The Motion Picture Association and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) have opened the 2026 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, offering five $10,000 script development grants to filmmakers across the Asia Pacific region. The announcement came during MPA American Film Night in Bangkok, paired this year with MPA Thailand Success Stories at the Rosewood Hotel.
Now in its 17th cycle, the grant is reserved for APSA Academy members and their collaborators. Sompot Chidgasornpongse, a 2021 recipient whose grant came through producer Apichatpong Weerasethakul, unveiled the 2026 edition; the resulting film, “9 Temples to Heaven,” premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight sidebar this year.
APSA chair Tracey Vieira said the fund has remained one of the organization’s most significant initiatives, supporting filmmakers beyond festival recognition. Winners will be named Oct. 30 at APSA’s 18th awards ceremony on the Gold Coast, Australia.
The BBC has published its Commissioning Report for 2025/26, showing investment of £1.5 billion ($2.01 billion) in original TV content and £400 million ($536 million) in original radio content, working with 310 independent TV production companies and 269 radio production companies across the U.K. Some 59% of network TV commissioning spend went to the Nations and English regions, with almost 70% of TV hours qualifying as regional productions, above the BBC’s 50% quota. Radio commissioning outside London reached 45.8%.
