SAARC Film Festival 2016
by Husna Inayathullah
The SAARC Film Festival 2016 will be held from June 1- 6, 2016 at the
National Film Corporation auditorium, organised by the SAARC Cultural
Centre (SCC) Colombo in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Foundation -
Digital Film Academy. "The SAARC Cultural Centre is looking for a
qualitative change in society through cultural aspects and cultural
films of this sort helps to promote my concept. The media plays a huge
role in promoting. Without media, there is no human development or
social progress," Director of SAARC Cultural Centre, Wasanthe Kotuwella
said at a press conference last week.
Momentum
The SAARC Film Festival held in Colombo, has over the past five years
gained momentum for promoting some of the best films from the SAARC
region. SAARC Film Festival celebrates the best of South Asian talent,
from feature films to short films depicting the manifold cultural traits
the region has to offer. The head of the Sri Lanka Foundation - Digital
Film Academy, Dhanushka Gunathilake explained about the films to be
screened and about the directors.
He said, "The best feature films and short films from the SAARC
region will be screened free of charge to the general public. It is an
oppurtunity to meet and interact with directors of these films during
the festival and a special master classes and workshops for film
directors and enthusiasts will also be held. The festival will open with
the screening of the feature film, Masaan directed by Neeraj Ghaywan.
The SAARC Film Festival in Colombo, marks an event unique to the
region, where through the medium of cinema, the Festival has become a
forum of people to people interaction, as well as a platform for
understanding and savouring of culture through the medium of cinema.
The films from different SAARC countries are not merely a tool of
entertainment, but rather one of cultural awareness as well as something
that would convey an inherent message indigenous to a particular SAARC
member country and to a particular region of the world.
The Festival has over the years grown, and this year in 2016, hopes
to expand, with workshops and parallel events that would further enhance
South Asian cinema. The Film Festival will give all member states an
opportunity to screen some of the best films from the region. This will
also be a unique opportunity for the general public as well to view some
of the best films from the SAARC Region.
Awards will be given to the Best Feature and Short Film which will be
adjudicated by a panel of international jury - this year from France,
Russia and Korea. All jury members are experts in the field and leading
several international film festivals. Parallel events such as master
classes, workshops and interactive sessions are being organised in
collaboration with the Sri Lanka Foundation- Digital Film Academy.
Nomination
In 2015, the best feature trophy was given to Sri Lanka for the film
Motor Bicycle directed by Shameera Rangana Naotunna. The silver medal
went to Bangladesh for the film Mrittika Maya directed by Gazi Rakayet
and the Maldives nomination of Insaana directed by Alii Seaxana won the
bronze medal. The award for the best short film was given to Nepal for
the film "Love? Lust? Life?" directed by Utpal Jha. The SAARC film
festival is bound to be a treat to all film enthusiasts and is open to
public free of charge. |
