Ashley to take part in the IFFS General Assembly

Ashley Ratnavibhushana, the President of the Asian Film Centre and Board Member and Jury Coordinator of the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) has left to Tunisia on an invitation extended by the International Federation of Film Societies (IFFS) to participate at its General Assembly held at Hammameth, Tunisia from April 1 to 7. Earlier he has served as the Secretary of the Asian Region of this Federation. When he took part in the General Assembly of IFFS held in Helsinki, Finland in 1983 he presented a paper on "New Advances in Audio Visual Technology". He has also participated IFFS General Assemblies held in Reggio Calabria, Italy in 2001 and 2003.

He joined Film Critics and Journalists Association (FCJAC) in 1969 and played key role in establishing Sri Lanka Branch of the OCIC in 1972 along with Rev. Fr. Ernest Poruthota. One of the founder members of the NETPAC in 1990, he was instrumental in establishing Asian Film Centre in 1991 which makes a continuous contribution to promote a film culture in Sri Lanka.

A distinguished member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), Ratnavibhushana has participated in several international film festivals in various capacities as Jury Chairperson, Jury Member and Delegate. Also he has introduced several Sri Lankan films and their directors to international film festivals. Recently he has co-authored a book with M L M Mansoor on "Early Sri Lankan Cinema and its Association with the South Indian Film Industry" and also edited a Sinhala book on "Documentaries and Newsreels produced by Government Film Unit" which was published by Department of Information.