VIMUKTHI JAYASUNDARA [NOMINATED BY APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL]

As the power outage in Sri Lanka (2022) stretched on for 13 hours, tensions were high in the country. People were gearing up for a protest march against the President, and the atmosphere was charged with anticipation. Amidst the darkness, I found myself restless, unable to sleep. As I lay in my bed, I noticed a faint light that seemed to be coming from outside my bedroom window. Intrigued, I got up and approached the window to investigate. To My amazement, I saw a glowing orb of light hovering just outside, casting an eerie glow into My room. Without thinking, I grabbed my phone and started recording the phenomenon. I wanted to capture the moment in its natural form, without any embellishments.

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Vimukthi Jayasundara was born in 1977, in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. He is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker known for THE FORSAKEN LAND (2005), which won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes. His 2009 film Between TWO WORLDS competed at Venice, MUSHROOMS (2011) premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, and DARK IN THE WHITE LIGHT (2015) competed at Locarno. He was a directing mentor at Busan’s Asian Film Academy 2016, and is presently head of Colombo Film and Television Academy. His next feature, TURTLE’S GAZE ON SPYING STARS, is currently in production.