'Newton', 'Sanju' nominated for Best Asian Film category at AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts)

Melbourne: Three Indian films, "Gali Guleiyan", "Sanju" and "Newton", have been nominated in the Best Asian Film category of Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards. The nominations were announced on Thursday and AACTA said the Asian films have contributed 36 million dollars at the Australian box office in last one year, signalling the immense popularity of Asian cinema Down Under. The AACTA Award for Best Asian Film was incepted to recognise the exceptional calibre of films from the Asian region as well as their growing popularity, not just with audiences domestically within Australasia but also globally. "This year's Best Asian Film nominees form a unique snapshot of the finest Asian films from the past year, from box-office hits and international film festival favourites to a Palme d'Or winner and multiple Best Foreign Language Film Oscar entries," AACTA said in a statement. Other nominees include South Korean film "1987 When The Day Comes", Taiwanese film "The Bold, The Corrupt and The Beautiful", two Chinese films, "Dying to Survive" and "Youth", Japanese film "Shoplifters" and "Tombiruo" from Malaysia. The winner will be determined by the jury led by Oscar winner Russell Crowe, who returns as its president. Veteran Bollywood actors Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher continue to be on the jury along with Australian film critic, producer and presenter Margaret Pomeranz. (PTI)