Jackie Chan and Anil Kapoor films lead 335 Asian Academy national wins

Films led by Jackie Chan and Anil Kapoor have opened Asia's awards season with national wins. Chan's The Shadow's Edge took Best Feature Film for Chinese Mainland. Kapoor's Subedaar took the same prize for India.

They are among 335 national winners named across 18 nations and territories and 39 categories, according to Variety. The list for the 2026 Asian Academy Creative Awards, the ninth edition of the prizes, was revealed by livestream from Singapore on 30 September, the Academy said.

Think of these as country-level finals. Each winner now goes forward to an international round. Grand winners will be named at a gala final at Singapore's Capitol Theatre in December.

Television delivered the biggest single haul. Chinese drama The Lead won six categories, more than any other title. Legend of the Magnate took a Best Drama Series prize.

Japan split its top honours. Alice in Borderland won Best Drama Series in Japan. Song of the Samurai won five categories.

Malaysia had two strong runs. Horror feature Malam Terlarang (Forbidden Night) won four categories, including Best Feature Film. Astro's Good Boys Go to Heaven took five Malaysian prizes, including Best Actor and the drama series prize.

Singapore's stand-out was animation. The Violinist, an animated feature, won three Singapore prizes: Best Feature Film, Best Animation and Best Screenplay.

Behind the titles, a few companies pulled clear. Mediacorp led with 23 wins in the national round. Prime Video India and Astro Malaysia each collected 19 wins. CNN took 15 wins.

Acting prizes added familiar names to the list. In the Philippines, Vice Ganda won Best Actor and advances to the international round, according to Manila Bulletin.

For fans, this means a watchlist. These 335 winners are now the shortlist. The December gala decides who takes the region.