‘No-war, no-peace’ film scoops Cannes award

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 May 2005, 14:05 GMT]
A Sinhala director’s film has been selected for an award at the Cannes film festival. Vimukthi Jayasundara’s ‘Sulanga Enu Pinisa’ (The Forsaken Land), the joint winner of the Caméra d'Or award on Saturday, explores the difficulties of people’s lives in a ‘no-war-no peace’ climate.

‘The Forsaken Land’ tied with ‘Me And You And Everyone We Know’ by Miranda July for the award.

Accepting his award, Mr. Jayasundara, 27, said “this is a prize for Asia and Sri Lanka, and I'm very proud.”

Vimukthi Jayasundara.

The film is set in Sri Lanka in an indefinite and desolate post-war setting, almost in the middle of nowhere, its promotional material says, with the quote: "God is absent, but still the sun rises, over a lonely home between two trees in a forsaken land."

The film sought to capture "the strange mood which occupies the no-war-no-peace quagmire where public life has been the casualty for too long, and an air of evilness and sickness not only sneaks into people's minds and souls but also haunts their physical selves," Mr. Jayasundara told reporters whilst shooting it.

In comments to media this weekend, Mr. Jayasundara said: “I try to express myself despite a difficult situation I had making this film and it's quite an experimental work.”

The film is to be distributed in United States, Germany and Spain whilst distributors are being sought for Sri Lanka’s audiences, sources said.

Mr. Jayasundara seemed taken aback by his sudden publicity in the wake of the award.

"When this happens [award is won] people focus on individuals instead of the film,” he told TamilNet by telephone Sunday. "But it is the film that matters in the end, and I hope people go and see it and make their own minds up."