Hameedia will be hosting the opening dinner for the International Film Festival of Colombo for the second consecutive year on November 6. The festival, which will take place from November 7-11, strives to put Sri Lankan cinema on the global map and is set to attract renowned personalities, filmmakers, filmgoers and critics from around the world. The International Film Festival of Colombo, was launched in association with the Okinawa International Movie Festival of Japan, to further promote the development of the film and cinema industry in Sri Lanka. Although Sri Lankan cinema has gained recognition at various independent festivals, the country had not been able to establish an effective film festival of its own. In order to fill this void, the International Film Festival of Colombo was launched in 2014 to help take Sri Lankan cinema to new heights.