An Agenda to prepare tomorrow’s filmmakers
View(s):- 14th Agenda 14 Short Film Festival 2024
By Susitha Fernando
Young filmmaker Soban Velrajah’s ‘Thaththarasamayam’ (Crisis) was awarded the Best Short Film while Abishek Palraj’s’The Empty Bed’ won the Jury Award at the Agenda 14 Short Film Festival last week.
Held for the 14the consecutive time, the festival went on from December 9 to 11 at the Goethe-Institut and Alliance Française de Colombo screening 40 film out of nearly 60 films submitted representing 13 districts including ; Batticaloa, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Matara, Mullaitivu, and Nuwara Eliya.
With the aim of promoting the work of young filmmakers in Sri Lanka, the festival was started in 2011 by renowned filmmaker and jury member Anomaa Rajakaruna.
“Every year the festival acknowledges the work of talented young men and women under several categories. During the last decade this festival has grown into a fully-fledged film festival awarding Best Short Film, Jury Prize, Most Gender Sensitive Film, the Sunila Abeysekera Memorial Human Rights Prize, Best Animated Short Film, Best Short Documentary Film, Green Award for films on environmental themes and acknowledging outstanding performances, screenplays, editing, cinematography and production design,” festival organisers announced in a statement.
Among the other winners were Selvakumar Rinoshan who won ‘The Most Gender Sensitive Film for his ‘Aasanam’ , Sunila Abeysekera Memorial Human Rights Prize by Dinesh Balasri for ‘Sagavaram’ (The Blessing of Immortality), Best Micro Short Film (‘Unseen’) by Rino Shanth, the Best Animated Short Film (‘Lunch Box’) by Shazeen Thalha, Special Jury Mention for Animation (‘Catch the Sunrise’) by Drew de Silva and the Most Promising Filmmaker for Prabhashwara Devmina Serasinghe for ‘Shadows of Sorrow’ and Muhammad Hamzah Faleel for ‘The Invisible Boy’ produced by the Educational Media Unit of Maris Stella College, Negombo.
The Best Cinematography award was won by Soban Velrajah for ‘Thaththarasamayam’ (Crisis) while the Best Editor was won by Abishek Palraj for ‘The Empty Bed’, the Award for Most Outstanding performance by Kanth Ruban ‘Thaththarasamayam’ (Crisis) and the Audience Choice Award was won by ‘The Empty Bed’ by Abishek Palraj.
The festival recognises the next generation of filmmakers by presenting the Award for the Most Promising Filmmaker to a filmmaker under 24 years of age. Two new award categories namely; Best Micro Short Film and Best Experimental Film which were introduced at the 12th edition of the festival was included this year too.
In partnership with the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg, Germany, this year the festival presented 06 short films made by several international students of the academy. The line up included a short film titled ‘Showboat Sailor’ made by 2 Sri Lankan students Charith De Silva and Lahiru Madushanka, which was also the closing film of the festival this year.
At this edition of the festival, Vimukthi Jayasundara, Anasuya Subasinghe, Sumudu Athukorala, Anusha Sivalingam and Kaushalya Pathirana served as jurors.
The festival was presented with the collaboration of Goethe-Institut, Embassy of France to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Alliance Française, US Embassy in Colombo, IMADR (The International Movement Against all forms Of Discrimination and Racism) and Centre for Policy Alternatives, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg, Germany and the IFA – Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations based in Stuttgart and Berlin.
Searching for that next furry family member but couldn’t find one in your area? Hitad.lk has the solution with our extensive listings of dogs for sale in Sri Lanka!