Merab Ninidze wins best actor prize at Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2021

Georgian actor Merab Ninidze has won the best actor prize for his role in House Arrest at Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2021.

In the film, Ninidze plays David, a Russian professor who is falsely accused of embezzlement and placed under a house arrest after criticising the administration of his city on social media.

British film magazine Screen International described watching Ninidze's performance as 'abrasive pleasure.'

Another Georgian Levan Tediashvili was also listed among the best actor nominees for his role in Levan Koguashvili's Brighton 4th, which has been selected as Georgia's Oscar contender for the next Academy Awards for the Best International Feature Film category.

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A former Olympic wrestler himself, Tediashvili plays Kakhi in Brighton 4th, a retired wrestling champion, who travels to the US to help his son out of a gambling debt.

American entertainment outlet Variety praised Tediashvili's performance for being 'dignified' and 'quietly charismatic.'

During the award ceremony, Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili received a grant from the APSA Academy Film Fund for her upcoming project Historia.

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The 2021 Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony was held online from Queensland, Australia.