The festival, which will take place from 7th to 11th November, strives to put Sri Lankan cinema on the global map and is set to attract renowned personalities, filmmakers, filmgoers and critics from around the world.

The opening event will bring together the Film Directors’ Guild, festival participants and audience members in an effort to celebrate a new era of Sri Lankan and international cinema.

The International Film Festival of Colombo, was launched in association with the Okinawa International Movie Festival of Japan, to further promote the development of the film and cinema industry in Sri Lanka.

Although Sri Lankan cinema has gained recognition at various independent festivals, the country had not been able to establish an effective film festival of its own. In order to fill this void, the International Film Festival of Colombo was launched in 2014 to help take Sri Lankan cinema to new heights.

Commenting on Hameedia hosting the opening dinner, Fouzul Hameed, Managing Director, Hameedia stated, “It is a great honour for us to host the upcoming opening dinner for the International Film Festival of Colombo, for the second year. Hameedia has continuously set the benchmark in fashion industry and is recognized as the leading menswear specialist in Sri Lanka. We are associated with many international events and are proud to extend our support to this important festival, which will play an important role in showcasing local cinema talent. Hameedia strives to not only transform the way men dress in Sri Lanka, but also aims to have an international impact. Supporting events of this nature, enables us to help other creative industries to achieve our mutual goal of taking local talent to international markets.”