KIFF showcases award- winning global narratives
Dilshanie Perera
More than 15 full-length films from around the world will make their
Sri Lankan debut at the Kandy International Film Festival (KIFF) from
June 22 to 26 in locations around Kandy. Films from Bangladesh, France,
India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the
United States will be represented.
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Memories of a Burning Tree |
The five-day celebration of film and culture is something completely
unique in Sri Lanka, as it brings international and local award-winning
films together with a Sri Lankan audience for the first time. Over five
films are being screened for the first time in Asia, and all the films
featured in the Festival were released between 2009 and 2011. Most are
making their Sri Lankan debut during the KIFF days. The Festival’s major
goal is to provide a new avenue for artistic progress in the country by
opening up new spaces for a robust cultural dialogue, all while
promoting access to local and international films.
The opening night film for the festival is an exhilarating French
feature by David Dusa called Fleurs du Mal, which will be shown in an
adults-only screening on Wednesday, June 22 at 6:30 at the Open Air
Theatre at the University of Peradeniya. Dusa’s work is a coming-of-age
love story between Anahita, a beautiful young Iranian woman in exile in
Paris, and Gecko, a free-spirited break-dancer working as a bellhop in
one of the city’s hotels. Dusa will be present for a question and answer
session following the film.
Other international feature films include: I Am, by acclaimed Indian
director Onir, which weaves together four stories of contemporary India;
Bangladeshi film Meherjaan by Rubaiyat Hossain, which explores forbidden
love in a dramatic narrative; Memories of a Burning Tree, which takes
place in Tanzania and was created by Singaporean director Sherman Ong;
Mundane History by Thailand’s Anocha Suwichakornpong, which considers
ideas of existence and human connection; and the joint India-France
production Virgin Goat by Murali Nair, a humorous and engaging story
about a man on a quest. The directors will be present at the Festival
during screenings and question-and-answer sessions.
KIFF’s international documentaries cover topics as broad as the
environment and light pollution, a children’s global Koran-memorizing
competition, the story of a four-year-old marathoner, and the prospects
for building community in Sierra Leone. They are: ‘The City Dark’ by Ian
Cheney, ‘Koran by Heart’ by Greg Barker, Marathon Boy by Gemma Atwal,
and ‘Fambul Tok,’ directed by Sara Terry. Director Ian Cheney will also
be in attendance at the Festival.
‘This is a rare opportunity for Sri Lankans to view and discuss the
newest foreign films on the international festival circuit,’ said Samuel
Holt, KIFF director and co-founder. ‘Six of the international film
directors will be attending the festival, and will be present in talks
following the screenings as well as panel discussions during our
festival days. We are thrilled to be able to facilitate this exchange
between filmmakers from across the world and the public in Kandy.’
In addition to the global films, four new feature films by
award-winning Sri Lankan directors will be shown. Acclaimed director
Vimukti Jayasundera’s film, ‘Between Two Worlds’ will be making its Sri
Lankan debut on Saturday, June 25, and Prasanna Vithanage’s latest
feature ‘Aagaya Pookal’ will be shown on the same day. Chintana
Dharmadasa’s ‘How I Wonder What You Are’ will play on Thursday, June 23,
and ‘Nino Live’ by Thisara Imbulana will premier on Sunday, June 26.
Additionally, two documentaries, one about the Dutch Burgher community
in Sri Lanka called ‘Tropical Amsterdam’ by Alexa Schulz and the other
by native Kandyan Vishnu Vasu about poverty and inequity in India
entitled ‘Gandhi’s Children,’ will be screened as a double feature.
Panels will also be organized with leading Sri Lankan film
personalities, directors, and cinematographers. All such panels will be
held at the Kandy City Centre, and will deal have the following themes:
Directors’ discussion, Women Filmmakers, Composing Music for Film,
Moving Images short film premiere and discussion, and a
Cinematographer’s panel.
Festival hotel sponsors include Kandy House, Randholee Resort and
Theva Residency. Communications sponsors are Channel One MTV, Shakthi
FM, Shakthi TV, Sirasa FM, Sirasa TV, Y FM, and YES FM for television
and radio. Additionally, print media sponsors include the following Lake
House publications: Daily News, Dinamina, Sarasaviya,
Silumina,Sarasaviya and the Sunday Observer. The British Council,
Dialog, and Kandy City Centre are also Festival Partners. All are
invited to visit the film festival information centre at the Kandy City
Centre (KCC), where movie trailers will be screened, panel discussions
will be held, information will be distributed, questions can be
answered, and exciting events will take place from Monday, June 13 to
Sunday, June 26. A screening venue located on the same level of the KCC
will be playing films beginning Thursday, June 23 until Sunday, June 26. |
