Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Buddhist film festival
* The festival is organized specifically to commemorate the 2600th anniversary of the enlightenment of Buddha.
* The film festival will feature both local and international movies which revolve around Buddhist themes.
* All the movies of substance will be awarded with a price.
* Proposed new film based on the life of Prince Siddhartha will be inaugurated.
Determined to find a path out of universal suffering, Prince Siddhartha left his homely comforts to venture in search of the truth. This bold but selfless move not only led mankind to a new direction but also helped them reap the benefits of existence. His teachings have weathered nearly 2600 years to reach masses today.
Vesak Full Moon Poya day 2011 marks a milestone in history. It is 2600 years since the Buddha attained enlightenment and showed mankind the path - to attain nibbana. Buddhists around the world are getting set to celebrate the occasion in their own manner. Many events and festivals have also been organized in Sri Lanka.
The International Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Buddhist Film Festival 2011 will be held at the BMICH from May 18 to commemorate the event.
“It is a special day. I believe we should celebrate this day in grand fashion. The world has gone through a lot in recent years. Even as we speak now, the world is troubled by armed conflicts and uncontrolled terrorism.
Death lurks in unexpected places. The world is full of violence. People are anxious. The importance of the Buddha’s teachings is highlighted especially during this time. We should communicate his teachings of compassion to mankind. I feel that the language of moving image is a very effective way of doing it.” International Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Buddhist Film Festival 2011 media coordinator Edwin Ariyadasa said.
This time around, the festival will feature both international and local movies under five different categories.
The festival will showcase short films, feature films, documentary films, animation films and mobile films which revolve around Buddhist themes. During the festival, they also expect to inaugurate the making of a special film which will revolve around the life of Prince Siddhartha. The organizers hope to recruit a well known star-studded cast for the movie.
“We even approached Richard Gere. He is a Buddhist. I hope he will give a positive response to our request,” Ariaydasa noted.
They expect to employ an Indian actor for the role of Siddhartha. Ariyadasa, along with Navin Goonerathne and Saman Weeraman, will write the script for the movie. Speaking about his progression on the project, he noted, “It is not an easy task. We have to make sure that we do full justice to the original tale.”
The settings for the movie have already been built with precise authenticity under the supervision and the professional expertise of Nepal archeologist Dr Basantha Bidari.
The festival organizers have also scheduled a special pageant to go in parallel to the film festival.
The pageant will be a unique event where schools from different parts of the country will go on their motor trucks, enacting stories from the Buddha’s life.