August Sun

Running time: 108 mins

Sri Lanka, 1996: The cruel conflict between the Tamil insurgents and the government rages on - with cruelty and suffering a daily occurrence for both sides. Director Prasanna Vithanage intertwines three journeys, actual and spiritual, of ordinary people whose lives are profoundly affected by the ongoing struggle of combatants who are unwilling or unable to agree upon a peaceful solution. The beautiful Chamari gains the aid of a reporter who has access to the rebels in order to find her lover, a government pilot who the Tamils have captured. Arfarth, an eleven-year-old Muslim boy, must abandon the dog that befriended him and flee with his family when the Tamils eject all Muslims from their villages and livelihoods. Duminda, a soldier on leave, finds his sister working as a prostitute, and, in his journey home, he must come to terms with what toll the war has exacted on everyone, not just the enemy. Cinematographer M.D. Mahindapala offers stunning photography as each tale is told: from teeming cities to stark desert islands. And while August Sun is the story of struggle, it is also the story of survival, the hope for peace and tolerance and the appreciation of how similar all human beings are in their simple hopes for a good life. - Mike Gutman