Singapore did not just roll out the luxurious red carpet at the Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA), it also dominated the scoreboard with Japan. The absolute talk of the town was secured by Singapore’s own Ivory Chia, who made history as the youngest ever winner.

The Fifth Parlour was on the ground, capturing the pure essence of these victories. The tension of the competition gave spur-of-the-moment reactions as winners stepped off the stage, some with tears of joy. We conducted quick, fiery interviews to capture essential yet immediate reactions, and these are what the winners had to say:

At just nine years old, Ivory Chia became the winner for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in local drama series; Emerald Hill: The Little Nonya Story. When asked about the win, Chia thanked her parents for their full support and shared a powerful life lesson she learnt from acting, “to always help anyone in need.” Her heartwarming message turned a spectacular victory into an inspiring moment.

Hisyam Hamid won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in the Malaysian drama series, Memori. His on-screen father, Dato Hilal Azman, praised him once again as they presented the award. The Singaporean actor felt honoured and emphasized the importance of staying grounded and humble. He added that the trophy is dedicated to his mother for her long-standing support of his acting career, saying “this will be in the display case at her home!”

The Best Direction (Non-Fiction) award went to Director Rowena Loh from Ochre Pictures for her powerful documentary-drama, Karikal Mahal: A Silent Witness that premiered on Mediacorp Channel NewsAsia. Loh gave her heartfelt thanks to the “unsung heroes” of the project who were critical to the story and research. When asked to sum up the unexpected win, she proudly declared in Singlish: “Very Steady National Pride!“, marking this achievement as a major moment for Singaporean content on a global scale.

A notable mention goes to the winner for Best Theme Song or Title Theme for Bebas by Andy Gan, Afrah Athasha and Zalelo for Korban Part 2. The Malay and Maori language drama by Mediacorp and Monochromatic Pictures won by a margin of 0.02!

Staged at Singapore’s historic Capitol Theatre, the AACA brought together nominees from 11 Nations and Territories competing fiercely across 40 categories. It was a tight competition where the top contenders were often separated by a single decimal point, making it an intense showcase of Asia-Pacific content and creatives in the world.

The Fifth Parlour would like to thank Asian Academy Creative Awards 2025 for the invitation.