“Artistry is washing the darkness concealed within the minds and paving their lives to draw a peaceful smile.”
Showcasing the creative perspectives of photographers and writers, “Click” was initiated by the Editorial Avenue of the Rotaract Club of University of Kelaniya in the previous year as a photography and writing competition, and “Click 2.0,” the upgraded version, was unveiled this year, inviting enthusiastic film makers to give a voice, delivering their creativity through the camera lens.
Click 2.0, the short film competition focused on “mental wellness,” which has impacted the global community today, was aimed at promoting concern for the mental well-being of individuals in society.
The journey began on October 20, 2023, with a bunch of artistic OC members selected from the Editorial Avenue of the Rotaract Club of the University of Kelaniya.
Additionally, the space was designed for the script writers, actors, and cinematographers to embark on their passions working as a team, conveying a message to the world. A maximum of 3 to 5 members within the age range of 16 to 25 are accepted for a team to participate in the competition and are requested to have a specific team name. Sinhalese, English, and Tamil are permitted to be used according to the participants will.
A session on cinematography was proposed to be conducted, in order to provide the basic knowledge of creating a cinematic video along with its key factors and techniques that are essential in considering alluring a wider audience. The interactive session was conducted by the Senior Lecturer of Mass Communication at the University of Kelaniya, Mr. Darshana Sampath Somarathne, who guided the participants to envisage their cinematic views in an elaborative manner, bringing them to the camera.
Among the numerous submissions reached before the deadline adhering to the theme of the short film competition, it was quite a challenging task for the panel of judges to filter the best out of diversified perspectives. The Senior Lecturer of Mass Communication in the University of Kelaniya, Mr. Darshana Sampath Somarathne, the Senior Lecturer of Mass Communication in the University of Kelaniya, Mr. Mangala Keerthi De Pasquel, and the Lecturer of Mass Communication in the University of Kelaniya, Mrs. Ileka Ruwanpathirana, contributed to selecting the winners of Click 2.0 as the honorable panel of judges.
Assistant General Manager of TV Derana, Mr. Anurada Sigera, was invited as the chief guest of Click 2.0 award ceremony. His insightful thoughts and career experiences shared among the participants added more color to the occasion.
The esteemed awards sponsor of Nolimit glimmered the cinematic journey of film makers, igniting the stage of Click 2.0 award ceremony.
Finally, the most anticipated moments, witnessing the glorious cinematic magicians, arrived, and the team “Enigma” was the winning team, while the team “Sharpshooters” was the second runner-up of Click 2.0. The team “Talentpool” was crowned the most popular short film, selected by the votes cast on Youtube. The winners were awarded certificates and cash prizes for their efforts.
The journey of seeking cinephiles, improving their talents and making a stage for them aligned with ensuring the mental health of suffering individuals has wrapped up with the grand finale and award ceremony of the short film competition, “Click 2.0,” held in February 2024.
Under the guidance of the directors of the Editorial Avenue of the Rotaract Club of the University of Kelaniya, along with the OC members’ dedication, the short film competition was a great success.
