Jaffna International Cinema Festival

Celebrating Independent Cinema in the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, located on a peninsula of the same name. It is probably the only city in the world named after a musical instrument. ‘Yalpanam’ derives from an ancient musical instrument call ‘Yazh’(Tamil; Yaal). It is a harp with the tip of the stem of the instrument was carved into the head of the mythological animal Yali. Our aim is to celebrate independent cinema in the peninsula, which is recovering from the destruction caused by a 30-year-old armed conflict and war. We believe in using art to reach people and we hope this festival would create a space for communities across borders to interact with each other through cinema. Anomaa Rajakaruna Festival Director