the only organisation of film and television producers with a global reach. FIAPF's mandate is to represent the common economic, legal and regulatory interests of film and audiovisual producers.

FIAPF members cover 26 producer organisations from 23 countries and five continents.

FIAPF is also the regulator of international film festivals, overseeing conventions between festivals and the film industry that build trust, cooperation, economic benefit and prestige.

A total of 37 films from 19 countries and areas across Asia-Pacific have been nominated in the 2011 Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The International Jury, headed by Hong Kong's Nansun Shi, will assemble on Australia's Gold Coast in mid November ahead of the APSA Ceremony on November 24.

The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an international cultural initiative of the Queensland Government through Events Queensland, in collaboration with UNESCO and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers Associations.

The 2011 Asia Pacific Screen Awards Ceremony will be webcast live through: http://www.asiapacificscreenacademy.com

To view the list of 2011 nominees, click here.

With more than thirty Australian and international nominees and representatives for the 2011 awards confirmed to attend, The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) now welcomes applications for accreditation from national and international media before November 21, 2011.

The 5th Asia Pacific Screen Awards will see more than 30 Australian and international nominees attend the November 24 ceremony on the Gold Coast. Winners in the fifth annual APSAs, the region's highest accolade in film, will be presented on the Gold Coast, Australia, on November 24, 2011. The ceremony will be attended by more than 500 film industry luminaries from the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Nominees from across all nine award categories are confirmed to attend the 2011 ceremony, from countries and areas including Australia, Egypt, Samoa, Turkey, Russian Federation, Islamic Republic of Iran, Philippines, Republic of Korea, India, People's Republic of China and Japan. A full list of nominees and guests attending will be announced closer to the event, however for further information relating to attendees for a particular film or from a particular country please contact the APSA publicity team.

Three days of activities in the stunning surrounds of Australia's Gold Coast will take place in the lead up to the Ceremony. Interviews and photo opportunities with the 2011 nominees and special guests will be available during this period.

APSA, an initiative of the Queensland Government in unique collaboration with UNESCO and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers Associations, acclaims films from 70 countries and areas: one third of the earth; and half the world's film output. Films are judged on cinematic excellence and the way in which they attest to their cultural origins.

A total of 37 films from 19 countries and areas across Asia-Pacific have been recognised in 2011 with APSA Nominations. Films from the Islamic Republic of Iran received a total of ten nominations in the Awards; films from the Russian Federation received six nominations; films from the Republic of Korea, People's Republic of China and Turkey received four; Australian, Japanese and Indian films received three; and Israeli films received two. Films from Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Hong Kong (People's Republic of China), New Zealand, The Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Taiwan, People's Republic of China (Tibet), each received one nomination.

Winners are determined by an International Jury of esteemed filmmakers who assemble on Australia's Gold Coast ahead of the APSA Ceremony. The 2011 Jury President is Hong Kong producer Nansun Shi, one of the region's most highly regarded film producers.

5th Annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards - Key Dates:
November 15 - 22, 2011 - International Jury arrive on the Gold Coast and commence deliberations
November 22, 2011 - Nominees arrive on the Gold Coast for 3 days of activities ahead of Ceremony
November 23, 2011 - MPAA President Senator Chris Dodd delivers 2011 APSA Keynote Address
November 24, 2011 - 5th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Ceremony

Orientada al público infantil y familiar, tal y como comenta su director Ignio Straffi, “la película enseña a los niños –pero no solamente-, también les invita a no escaparse de la realidad, sino a descubrir su coraje interior para afrontar las dificultades y situaciones inesperadas”.

Inspirado en el entrañable ballet, EL CASCANUECES 3D (The Nutcracker 3D) contiene ocho canciones del letrista y libretista ganador de un Oscar Sir Tim Rice (The Lion King, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) basadas en conocidas y apreciadas partituras de Tchaikovsky.

EL CASCANUECES 3D se rodó en 15 semanas con un presupuesto de 90 millones en los nuevos estudios cinematográficos de Pomaz y en unos exteriores cercanos, donde se recreó la “imaginada” Viena clásica.

Corren los años 20 en Viena. María, una niña a de 9 años vive en una casa repleta de objetos encantadores y soledad. Molestada por su irritante hermano Max y desatendida por sus bien intencionados pero distraídos padres, añora la compañía y la aventura. La víspera de Navidad su querido tío Albert llega con el regalo de un muñeco de madera cascanueces. Más tarde esa noche, la imaginación de Mary vuelve el muñeco a la vida. Presentándose como NC, lleva a Mary a un viaje maravilloso a través de una increíble dimensión donde los juguetes asumen forma humana y donde todo es diez veces más grande.

EL CASCANUECES 3D se estrenará el 23 de diciembre