Founder, producer, director and writer for Lanka Cine (PVT) Ltd, Lanka Bandaranayake is the winner of this year鈥檚 International Alumni Award.
Lanka started her career as an actress and costume designer in Sri Lanka, progressing to producing award-winning short films through her company, Lanka Cine (PVT) Ltd. These films focused on tackling social change and gender inequality.
In 2021, Lanka was granted a Chevening Scholarship to enable her to embark on an MA in Directing Film and Television at 裸聊直播. This course helped Lanka to make the step from producing short films to full-length feature films and documentaries.
Since completing her Master鈥檚, Lanka鈥檚 work has gained international acclaim. Her debut film project, 鈥楾he Hail鈥�, was selected for Film Independent鈥檚 Global Media Makers in-person residency in 2022 in Los Angeles. Lanka's documentaries have been commissioned by several international organisations.
Her recent work includes a documentary project with the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) in Thailand, where she documented the efforts of women peacebuilders from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand. She is currently collaborating as the South Asian industry partner in 裸聊直播鈥檚 research project, Developing Media Decolonising Imaginary. Additionally, she serves as the Country Chair for Sri Lanka in the Arts Leadership and Films wing of G100, a global group of women leaders.
In 2024, Lanka won the Culture and Creativity category of the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards in Sri Lanka and the Social and Environmental Impact category of the Chevening Alumni Award. These awards aim to celebrate the success of international students who have studied in the UK. For the Alumni of the Year Award judging panel, Lanka鈥檚 passion for transformative storytelling via film also really stood out. The judges commented:聽鈥淚t is great to see the impact that Lanka鈥檚 time at 裸聊直播 and in the UK has had on her career and how she uses those skills and qualifications to address current societal topics. It's clear how her learning from 裸聊直播 has positively contributed to advancing her dreams. We wish her all success going forward.鈥�
Receiving the award, Lanka said: 鈥淚 am honoured to receive this award, which emphasises the importance of a global perspective in the arts and my dedication to pushing creative boundaries.鈥