International Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Buddhist Film Festival and Exhibition:

Movies to celebrate Vesak

Amalshan GUNERATHNE

Wrapped in the serene essence of Buddha's spiritual glory, many souls are celebrating the Vesak festival season in grand fashion. BMICH invites all to cherish the season with an artistic cinematic experience with the launch of the International Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Buddhist Film Festival and Exhibition which is taking place at the moment and will go on till May 22.

The festival showcases short films, feature films, documentaries, animations and mobile films which revolve around Buddhist themes. Films can be watched in jumbo screens at the BMICH premises.

"Cinema is a universal language. We need to carry the spiritual essence of Buddhism to the hearts of local and international community. We need to communicate His teachings of compassion to mankind.

I feel that the cinema is the ideal medium to carry its essence to the people's hearts," media co-coordinator of the event Edwin Ariyadasa said.

After the film festival, they expect to give away awards for the movie makers in a grand award ceremony which is set to take place in June.

To add glamour to the festival, Bollywood celebrity sensation Manisha Koirala is also here in Sri Lanka. Manisha is yet to confirm whether she will play a role in the proposed film on Prince Siddhartha which is set to be inaugurated during the film festival. An exhibition of photos and artifacts sent from neighbouring Buddhist countries is also being shown during the festival days.

"There is heightened sense of awareness and interest towards this year's Vesak festive season. Even the UN has declared Vesak Day to be a holiday and therefore the time is ideal to carry the essence of Buddhism to the community," Ariyadasa added.

Apart from the film festival and exhibition, they also organized a special pageant called Sambudu Pelahara which travelled around the city on the opening day.

The pageant featured a whole parade of motor floats where school students travelled enacting stories from Buddha's life. "It is a special day.

I believe we should celebrate this day in grand fashion.

The world has gone through a lot in recent years. Even as we speak now, the world is troubled by armed conflicts and uncontrolled terrorism. Death lurks in unexpected places. The world is full of violence. People are anxious.

Therefore, our motive is to highlight the importance of the Buddha's teachings during these chaotic times," Ariyadasa further noted.