The Unwanted Woman / The Extra Woman, a complex Iranian drama about an escaped (accused) murderer who gets entangled in a love triangle of sorts involving a 35-year-old woman, her husband, and a young widow, won the Best Film award at the 51st edition of the Asia-Pacific Film Festival, held in Taipei. (The Asia-Pacific Film Festival, organized by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers Asia-Pacific, is not to be confused with the recently wrapped Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, which was being held at the same time.)
In addition to the top prize, The Unwanted Woman won both the Best Director and the Best Screenplay awards for writer-director Tahmineh Milani.
According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Milani's work has been suppressed in Iran because of the director's controversial focus on the plight of women living under that country's radical Islamic regime. Milani was arrested by the Revolutionary Council in 2001, and has been threatened with execution.
The Unwanted Woman, known in Iran as The Extra Woman, stars Amin Hayaie, Merila Zarei, Parsa Piruzfar, and Elsa Firuz-Azar.
The Asia-Pacific Festival Grand Jury Award went to Bui Thac Chuyen's Living in Fear, the story of a Vietnam Democratic soldier trying to evade the ghosts of his past.
Korean peformers won three of the four acting honors: Lee Jae-eung won the Best Actor prize for his portrayal of an adolescent about to face adulthood in Saranghae malsoonssi / Bravo, My Life, Son Ye-jin was chosen Best Actress for her performance as an adulterous wife having an affair with a married man in Oechul / April Snow, and Byun Hee-bong was Best Supporting Actor for his attempts to fight a mutant monster in the box-office sensation Gwoemul / The Host.
The Best Supporting Actress award went to Taiwan's Lu Yi-jing for Shen hai / Blue Cha Cha, Taiwan's entry for the upcoming Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award.
Lifetime achievement awards were given to Hong Kong mogul Run Run Shaw, now near his 100th birthday, and to Japanese producer Shigeru Okada.
Full list of winners at the 2006 Asia-Pacific Film Festival.
Thessaloniki Film Festival 2006 Winners
Queens International Film Festival 2006 Winners
ICE CREAM I SCREAM at the 2006 Queens Film Festival