SLFDG joins hands with Okinawa International Movie Festival

by Suvendrini Kakuchi in Japan

A plan by the Sri Lanka Film Directors Guild (SLFDG) to hold a Colombo International Film Festival, (CIFF) the first in the country, was presented at the Okinawa International Movie Festival (OIMF) that completed its sixth year in Japan on March 24.

Film director Asoka Handagama, presented a draft plan for CIFF that is slated for September this year.

He said the prospects of the CIFF described as a window to the best South Asian films. An international audience representing high-profile representatives of the entertainment industry attended the session.

The key features of the scheduled CIFF will include film workshops, seminars and trainings for the public.

Handagama, who also works at the Central Bank of Ceylon, outlined the invaluable role played by the film festival in the ongoing glittering makeover of Colombo city through the presence of global artists and its close liaison with Japan.

The CIFF will include a special section on the latest of Japanese films that are screened in the OMIF that has carved a reputation in East Asia as a much-awaited island film festival.

The top sponsor of CIFF will be Yoshimoto Kogyou, Japan's leading entertainment company that launched the OMIF with the Okinawan prefectural government.

Discussions to link the two film festivals was launched late 2013 based on the theme of turning the international limelight on the beauty of islands and their special culture.

One of the main concepts of the OMIF is to recognise the beauty of Okinawa, Japan's most southern island that is blessed with pristine beaches, warm hospitality and rich biodiversity.

The development of the archipelago, known as the Ryukyu islands, is closely supported by the mainland given its hosting of the US military bases.

The OMIF is the brainchild of Hiroshi Osaki, President of Yoshimoto Kogyo who said the festival is a precious event for locals to meet with the participating prestigious international artistes.

The festival has grown annually - the red carpet this year drew almost 60,000 people to the event that was also staged for the first time in the local shopping street based on its goal of reaching out to the public.

"Collaboration with the experience of OMIF is a crucial opportunity for Sri Lanka's CIFF," said director Bennet Ratnayake, who also participated.