The Philippines scored 3 nominations in the prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Awards courtesy of director Brillante Mendoza, script writer Chris Martinez and superstar Nora Aunor!

The country’s superstar, Nora Aunor, has received another recognition for her performance in the critically-acclaimed film “Thy Womb.” After winning the Bisato d’ Oro Award in Venice last month, she is now nominated for Best Actress in the prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

PH’s most-awarded actress is vying against South Korea’s Cho Min-Soo for “Pieta”, Russia’s Darya Ekamasova for “Zila bila odna baba” (“Once Upon a Time There Lived a Simple Woman”), Pakistan’s Humaima Malick for “Bol” and India’s Vidya Balan for “The Dirty Picture”.

On the other hand, Aunor’s director in “Thy Womb”–Brillante Mendoza–is nominated for Best Director. The Cannes-winning filmmaker is vying against India’s Anurag Kashyap for “Gangs of Wasseypur,” China’s Cheng Er for “Lethal Hostage,” Turkey’s Reis Çelik for “Lal gece (Night of Silence),” and Iran’s Khosro Masoumi for “Khers (Bear).”

Meanwhile, writer-director Chris Martinez also received a nomination for his screenplay for the 2011 Cinemalaya Best Picture “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank”. Martinez is up against China’s Cheng Er for “Lethal Hostage”, Turkey and Greece’s Emin Alper for “Tepenin Ardi” (“Beyond the Hill”), Turkey’s Reis Çelik for “Lal gece” (“Night of Silence”), and Pakistan’s Shoaib Mansoor for “Bol”.

According to its official website http://www.asiapacificscreenacademy.com, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards is a cultural initiative established in 2007 by the Australian government in cooperation with UNESCO to promote the films and filmmakers of the Asia-Pacific region to a global audience.

The winners will be chosen by an international jury and it will be announced on November 23, 2012, at the Playhouse Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Complex in Brisbane, Australia.

For the complete list of nominees, click HERE.