Four Sri Lankan Actors Share Best Actor Award at Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival for Riverstone
Photograph: Anadolu Agency via Türkiye Today. The image shows the festival’s closing ceremony and does not specifically depict the Sri Lankan actors.
Four Sri Lankan actors have jointly won the Best Actor award in the international competition at the 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in Türkiye. Mahendra Perera, Shyam Fernando, Randika Gunathilaka and Priyantha Sirikumara were recognised for their performances in Riverstone, directed by Lalith Rathnayake.
The award was presented at the festival’s closing ceremony in Antalya on 31 October 2026. A shared prize for four performers is a notable result for the film and a significant moment for Sri Lankan cinema, bringing the work of its cast and creative team to an international audience.
A shared award at a major film festival
The International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival ran from 24 to 31 October. Hosted by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, it is one of Türkiye’s leading film festivals and has been held since 1964. The closing ceremony took place at the Cam Piramit Fair and Congress Center in Antalya.
In the international feature film competition, the Best Film award went to George Ovashvili’s The Moon Is a Father of Mine. Lorenzo Ferro and Lucas Vignale received Best Director for The River Train, while Magdalena Laubisch won Best Actress for Six Weeks On. Türkiye Today’s report confirmed the four Sri Lankan actors as the joint Best Actor winners for The Riverstone, the title used in its awards coverage.
The joint recognition sits within a festival programme that also saw a shared Best Actor award in its national competition: Mehmet Günsür and Mert Fırat were recognised for Hakikatin Ölümü. The Antalya result gave the Sri Lankan performers a place among the festival’s leading international award recipients. It is also a rare distinction in itself: four actors from a single film sharing one Best Actor award speaks to the ensemble nature of the performances the jury wished to honour.
An AI-generated illustration of a film-festival award setting. It does not depict the Antalya ceremony or its official trophy.
Riverstone: a Sri Lankan film shaped by its setting
Directed by Lalith Rathnayake, Riverstone is his second cinematic venture. Its cast includes Mahendra Perera, Shyam Fernando, Priyantha Sirikumara, Randika Gunathilaka, Ananda Kumaraunnahe and Prabodini Chandrasena. The four Antalya award recipients are members of this ensemble.
Produced by Prabath Roshan and Nimanthi Porage for Cinearts Films, the film was shot in and around Kandy, Digana, Medamahanuwara and the Riverston mountain range. Its Sri Lankan locations provide a distinctive setting for a film that has continued to find audiences and recognition beyond the country.
For Sri Lankan viewers at home and across the diaspora, the Antalya award is an opportunity to celebrate the craft of the performers as well as the wider team behind the production. It also adds another international chapter to the journey of a Sinhala film whose recognition has grown across several film festivals.
An AI-generated illustration of a cinema auditorium.
An award-winning festival journey and Sri Lanka’s Oscar entry
The Antalya prize adds to an already substantial awards run for Riverstone. In October, the film was named Sri Lanka’s official selection for the 99th Academy Awards. It was chosen by the inaugural National Oscar Selection Committee for Sri Lanka, chaired by National Film Corporation Chairman Sudath Mahaadivulwewa.
The selection process considered six films, with eligibility requirements applied in line with Academy guidelines. The designation makes Riverstone Sri Lanka’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards; it should not be confused with an Academy Award nomination. The film’s selection marks the start of its consideration through the international feature film submission process.
The Sunday Times has also reported earlier international recognition for the film. At the Singapore International Film Festival, Rathnayake won Best Director in the Asian Feature Film segment and Mahendra Perera received Best Performance. At the Shanghai International Film Festival, Riverstone received Asian New Talent Awards for Best Script Writer, shared by Rathnayake and Nilantha Perera, and Best Cinematography for Prabath Roshan.
The film also won the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Director at the Kolkata International Film Festival. The Sunday Times reports that Riverstone received the top prize, the Golden Cyclo, and a Special Mention from the Critics’ Jury for its psychological exploration of justice. The newspaper’s account does not name the festival in that passage.
Riverstone’s awards run at a glance
An AI-generated landscape illustration inspired by the film’s central highlands locations; it is not a still from the film.
What the Antalya win means for Sri Lankan cinema
A shared Best Actor award places four performers from one Sri Lankan film in the same international spotlight. It recognises their contributions to Riverstone while drawing attention to the collaborative nature of screen storytelling, in which performances work together to shape a film’s impact.
The award also extends the film’s international journey from Singapore and Shanghai to Kolkata and Antalya. For Sri Lankan actors and filmmakers, this kind of recognition can help bring new audiences to Sinhala cinema and encourage wider interest in the country’s film industry.
For readers in the UK and across the global Sri Lankan community, the result is a welcome moment of cultural recognition. The award celebrates the performers’ achievement while highlighting the creative work of Rathnayake, the producers and the wider cast and crew.
Congratulations to Mahendra Perera, Shyam Fernando, Randika Gunathilaka and Priyantha Sirikumara, and to Lalith Rathnayake and the entire Riverstone team. With Sri Lanka’s official entry selected for the 99th Academy Awards, the film now continues its awards journey towards the next stage of international consideration.
For more coverage of Sri Lankan film and entertainment, visit eLanka’s Sinhala movie section.
Sources
- Türkiye Today: Antalya Golden Orange awards honour Turkish and global cinema
- Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival: International feature film competition listing
- The Sunday Times: “Riverstone” heading for Oscars
- Original source: eLanka Facebook post sharing the Serendib News report
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