• Director Jagath Manuwarna awarded at Dhaka International Film Festival

There is a lot of buzz surrounding Rahas Kiyana Kandu or Whispering Mountains – Jagath Manuwarna’s debut feature which won him an award at the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) just days ago. At DIFF, Manuwarna was named best director under the Asian competition section. Manuwarna was recognised for crafting “a masterful narrative that weaves together horror, mystery, and violence that unfolds ironically against a landscape of spectacular natural beauty”.

However, this isn’t the first award the movie has won, having received the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award – which is awarded to the best Asian feature film – at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR) in 2023. The movie’s world premiere was held at IFFR.

It was also selected under the Competitive Film Screenings Fiction Cinema category at the Russian film festival One Sixth, A Window on Asian Cinema category at the Busan International Film Festival, South Korea, and Cinema of the World category at the International Film Festival of India.

Speaking to The Daily Morning Brunch, Manuwarna shared that his debut movie has been part of close to 20 international film festivals and has won several international awards. “As a filmmaker, when your first production receives an evaluation like this, it has a significant impact on your work. The recognition I may receive with other productions I do will be shaped by this and it will increase the chances of another production going into the world,” he explained.

‘Whispering Mountains’

The movie is written by Manuwarna and Namal Jayasinghe and produced by Sunil T. Fernando, Nirmana Bandara, Channa Deshapriya, and Rasitha Jinasena. It stars Sarath Kothalawala, Priyantha Sirikumara, Dharmapriya Dias, Sampath Jayaweera, Lakmal Dharmarathna, Ananda Kumara Unnahe, Aloka Gayathrie, Kalana Gunasekara, Manuwarna, and Nimal Pallewatte.

The synopsis of the movie reads: in an unidentified time period in Sri Lanka, a youth uprising is being violently suppressed by the Government. Stating through the official media that the riots are not caused by socio-political issues, but an epidemic, where the youth of the country is afflicted with a contagious suicidal mental condition of paranomal origins, the Government announces that they will set out to protect the country and its youth through a series of “sacred rituals” which will successfully end the curse.

The director described the movie as a collective effort; the result of 13 years of hard work. “There was a group that stayed with me throughout the making of this movie, without giving up. The cast and crew must be mentioned as well. I am grateful to them all, for contributing towards the movie’s success.”

He went on to say: “The movie talks about State oppression, which hasn’t ended. The movie talks about the militarisation of this oppression as well as oppression that takes place through the Constitution, like the Online Safety Bill, for instance. These keep happening, and this isn’t unique to Sri Lanka. It happens in many countries across the globe. The movie attempts to change the unfortunate situations created by corrupt politics.”

“And I must also remember those who collectively struggled or fought against this, to change these conditions,” Manuwarna added.

Screenings

Beyond film festivals, the movie has been received well, locally and internationally. When asked about the reception of the movie in Sri Lanka, Manuwarna shared that people have moved away from cinema due to the difficulties and challenges they face financially. It is food, children’s education, and other essentials that get priority when considering one’s income and expenses. It is after covering these essential costs that one can consider entertainment.

“What people earn is still insufficient with the existing conditions, and it is a very minimal amount that they can set aside for entertainment or cultural activities. In such a context, and during such a time, my movie being screened for over 50 days in Sri Lanka is something to be happy about. In addition to this, for a movie like this in such times, it has received good feedback, I feel, and I am happy about our movie audiences’ behaviour and the reaction to my movie in the current context,” he shared.

Going beyond Sri Lanka, Manuwarna said the first public screening of the movie was held in Australia. “We received a positive reaction there as well. According to what the audience there told me, this was the first time an audience of 450 gathered to watch a movie. We screened it in three theatres simultaneously; the first was sold out and then the second was sold out, making us open a third screening. There were more inquiries but by then, all the tickets had been sold. The three theatres had a total audience of around 450.”

Screenings in cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane saw high attendance, with second screenings being organised. Whispering Mountains is also screened in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and European countries like England and Italy.

An audience for good movies

“The movie is receiving good feedback, which shows us that if we make good movies, they will have a good audience, both in Sri Lanka as well as among diasporas in other countries,” Manuwarna pointed out.

When asked about acting while directing, Manuwarna shared that it was a very difficult and challenging task. This is something he experienced in his debut movie as well as in the teledrama Kodi Gaha Yata, another popular production.

“Our duties expand when working with scripts, filming, and on set. As an actor, I am required to focus on my character, and as a director, I must also look at the overall production. In Sri Lanka, we work with minimal budgets. Yet it’s a good experience,” he said, adding: “However, I will think twice before doing it again, as I’m not looking forward to facing the challenges of being an actor and director of the same production once again.”

Despite this, fans of Manuwarna’s work can expect more from him going forward. He said: “I do have a plan to direct movies, and have ideas for quite a few, but I cannot say now which will make it to production first.”