Vimukthi debut-Sulanga Ena Pinisa honoured at Cannes Film festival

Vimukthi Jayasundara will be the second Sri Lankan filmmaker to be honoured at the 58th International Cannes Film Festival which is due to be held from may 11 to 22.

Vimukthi is the second Sri Lankan film maker to be honoured after Dr. Lester James Peries. With this nomination Vimukthi joins the rarer group of film makers who were selected to the Cannes Film Festival with their debut feature film such as Satyajit Ray, Ingmar Bergman, Francois Truffaut, Dr. Lester James Peries, Shaji N. Karun and Samira Makhmalbaf.

Vimukthi's debut feature film Sunlanga Enu Pinisa (Foresaken Land) shot in Sri Lanka has been selected within the official selection 'Un Certain Regard' competition for the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera,which will be awarded for the Best Director for the first feature film.

The film script is written and directed by Vimukthi, co-produced by Phillppe Avril(Unlimited France) and Dr. Chandane Aluthge (Film Council Producer) in Sri Lanka. The Script of the film won the Prince Claus Film Grant Award for the best CineMart project at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2004. The Film was financed by the National Centre for Cinematography (CNC), European TV Channel Arte, with Onoma as world sales agent and French distributor.

The cast includes Mahendra Perera, Kaushalya Fernando,Nilupuli Jayawardana, Hemasiri Liyanage and Saumya Liyanage.

Channa Deshapriya, Director of Photography, Nadeeka Guruge, Music, Gisele Rapp-Melchler and Rukmal Nirosh, Editing.