Anomaa’s ‘No More Land’ Wins Satyajit Ray Award
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Acclaimed Sri Lankan filmmaker Anomaa Rajakaruna has once again brought international recognition to the country’s documentary film scene, with her latest work ‘No More Land’ winning the Satyajit Ray Bronze Award at the 8th South Asian Short Film Festival held in Kolkata, India. The festival took place from July 7 to 13, celebrating outstanding short films from across South Asia.
Anomaa Rajakaruna
Commissioned by the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka in 2024, ‘No More Land’ explores land disputes and displacement in the Ampara District, tracing the complex socio-political aftermath of the Gal Oya Project, Sri Lanka’s first major post-independence resettlement and agricultural scheme. Through poignant storytelling and sensitive documentation, the film sheds light on a rarely discussed but deeply significant chapter of Sri Lanka’s history.
This is the second time Anomaa has won the prestigious Satyajit Ray Bronze Award, having previously received it for her documentary ‘Cross of Justice’ at the festival’s 6th edition in 2022. The latest accolade marks her fourth international award in as many years.
Most recently, her short film ‘Forward Drive’ earned a Special Jury Prize at the 3rd International Sports Film Festival of India, further cementing her reputation as one of South Asia’s leading voices in documentary cinema.
Ampara, an administrative district in Sri Lanka was established in 1961 as a direct outcome of The Gal Oya project – Sri Lanka’s first major resettlement and agricultural scheme following independence. The district was formed to host an influx of settlers from across the country, and to manage the rapid infrastructure development driven by the project.
Over the last seven and a half decades, generations of these settlers belonging to all ethnicities, have shared the land with its original inhabitants, the indigenous Adivasi community. Together they have lived through testing circumstances which have shaped and strained their relationship with the land. No More Land tells their story – of displacement, of conflict and fear, of claim to land or lack thereof, through the voices of eleven women.
The film’s creative team includes Mahinda Abeysinghe as cinematographer, Saman Alvitigala as editor, and Aruna Sanjaya as sound recordist. The music was composed by Heshan Kuruppu, who also contributed to sound design alongside Sasika Ruwan Marasinghe. Dinindu Jagoda served as the colourist, while the research team comprised Samanthi Udagedara, Suminda Janaka, and Dinuki Panditharatne.
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