Colombo International Film Festival 2024
Organized by Asian Film Centre & Buddhi School of Arts
In association with National Film Corporation
The Colombo International Film Festival aims to address the multifaceted challenges faced by Sri Lanka, fostering unity and peace across social, economic, cultural, and religious dimensions.
Festival Management
Ashley Ratnavibhushana
COLIFF - Festival Director
President of the AFC in SL
Ashley Ratnavibhushana is a Journalist, Author, Film Critic, and Film Society Activist. He is the President of the Asian Film Centre (AFC) in Sri Lanka and a leading expert on Sri Lankan cinema. With an illustrious career, he has contributed significantly to the field of cinema.
Pepe Danquart
Academy Award Winner
Pepe Danquart is an Academy Award winning German filmmaker. He has been doing feature films as well as many award winning documentaries as well. In April 2008 Danquart received a professorship for film at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg.
Ranjanee Ratnavibhushana
General Secretary of the AFC in SL
Ranjanee Ratnavibhushana holds a B.Sc. degree in Business Administration from the University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka. She is a versatile professional with a passion for cinema.
Boodee Keerthisena
Director of Buddhi School of Arts
Renowned Sri Lankan Filmmaker, Director, Producer, Editor and a visual effects director, Organizer of the Italian Sri Lankan Film Festival Colombo and Director of the first digital film in Sri Lanka.
Proposed Dates for the Festival:
July 08th 2024 to
July 14th 2024
Venues
Cine City Complex
Colombo 10
Tharangani Cinema
Colombo 07
Organizing body
The Asian Film Centre and Buddhi School of Arts are the organizing body in association with the national Film Corporation for the proposed Colombo International Film Festival.
The title “Colombo International Film Festival” and its logo have been registered under the National Intellectual Property Office of Sri Lanka.
Buddhi School of Arts
Buddhi School of Arts, under the visionary leadership of Boodee Keerthisena, stands as a dynamic hub for artistic growth and innovation. Comprising departments like Cinematography, Sound, Editing, Writing, and Visual Effects, the school offers a comprehensive platform for creative development. Moreover Buddhi School of Arts hosts exclusive Master Classes, providing direct interaction with industry stalwarts from Hollywood and accomplished global creators.
Asian Film Centre (AFC)
The Asian Film Centre (AFC) was founded in 1991 to enhance and enrich film culture in Sri Lanka and to expand the appreciation of film as a culturally relevant art form among all sections of the population. The AFC actively pursues a policy of developing a viable world film culture in Sri Lanka with a special focus on Asia. It plays a unique leading role in film education and training, film appreciation, hosting foreign film festivals and organizing the publicity and promotion of Sri Lankan film worldwide.
Composition of COLIFF
International Competition
Asian Competition - NETPAC Award
Asian Competition
Indian Panorama
01. International Competition
JURY: Three Members of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
Chaired by Klaus Eder (Germany) - General Secreatary of FIPRESCI
Klaus Eder
General Secreatary of FIPRESCI
Klaus Eder studied German literature at the Stuttgart University. He was the editor of the monthly film magazine ‘film’ from 1966 to 1968 and film critic of the national public radio Bayerischer Rundfunk. He has authored books on Andrzej Wajda, Luis Bunuel, Nikita Mikhalkov, Andrei Konchalovski, Arturo Ripstein, Im Kwon-taek and Nagisa Oshima and was the co-author of a History of Bulgarian Cinema. He was Curator of a series of 30 films of the German 50s titled After the War, Before the Wall at the New York Film Society in Lincoln Center in 2002. He also curated a series of films by German director Helmut Käutner, accompanied by a book published by the Goethe Institute in 2007. From 1986 to 2007 he was the programmer of the Munich International Film Festival and Adviser to a variety of festivals. Member of international juries in many festivals and General Secretary of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) since 1987. He lives and works in Munich, Germany.
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in Brussels, Belgium.
The purpose of the International Film Critics’ Awards (the FIPRESCI Prize) is to promote film-art and to encourage new and young cinema. The FIPRESCI prize is awarded at international film festivals or at film festivals of particular importance. Furthermore it may also be awarded at the discretion of FIPRESCI. The General Assembly decides at which festivals FIPRESCI juries are to be established, and also decides which kind of films or which sections of the Festivals are to be included for the jury.
02. Asian Competition - NETPAC Award
JURY: Three Members
Chaired by Padma Shri Dr. Adoor Gopalakrishnan (India)
Padma Shri Dr. Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Internationally Recognized Indian Filmmaker
Dr. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, internationally recognized Indian filmmaker has won the National Film Awards 16 times. He also won the Kerala State Film Awards 17 times. He was awarded the State honours Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006. He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 for his valuable contributions to Indian cinema. In 2016, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government's highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema. In recognition of his contribution to international cinema, the French Government has bestowed on him the title of “The Commander of the Oder of Arts and Letters” the top French honour for culture (2004). The same year Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala conferred on him the honorary degree D.Litt Has directed several feature and documentary films which travelled in the film festivals around the world.
The Jury will present the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) Award for the Best Asian Film.
NETPAC is a worldwide organization founded in 1990 by Aruna Vasudev as the result of a conference organized in New Delhi by Cinemaya - The Asian Film Quarterly, at the request of UNESCO. It was set up with the aim to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of Asian films at a time when Asian cinema was just coming into its own but was relatively unknown regionally and internationally. Cinemaya a quarterly film journal launched independently by Aruna Vasudev in 1988, had already paved the way.
