Guwahati: A haunting vision of survival from the Khasi Hills opened the 11th Jaffna International Cinema Festival on December 30, as Meghalaya filmmaker Pradip Kurbah’s acclaimed film “Ha Lyngkha Bneng – The Elysian Field” premiered at the Jaffna Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre.
Set in 2047, the Khasi-language film imagines a world where only six villagers remain in a remote settlement. Against the backdrop of depopulation and isolation, Kurbah explores how memory, loss, and shared bonds sustain a community.
The dystopian drama has already earned significant international recognition. At the 31st Kolkata International Film Festival, it won three awards, including the Golden St. George for Best Film and dual honours for Kurbah as Best Director. The Moscow International Film Festival followed, awarding it the NETPAC prize for Best Asian Film in 2025.
Speaking about the premiere, Kurbah described the opening night as “special,” adding that cinema has the power to “quietly and beautifully build bridges” between communities.
The festival was inaugurated by Sai Murali, Consul General of India in Jaffna, who highlighted cinema’s capacity to connect cultures. Professor Ankuran Dutta, Director of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre at India’s High Commission in Colombo, emphasised the longstanding collaboration between Indian and Sri Lankan film communities.
Festival Director Anoma Rajakaruna noted strong Indian participation this year, with over 200 submissions forming the majority of entries among 17 participating nations. She thanked Indian missions for supporting Sri Lanka’s only international film festival.
The festival continued on December 31 with a tribute to legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, marking his birth centenary. Professor Dutta conducted a masterclass ahead of a screening of Ghatak’s 1962 classic Subarnarekha, a film reflecting displacement and human resilience.