The Forsaken Land

The Forsaken Land (Sulanga Enu Pinisa) (Sinhala: සුළඟ එනු පිණිස) is a 2005 Sri Lankan drama film directed by Vimukthi Jayasundara and co-produced by Phillip Amril and Francisco Vilolobos.^[1] It stars Kaushalya Fernando and Mahendra Perera in lead roles along with Nilupuli Jayawardena and Hemasiri Liyanage.^[2] Music composed by Nadeeka Guruge. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Caméra d'Or.^[3][4] It is the 1,055th Sri Lankan film in the Sinhala cinema.^[5]

The Forsaken Land Sulanga Enu Pinisa සුළඟ එනු පිණිස
Film poster
Directed by	Vimukthi Jayasundara
Written by	Vimukthi Jayasundara
Produced by	Philippe Avril Francisco Villa-Lobos
Starring	Kaushalya Fernando Mahendra Perera Nilupuli Jayawardena
Cinematography	Channa Deshapriya
Edited by	Gisèle Rapp-Meichler
Music by	Nadeeka Guruge
Release date	14 May 2005 (2005-05-14)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Sri Lanka
Language	Sinhala

Cast

• Kaushalya Fernando as Soma
• Nilupili Jayawardena as Lata
• Hemasiri Liyanage as Piyasiri
• Saumya Liyanage as Palitha
• Pumudika Sapurni Peiris as Batti
• Mahendra Perera as Soldier Anura

Reception

The film received fairly positive reviews from critics. The film holds a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.8/10.

Recognition

The film was selected as the best Cine Mart project in The 2004 International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film won the award Prince Claus Film Grant at the same film festival.^[6]

The film made history when it was selected to honored at the International Cannes Film Festival.^[7] It is only the second time where a Sri Lankan film has entered to the competitive section of the Cannes Film Festival, after Dr. Lester James Peries’ maiden Rekava contest at Cannes in 1957.^[8]