Sri Lankan documentary wins Satyajit Ray Bronze Award at South Asian Short Film Festival

Friday, 29 August 2025 00:47 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka) has announced that ‘No More Land’ (2024), a documentary film by Anomaa Rajakaruna (b.1965) which was commissioned for the museum’s past exhibition ‘Total Landscaping,’ has won the Satyajit Ray Bronze Award (Documentary) at the eighth South Asian Short Film Festival (SASFF) in Kolkata, India.

No More Land (2024) was one of three artworks commissioned by the MMCA Sri Lanka as part of the project ‘Arts 4 ADR,’ which was run in partnership with the Supporting Effective Dispute Resolution (SEDR) project that is funded by the European Union. No More Land (2024) addresses the enduring issues of agricultural land disputes surrounding the Gal Oya Project, which is Sri Lanka’s first major post-independence resettlement and agricultural development scheme. While envisioned as a landmark of progress, the project led to widespread displacement, dispossession, and heightened ethnic tensions.

What distinguishes No More Land (2024) is its use of women’s voices to tell this story. Rajakaruna foregrounds the testimonies of eleven women of different ethnic backgrounds living in Ampara, the region most affected by the project, and their oral histories, layered over sweeping visuals of the land, create a haunting and poetic narrative that captures the complexity of displacement and memory.

MMCA Sri Lanka Chief Curator Sharmini Pereira said: “This award is a milestone for both Anomaa and the museum. It highlights the importance of commissioning contemporary works that grapple with Sri Lanka’s complex histories and ongoing realities.”

“One of our aims at the MMCA Sri Lanka is to support Sri Lankan artists in producing new work. Anomaa’s ability to bring women’s voices to the fore is both courageous and necessary, and we are proud to have supported her in realising this captivating work about the complexity of land disputes in the country,” Pereira added.

The SEDR project is delivered by the British Council in partnership with the Asia Foundation.

British Council Sri Lanka Country Director Orlando Edwards said: “We are incredibly proud to see No More Land receive this well-deserved recognition. Through the Arts 4 ADR initiative, which was part of the SEDR project, we have seen how powerful storytelling and the arts can be in fostering reflection, dialogue, and social change.” He also said, “Congratulations to Anomaa Rajakaruna, a longstanding partner of British Council Sri Lanka, and the excellent team at the MMCA Sri Lanka on this achievement, and for bringing to light the complex realities that shape our communities.”

The recognition of No More Land (2024) at the SASFF underscores the MMCA Sri Lanka’s commitment to nurturing contemporary artistic practices and providing space for works that address urgent social and historical issues. Established in 2019 as the country’s first dedicated museum for modern and contemporary art, the MMCA Sri Lanka has made it its mission to commission and present artworks that challenge audiences to think critically about the past and present.