The acclaimed Pulitzer Center-supported documentary "Democracy in Debt: Sri Lanka Beyond the Headlines" is set to receive two awards at the Second Jalgaon International Film Festival in India this year, for 'Best Social Film' and 'Best Screenplay'.
Filmed in Sri Lanka after the island nation's economic collapse, the project was produced by Boston-based Pakistani journalist and filmmaker Beena Sarwar, alongside Sri Lankan historian and filmmaker SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda and researcher Uditha Devapriya.
The film, co-directed and co-scripted by Sarwar and Tammita-Delgoda, had a private premiere at the Barberyn Ayurveda resort in Weligama, south Sri Lanka.
It has since had over 80 screenings in 25 countries across five continents, including in the US at Emerson College, Boston; Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge MA; Cornell University; SUNY Buffalo.
This is the first film produced under the Southasia Peace Action Network and Sapan News, a syndicated features service that Sarwar spearheads.
The Jalgaon International Film Festival received over 2,500 entries from 75 countries, with 'Democracy in Debt' among 250 films selected for awards by an international jury.
The awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 1, at the Abdul Kalam Azad Research Centre in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
The winning team will be presented with a trophy, certificate, and a traditional Maharashtra pagri (turban).
Local activist Mirza Dawood Azad will accept the awards on behalf of the 'Democracy in Debt' filmmakers.
