Stars to shine at the Sumathi Awards soon

by Nilma Dole

A star-studded celebration will be unveiled at the Sumathi Awards 2008 on the 14th of June. A glitzy and glamorous night of fun and excitement will thrall movie stars and their fans at the BMICH.

Speaking at the press conference proceeding the awards night, head of the Sumathi Group Thilanga Sumathipala stated “We are pleased to hold the renowned Sumathi Awards for the 13th consecutive year because we believe in creating a good standard of cinema in Sri Lanka”. He mentioned that by recognising the dedicated efforts made by those in the film industry, it can develop and offer better productions that film-goers like to watch.

“By creating a standard for the Sinhala cinema industry, today obtaining a Sumathi award is a name of pride and recognition itself”, he added. They have got more than 200 entries for the awards and the merit will be based on the judging panel’s decisions.

The F&G group, part of Ceylinco Consolidated have come forward as Gold Sponsors for the event and its Director Mervin Jayasingha said “We are happy to be associated with the Sumathi Awards night and pledge to support it for three consecutive years”. He said that they hope to uplift the Sinhala cinema industry and help cinema patrons to be their best.

The Director of the Event A.D.Ranjith Kumara said “We have constantly supported new faces in the cinema industry and those who started small have now become big stars today”. About the new twist this year for the Sumathi awards he said “We have added a new category to award the best ‘Music Video’ especially for the youth, taking it to a new level”.

The category will offer a new perspective to cinema lovers because the industry has developed more than what it was initially. “We have got more than 150 entries for this category which proves that it is a popular aspect of cinema nowadays”.

Pix by: Priyantha Hettige.