“கவனமே காவல்” (Attention is Protection) Short Film Competition

Road accidents in Sri Lanka claim an average of 13 lives every day. Experts identify three key pillars to reduce this tragic number: education, infrastructure development, and legal enforcement. Among these, we at SAHO Creations chose to focus our efforts on educating the public through impactful media content. With this vision, we initiated a road safety awareness short film competition titled “கவனமே காவல்” (Attention is Protection).

The awards and film release ceremony, organized in collaboration with SAHO Creations, Siragugal Foundation, and Puthiya Velichcham, was successfully held on Sunday, 02 November 2025, at the HNB Auditorium. The event was chaired by Ms. Vaishnavi Shanmuganathan, Legal Advisor of SAHO Creations and a well-known social activist.

Purpose of the Competition
The primary aim of the competition was to encourage creators to explore:
• The causes of the rapidly rising number of road accidents
• The preventive measures society can adopt to reduce them

The films submitted reflected deep thought, creativity, and meaningful messages—fulfilling the competition’s core objective of raising awareness through storytelling.

Distinguished Guests
The ceremony was honored by the presence of:
• Mr. C. Sreedharan, Member of Parliament
• Dr. R. Surendrakumaran, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna
• Mr. M. Pradeepan, Jaffna District Government Agent
Doctors, social activists, media creators, and several dignitaries also participated.

Award Winners
After evaluating 13 impressive short films, the judges selected the top three winners:

🏆 First Place – Rs. 150,000
Film: “Tharkaappu” (Self-Defense)
Director: Kathir
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OfrOl8wQ9gzUHnbgAKshpfvV9nI88Fpc/view?usp=sharing

🥈 Second Place – Rs. 100,000
Film: “Mandhaar Varuvathillai”
Director: Kisandh (Batticaloa)
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JCBtkTddHWPCepD5F4b92geOGZyMBd4Z/view?usp=sharing

🥉 Third Place – Rs. 75,000
Film: “Kavaname Kaaval”
Director: Nirukshan
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y95GWfP9hpaCPCjFeJWZvVLbu3BEHDGw/view?usp=sharing

All Films
Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nezGZrYQ496E8_xYdqSaZKj0ziUSxpps?usp=sharing

Acknowledging the Judges
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the esteemed judging panel:
• Mr. S. Raghuram, Dean of the Faculty of Arts
• Ms. Vaithegi Narendra, Social Activist
• Ms. Eelavani, Eelam Film Director

Sponsors
This event was made possible through the generous support of:
Ms Vaishnavi Shanmuganathan, Mr Jude Prakash, Mrs Karthika Aadithan, Ms Keerthana Aiyuran, Mr Gokul, Victoriya International, Ambal International Pvt Ltd, Yarl Event Management, SAHO Creations, Siragugal Foundation, and Puthiya Velichcham.

Moving Forward
The “Attention is Protection” initiative marks only the beginning. We remain committed to creating awareness, producing meaningful content, and promoting responsible road behavior.