NETPAC is especially proud to have brought awareness to independent and non-mainstream films by new directors whose works might have languished due to a lack of promotion caused by limited funds and resources. Now Asian films have a prominent presence worldwide. Among the many initiatives that NETPAC has taken over the past 25 years are:
03. Asian Competition
JURY: Five Members
Chaired by Pepe Danquart (Germany)
Pepe Danquart
Academy Award Winner
Pepe Danquart is an Academy Award winning German filmmaker. He has been doing feature films as well as many award winning documentaries as well. In April 2008 Danquart received a professorship for film at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg. Author, Director, Producer, Professor.
Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, of the European Film Academy. Co-founder of the German Film Academy in which he is in the board since 2011. His first fictional short film Schwarzfahrer. Its success was overwhelming and in 1994 it received an Oscar Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
This jury will present following Awards for the Asian Competition section.
04. Indian Panorama
Indian High Commission of Sri Lanka has requested Joint Secretary (Films) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India to provide seven films in different languages to be screened at the Colombo International Film Festival under the title of Indian Panorama.
Timeline for Entries
Submission of Entries
Closing submission 15th May 2024
Inauguration - Festival - Award Ceremony
Possibilities for local sponsorship
Due to unfortunate incidents took place in Sri Lanka Business Sector is facing severe financial constraints. But we try our best to obtain financial support to this important event. We are thinking some institutions and individuals that might be able to support us.
Benefits received by the
sponsors / donors
- The names of the sponsors / donors will be mentioned in the signature filmlet, print and electronic media, festival catalogue etc.
- The distinguished sponsors / donors will be invited to the closing / opening ceremonies (awards presentation) on red carpet.
- They will be invited to light the traditional oil lamp.
Contact for Sponsorship
Regulations
- The 01st Colombo International Film Festival will be held in the city of COLOMBO, Sri Lanka between July 08th and July 14th, 2024.
- The festival authority chooses and invites films to participate in International and Asian Competitions.
- Please note that the festival is devoted to fiction feature films. Duration – less than two hours. In special cases COLIFF will accept little more than two hours very rarely.
- Apart from the Indian Panorama all the other film entries should be made in 2022 - 2024;
- The submitted films must not have been screened at any other Sri Lankan film festival before being screened at COLIFF, neither online nor physically. If COLIFF receives any information regarding the violation of this principle, COLIFF would have to disregard the particular film.
- All Sri Lankan Films MUST be submitted with the film censor board certificate. No preview link will be accepted after 15th May 2024.
- Asian Film Centre and Budhi School of Arts are non-profit organizations and COLIFF runs on private and personal donations and contributions. We hardly manage few sponsors from the government and other that make us not able to give screening fee and COLIFF does not charge submission fee. Thus, before submission of the films, please finalize the matters with the festival authorities. The festival will not accept any kind of changes requested after the selections are made.
- As per the existing policy, every film participating in the festival will have to be submitted to the Sri Lankan Film Censorship Board for the clearance certificate.
- A single film cannot be entered into more than one category at a time. However, a single filmmaker is welcome to submit an unlimited number of films to the COLIFF for inclusion in the Festival. The filmmaker is welcome to suggest which category he or she would like to enter but the COLIFF retains the right of final decision on category selection.
- Last date for sending the Entry Form and the Preview links is May 15, 2024. The COLIFF management strongly suggests sending the films online through downloadable links via email with the press-kit.
- Generally, one show for every selected films are arranged,
- All the films to be entered should be with English subtitle except those whose dialogues are in English.
- If you agree to everything mentioned above, please submit your password protected VIMEO preview link.
If the film selected, Producer, Distributor or Director should send the DCP of the film along with the press kit. In the Press kit, there should have all the following technical Information of the film:
1. Director: Mr. / Ms.
2. Writer/Screenplay:
3. Producer:
4. Music:
5. Cinematographer:
6. Film Editor:
7. Country of origin:
8. Duration:
9. Year of production:
10. Original title of the film:
11. English title of the film:
12. Cast: Names of actors and actresses
13. Synopsis: within 80 to 90 words
14. Filmmaker (biography): 70 to 75 words
15. Filmography:
16. Director’s stills: More than one still
17. Movie stills: 3/4
18. Contact Details / Print Source, which must include postal address with telephone number, email address and contact person)
COLOMBO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - JULY 2024
Entry Form
Please submit your film using the below form.
After viewing the film, our team will contact you.
Correspondence
All correspondence should be made to either of the following addresses:
Festival Director
Colombo International Film Festival (COLIFF)
Asian Film Centre
118 Dehiwala Road
Boralesgamuwa 10290
Sri Lanka
Tel: + 94 11 2519923
Mobile: + 94 71 8373516 /+ 94 70 1966619
Email: asianfilmcentre@gmail.com / info@coliff.com
Festival Management Team
Colombo International Film Festival (COLIFF)
Buddhi School of Arts
301 Cine City Building
Maradana Road, Colombo 10
Sri Lanka
Tel: + 94 11 2519923
Mobile: + 94 77 7740600 /+ 94 70 1966619
Email: info@coliff.com / boodee@coliff.com / ranjanee@coliff.com