Presidential Film Awards 2023 makes grand return after 03 years

President Ranil Wickremesinghe who was the chief guest at the Presidential Film Awards 2023, held at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre in Colombo on Tuesday (14), said the government is proactively engaged in the comprehensive restructuring of the National Film Corporation and all its affiliated institutions to seamlessly integrate with cutting-edge technologies.

This year’s Presidential Film Awards ceremony holds special importance as it marks a return after a 3 year hiatus.

The President also articulated plans to institute a Public Entertainment Diversification Board in lieu of the Public Performance Board. He underscored the importance of eliminating the term ‘censorship’ from artistic creation.

The President highlighted the current challenge faced by artists, as artistic creations under various criminal laws. To address this issue, he proposed a program wherein films and television productions would be submitted to the Classification Board before enforcement. President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed the government’s expectation to implement these measures starting next year.

Out of 42 films screened in 2019 and 2020, a total of 44 awards were bestowed upon actors and technicians. These awards were traditionally bestowed upon individuals meticulously selected by a jury comprising expert film critics and seven honorary doctors and professors. Furthermore, nine additional awards were presented during the ceremony.

Dr. Nanda Malani was honoured as the Best Playback Singer of 2020. Marking a distinctive moment when President Ranil Wickremesinghe went to the audience where Dr. Nanda Malani was seated to present her with the award. This gesture added a special touch to the event, highlighting the President’s direct involvement in recognizing and honouring outstanding contributions to the field of cinema.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing the audience, acknowledged Dr. Nanda Malani’s significant achievement of receiving an award for her background singing in Sri Lankan cinema at the Sarasavi Film Award in 1963. The President also shared that he had the privilege of participating at that event.

Emphasizing Dr. Nanda Malani’s noteworthy contributions, the President conveyed that she rightfully deserves the respect and gratitude of the entire nation for her contributions to both the Sri Lankan cinema and music industry.

In recognition of exceptional contributions to cinema, a “Yuga Abhimani” special award was conferred upon Mr. K. Gunaratnam. Additionally, the President presented “Swarnasingha” awards to Mr. Chandran Ratnam, Suvineetha Weerasinghe, and Cyril Wickramage.

Mr. Kamal Addararachchi was honoured as the Best Actor of 2019, and Mr. Kumara Thirimadura received the Best Actor award for 2020. Likewise, Ms. Samadhi Laksiri was recognized as the Best Actress of 2019 and Ms. Neeta Fernando received the Best Actress award for 2020.

Mr. Anuruddha Jayasinghe was awarded the Best Director for the year 2019, while Mr. Vishakesa Chandrasekharam received the Best Director award for 2020.

The film industry also celebrated outstanding cinematic creations, with the Best Film of 2019 titled “Ginnen Upan Seethala” and the Best Film of 2020 titled “The Newspaper,” both receiving accolades from the President.