The 36th edition of the Calin Sarasaviya Film Awards will be held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24, under the theme “Cinematic Pinnacle in a Resurgent Land”.
The Awards, organised by the Sarasaviya Cinema Weekly published by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL) also known as Lake House and sponsored by Calin Soap (Main sponsor) and Wasana Bakers (Gold sponsor) will shine a spotlight on local films released between January 1 and December 31, 2024, including entries in Sinhala and Tamil. Of the 38 films screened across the island, including three locally made Tamil movies, 37 will vie for 32 awards titles.
An independent panel of experts will deliberate on the awards. The audience gets its say in categories such as Most Popular Actor, Most Popular Actress, and Most Popular Playback Song. The winner of the Popular Film Award will be decided on based on box office performance.
Cinnamon Grand Hotel, the hospitality partner and sponsor, will offer a special package to the voter who sends the highest number of SMS messages for the aforementioned categories. Rupahala is a special sponsor while Supreme TV will be the TV and Digital Media Partner.
Eight fresh categories make their debut: Best Tamil Language Film, Comedian, Anti-Hero, Stage Design, Costume Design, Special Visual Effects, Popular Film Song (audience voted) and Appreciation Award for an Assistant Director (a first-of-its-kind honour in the global film awards circuit). It will also have a number of once-in-a-lifetime awards. Some of the year’s most popular films were screened at Cine City, Colombo, prior to the awards night. The first Sarasaviya Awards Night took place in 1964.
Winning a Sarasaviya Award is considered by film artistes and technicians as a crowning achievement in their careers and many who had won Sarasaviya Awards in their formative years have now become national icons.
