Prasanna’s film ‘Paradise’ wins international acclaim in Spain

Prasanna Vithanage at Las Palmas Film Festival

A still from the film ‘Paradise’

By Susitha Fernando

Seasoned filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage’s latest film  ‘Paradise’- an Indo-Sri Lankan production- won the Audience Jury Awards at the recently concluded Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival in Spain. This cinematic creation was put up honours at the 23rd Film festival which had creations from all five continents.
Prasanna’s film revolves around a couple who visit Sri Lanka at a time of economic and political turmoil.  The film competed in the 23rd edition’s Official Feature Film Section. The event was held at Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands in Spain. Prasanna won the 2004 Silver Lady Harimaguada for his film ‘Ira Mediyama’ or “August Sun” at the same festival twenty years ago. 
 “Making cinema is something personal for me. Making films gives meaning to my life because I can express feelings. Through the characters I portray in my films I also get to know myself better,” the festival website quoted Prasanna. He also added, “Even when subsidies are bad, you have to do it and shoot films without thinking”. The film was made in 2022 which marked the worst ever financial crisis Sri Lanka was experiencing.

Last year “Paradise” won the prestigious Kim Jiseok Award for Best Film at the Busan International Film Festival. 
The film was also nominated for four awards at the 17th Asian Film Awards. At the festival, which was presented by the Asian Film Awards Academy in collaboration with Broadway Cinematheque, ‘Paradise’ was ‘nominated for the Best Film, Best Director and the Best Screenplay awards. These awards went to Prasanna Vithanage and Anushka Senanayake while the Best Editor award went to A. Sreekar Prasad.
Presented by Mani Ratnam- under his Madras Talkies banner and produced by Newton Cinema- the cast in ‘Paradise’ includes Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran from Indian cinema who are joined by Shyam Fernando and Mahendra Perera from Sri Lanka.