TV Times

TV Times

Cannes focuses Lanka
By Susitha R. Fernando
This year’s Cannes International Film Festival has focused its special attention on Sri Lanka. Four Sri Lankan films Dharmasena Pathiraja’s Ponmani, Asoka Handagama’s Thani Thatuwen Piyambanna (Flying with one Wing), Prasanna Vithanage’s Ira Madiyama (August Sun) and Sudath Rohana’s Udugang Yamaya (Against the Tide).

The films will be screened with other selections from Morocco, South Africa, Mexico, Austria, Peru, and the Philippines. Morocco’s selection will be the first to be screened at the festival when it inaugurates Tous les Cinémas du Monde in 2005, a programme dedicated to the presentation by selected countries of a spectrum of their cinematographic creation.

This programme, the first of its kind was screening films which represents each country’s heritage, cultural, economic and political background. The new theatre Cinéma du monde in the Village International - Pantiero will host a different country every day during the festival period from May 14 to 20.

The setting for the Cannes festival is the Village International. It is an area which runs alongside the picturesque Palais des festivals and the beach and the old port. This environment has gained worldwide recognition from the film world. The Village International will host a different country everyday.

Young filmmaker Vimukthi Jayasundara’s film, Sulanga Enu Pinisa (Forsaken Land) will be screened at the competitive section of this year’s festival. The director’s maiden film will be screened within the official category Un Certain Regard competition for the Camera d’ Or (Golden Camera) which will be awarded for the Best Director for the first feature film at the 58th International Cannes Film Festival.

Sulanga Enu Pinisa is the second Sri Lankan film that reached the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival after a period of nearly five decades. Dr. Lester James Peries’s Rekhawa which heralded a new era for the Sri Lankan cinema away from the stereotype South Indian films was the first to be screened.

Sri Lankan film audience will keep their fingers crossed when Cannes IFF will air our films with hope of getting international recognition and renown.

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