One of the few platforms to promote tomorrow’s filmmakers in Sri Lanka, the 12th Agenda 14 Short Film Festival was concluded last week announcing this year’s winners and nominees.
The young filmmakers have been recognised under 14 categories of awards such as best short film, jury award, most promising filmmaker, best experimental film, best micro short film, green award, Sunila Abeysekara memorial human rights prize, most gender sensitive film, best animated short film, best cinematographer, best editor, outstanding performance, special mention for performance and audience choice award.
Agenda 14 winners and nominees
Best Short Film - ‘Thotti Meengal’ by Nadaraja Manivanan, Jury Prize - ‘Ray’ by Anjelo Jones (Nominations for the best film - ‘Marred Circus’ by Kenistan John, ‘Dekona Vilakkuwa’ by Sureni Wasana Ranawaka, ‘Distance’ by Thisen Umagiliya) Most Promising Filmmaker - Sureni Wasana Ranawaka for ‘Dekona Vilakkuwa’, Best Experimental Film - Marred Circus by Kenistan Jones, Best Micro Short Film - Premonition by Rivindu Samadhith Perera and Dulina Chandrasiri. (Nomination - Test by Sanjaya Dissanayake), Green Award - Anya Ratnayaka on the Colombo Wetlands and the Urban Fishing Cat by Irushi Tennekoon, Sunila Abeysekera Memorial Human Rights Prize - ‘Akeldama’ by Tishan Sandaruwan Dewanarayana (Nominations - ‘Human Zoo’ by Gopi Krishna, ‘Teddy’ by Akash Sunethkumara), Most Gender Sensitive Film - ‘Dekona Vilakkuwa’ by Sureni Wasana Ranawaka (Nominations - ‘Mom’s Dinner by Chathurangi Ayesha, Girl in the rainwater tree’ by Yoshitha Perera) Best Animated Short Film - Anya Ratnayaka on the Colombo Wetlands and the Urban Fishing Cat by Irushi Tennekoon (Nomination - ‘Girl in the rainwater tree’ by Yoshitha Perera), Best Cinematographer- Palitha Perara for ‘Distance’, Best Editor - Anjelo Jones for ‘Ray’, Outstanding Performance - Dhiyana Silva in ‘Distance’, Special Mention for Performance - Aranya Sivaramakrishnan in ‘Thotti Meengal’ and Audience Choice Award - ‘Pieta’ by Ravindu Fernando.