• Sumathi Awards to be held on 20 February

The Sumathi Awards is one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in Sri Lanka that honours notable performances of the small screen, and the 2024 edition is set to take place on 20 February. The 29th Sumathi Awards will recognise the best of television in 2023.

Since 1995, the Sumathi Awards have not only awarded the talent and skill of actors, but has also honoured the efforts of production crews, acknowledging their role in the success of a television production. Close to 58 awards are handed out at the Sumathi Awards annually.

The nominations were handed over to the award organisers last week by Mudiyanse Dissanayake, who heads the panel of judges. In addition to announcing the nominations, the event also gave the organisers and event sponsors a platform to talk about the Sumathi Awards and its role in Sri Lanka’s entertainment industry.

Influence on TV

The man behind the awards show is Thilanga Sumathipala, who spoke about how the Sumathi Awards have evolved over time, adapting to changing eras. He spoke about the establishment of the awards and how it addressed a void in the industry for television excellence. Sumathipala also revisited the past, to look at how local productions have been impacted by various events, including the popularity of Indian adaptations.

“Today, there are several television channels. When we started, there were only four to compete for awards. But today, besides free-to-air channels, there are also several digital channels. Anyone with a smartphone is today a journalist. With the speed at which information is disseminated, the challenges faced by our productions is greater,” Sumathipala said.

He added that, despite these challenges, the Sumathi Awards has made this journey for close to three decades.

“Everyone knows well that these are tough times, everyone is under great financial pressure. In such a context, it is difficult for us to continue this initiative if not for our sponsors,” he said, taking the opportunity to appreciate the support of the event sponsors.

Supporting the arts

Giving the audience a look into the reasons for their support, the sponsors of Sumathi Awards 2024 spoke about the support they extend to the arts and entertainment.

Nippon Paint Lanka Director and General Manager Nemantha Abeysinghe said: “As a company which has a tradition and history of over 140 years, coming from Japan, we have always appreciated traditions, culture, and arts, which are very close to Japan. Of course, as Sri Lankans, we all love our arts and culture and music, and we have been appreciating our artists.”

He said that Sumathi Awards has, over the last 29 years, come to the forefront in recognising the talents and appreciating the time and effort put into making sure audiences at home are happy and entertained, which he said was not easy in the current context. “We are under tremendous pressure, tremendous stress, and there is no end when talking about these things, but you, as artists, bring us laughter and relaxation, and make sure our lives are easy to live.”

Unilever Media and Activation Head Chaminda Samarakone said that Lux, which is celebrating 100 years in Sri Lanka, has been partnering with and empowering the film industry over the years. “A few days ago, we collated 28 unique and glamorous artists representing different eras in Sri Lankan film history. And then we realised that over the generations, a story or partnership has formed between Lux and the film industry and glamour.”

Dialog Axiata Marketing Head Ashani Senaratne and Commercial Bank Marketing Manager Aparna Jagoda also spoke about their organisations’ role in supporting the arts.

A look at the small screen

As the head of the panel of judges, Mudiyanse Dissanayake spoke about the productions that are strong contenders this year and the challenges faced by the judges. “We had to spend a considerable amount of time on this task, because we can’t just skim over an episode that you worked hard on. Every minute or two, there is a new development or a new character being introduced, so we have to watch all of it.”

He shared that last year’s nominations were better than the previous year, but that this year’s nominations, in terms of both quantity and quality, were even better. Despite being financially poor as a country, Dissanayake pointed out that we were very rich in terms of the arts.

However, he also spoke about certain shortcomings or weaknesses within the industry, saying that while he knows what happens behind the scenes, there were several productions that had a strong script for the first 30-40 episodes, but then dragged on for up to 80 or 90 episodes. Dissanayake called on production houses and channels to let the artist bring productions to an end when they feel it is right, as dragging it affects the quality of the show.

He also said that some channels point out that their work never gets nominated, and said that in order to be recognised at award shows, television channels need to broadcast good shows. “There is a fierce race here, and to compete, you need a strong horse. You need good productions. Every television channel has teledramas. You can watch them 24/7. However, at award shows, only a handful receive awards. What is the reason for this?”

He shared that one factor to consider here is the cost of productions. Good productions, with a strong storyline and brilliant casts, cost money to make, and are thus sold to channels at a high price. “The channels, instead of buying such productions at this higher price, go for cheaper productions, although some channels even with difficulty buy the more expensive productions. It is the more expensive product that is of a higher quality.”

He thus urged channels to invest in better productions.