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TV Times

SIGNIS 2003 to salute outstanding artistes
By Susitha R. Fernando
To salute the talented performers in both the silver and small screen, SIGNIS (OCIC and UNDA) Award Ceremony will be held on December 29 from 6.00 pm at Elphinstone theatre. This year’s chief guest will be the President of the International Organisation of SIGNIS Rev. Fr. Peter Malon.

The awards will be given to twenty six films screened during the year 2002 and twelve teledramas that ended its telecast during the year 2002.An assessment of the artistic quality of all sections in both the forms will be done in this regard.
A show that has consecutively been held over a 29 year period will have as this year’s theme ‘promoting a culture of peace internationally’.

At tomorrow’s event the key-note address will be on ‘The role of the mass communication in building up peaceful culture’ and is to be delivered by Colombo University’s Mass Communication Department Head, Dr. Tudor Weerasinghe.

Speaking about SIGNIS Salutation 2003, its Director for Lanka and General Secretary for Asia, Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando said this is the successive 29th year this felicitation is being held.

Asked about SIGNIS Fr. Cyril Gamini said the name is derived from two Latin terms meaning ‘symbol of fire’. It is called ‘World Catholic Association for Communication’.

“For five years from 1995 to 2000 awards were given separately- OCIC awards for cinema and UNDA awards for TV and radio. But SIGNIS was created in November 2001 with the merger of the two organizations (Unda, for radio and television; and OCIC, for cinema and audiovisual) that were created in 1928,” he said.

Describing its activities Fr. Gamini said, “Its very diversified programmes cover fields such as the promotion of films or television programmes the creation of radio, video, and television studios, production and distribution of programmes, supplying specialized equipment, training professionals...

SIGNIS has consultative statutes with UNESCO, Ecosoc (United Nations in Geneva and New York), the Council of Europe. SIGNIS is officially recognized by the Vatican as a Catholic organization for communication.

“Each year, SIGNIS is invited by the organisers of around thirty international film and television festivals (juries at important festivals: Cannes, Berlin, Monte Carlo, Venice, Ouagadougou..). SIGNIS organises its own juries- or- ‘ecumenical’ juries in collaboration with the Protestant organisation Interfilm and awards prizes to film in competition.

“In addition SIGNIS salutation is held in separate countries and Sri Lanka is one of which had been conducting it very successfully,” Fr. Gamini said.

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