Sri Lankan cinema is nearly fifty-five years old. Emerging from the shadows of Indian Cinema, they claimed their own identity in the 70s by entering a socially-conscious, critical and experimental ‘New Wave’ phase. Yet there were no films that raised questions about or documented the rapidly deteriorating civil and ethnic situation in the 80s and 90s until young writer/directors like Prasanna Vithanage and Asoka Handagama confronted social and political issues with controversial and superbly crafted films. Today, it is not unusual to find real-life militants act their roles in an effort to wage peace.