Prasanna urges to empower filmmakers
View(s):- Jury Chair of Moscow IFF 2026
By Susitha Fernando
Sri Lankan cinema found a proud moment on the world stage when filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage stood before a global audience at the closing ceremony of the Moscow International Film Festival and spoke about the power of storytelling.
The Moscow International Film Festival, often ranked among the world’s top four film festivals and second only to the Venice Film Festival in age, celebrated cinema from April 16 to 23, 2026. In a rare honour for Sri Lanka, Prasanna was invited to Chair the Main Competition Jury, a role that placed him at the heart of global cinema.
Standing under the bright lights of the closing ceremony, he shared a powerful message: cinema must give strength to filmmakers who are struggling to keep their voices alive.
‘We are here not to take the power into our hands but to give the power to the filmmakers of tomorrow’ he said, receiving a gold chain in recognition of his role. His words echoed across the grand hall, reminding everyone that films are more than entertainment, they are voices for the voiceless.
Prasanna worked alongside an international jury that reflected the diversity of world cinema: Turkish filmmaker Mahmut Fazil Coskun, Spanish director Javier Rebollo, Russian actress Darya Ekamasova, Russian filmmaker Ivan Tverdovsky and Chinese actress Jin Sha. Together, they celebrated cinema that dared to speak truth in a world shaped by conflict and change.
For Prasanna, this moment was deeply personal. He grew up reading giants such as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Pushkin and Gogol. Their stories shaped his imagination long before he became a filmmaker.
‘My connection to Soviet Russia started when I was a child. Some of my favourite writers were Russians like Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov, Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol and many more’ he said.
His first stage play was inspired by the works of Alexander Vampilov. Later, Russian literature directly influenced his cinema. His film ‘Anantha Rathriya’ (Dark Night of the Soul) drew inspiration from Tolstoy’s novel Resurrection, while Oba Nethuwa Oba Ekka (‘with you and without you’) was based on Dostoevsky’s short story The Meek One. That film even took him to Russia for the first time, a journey that now feels like destiny.
As the festival curtains closed, Prasanna’s presence symbolised the growing global recognition of Sri Lankan cinema. His journey from reading Russian novels as a child to leading the jury of one of the world’s oldest film festivals felt almost cinematic itself.
It was a reminder that stories travel across borders and sometimes, they come full circle.
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