The 11th edition of the Jaffna International Cinema Festival (JICF) is underway, marking another milestone for international cinema in Sri Lanka.
The festival kicked off on December 30 at the Jaffna Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre (JTCC) with the screening of the Indian Khasi-language film The Elysian Field (Ha Lyngkha Bneng), setting a reflective and cross-cultural tone for the event.
Welcoming filmmakers and cinephiles to Jaffna, Sai Murali, Consul General of India in Jaffna, invited audiences to actively engage in the festival’s screenings and discussions, highlighting cinema’s role as a powerful medium for cultural exchange.
Prof. Ankuran Dutta, Director of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) at the High Commission of India in Colombo, spoke about India’s long-standing association with the festival, noting that sustained collaboration has helped strengthen cinematic ties between India and Sri Lanka over the years.
Festival Director Anoma Rajakaruna expressed gratitude to the Indian missions for their continued support, describing it as vital to sustaining Sri Lanka’s only international film festival. She said the current edition received over 200 film submissions from India across various categories, with Indian films forming a significant share of the official selections among entries from 17 participating countries.
In a social media post, the director of the opening film, Pradeep Kurwah, thanked Jaffna and the festival, describing the opening night as special and observing that cinema “quietly and beautifully builds bridges.” He also acknowledged the efforts of the Festival Director and the Director of SVCC in selecting the film as the opening feature. Assamese director Bhargav Saikia’s ‘Bokshi’ is also in the official selection of the debut film category.
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As part of its continuing events, the festival on December 31 marked the birth centenary of legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. A masterclass conducted by Prof. Ankuran Dutta at the JTCC was followed by a screening of Ghatak’s acclaimed film Subarnarekha, reaffirming cinema’s enduring ability to explore themes of history, displacement and human resilience.
