Connect with us

Business

Korean Film Festival is back Sept. 23-25 at BMICH in Colombo

Published

on

In an attempt to share the rich cinematic culture of Korea that is adored by a global fan base including many Sri Lankans, the Korean Embassy in Colombo together with the Korean Film Council (Kofic) brings you the ‘Korean Film Festival 2022’ which will take place from the 23rd to 25th of September 2022, at BMICH in Colombo.

The Korean Embassy welcomes you all to the Korean Film Festival 2022 that will be held after a hiatus of two years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Film Festival was not held in 2020 and 2021. This year, at a time when many Sri Lankans have embraced the Korean culture, movies and dramas, the Korean Film Festival 2022 will be the ideal event to broaden your understanding of the Korean culture, history and society through the medium of contemporary films.

In commemoration of the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Sri Lanka, the Korean Embassy has organised a series of special cultural events like the Korean Lantern Festival, Quiz on Korea, World K-pop festival and Korean Ambassador’s Taekwondo Championship. Following the resounding success of these past events, the Korean Film Festival 2022 will also be an opportunity bridge our two cultures together and to enjoy a variety of genres including drama, thriller, and comedy.

The Korean Film Festival composes of four critically acclaimed Korean movies, starting with ‘Wonderful Nightmare’ as the opening movie. This lovely, heart-warming movie featuring a famous Korean singer and actress, Ms. Uhm Jung-hwa and a famous Korean actor Mr Song Seung Heon, is said to be ‘very well balanced with a talented cast, humour, warmth, a serious issue and then a connection of caring.’ The movie ‘The Face Reader’ has a stellar cast including Mr. Lee Jang-jae, the Emmy Award winner for most outstanding leading actor for his epic performance on the Netflix series ‘Squid Game’, and the Best Actor at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, Mr. Song Kang Ho who is well known for his performance in the movie ‘Parasite.’ The next movie, ‘Sunset in My Hometown’ has an inspiring storyline about a Korean rap artist that will be interesting for many K-pop lovers in Sri Lanka. Reviewed as ‘charmingly hilarious,’ this movie features Ms. Kim Go-eun, who is well known in Sri Lanka for her amazing performance in ‘Goblin: The Lonely and Great God.’ The final movie, ‘Lucky Chan-sil’ also has spectacular performances by Korean actors including Ms. Yuh-Jung Youn who won an Oscar for the best supporting actress for her performance in the film ‘Minari’. Korean cinema has transcended national boundaries and made remarkable history. In this vein, the Korean Embassy hopes that audiences in Sri Lanka will enjoy the Korean Film Festival this year.

According to the Korean Media Rating Board, most of the movies screened at the “Korean Film Festival 2022” are intended for audiences aged fifteen (15) and above. Audiences under fifteen (15) are cautioned to be accompanied by a parent/adult guardian. Admission is free of charge on a first come, first served basis. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, please maintain social-distancing and wear face masks.



Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Business

AIA delivers strong first half results in 2026; double-digit growth across key financial metrics

Published

on

The Board of AIA Group Limited (the “Company”) is pleased to announce the Group’s financial results for the six months ended 30 June 2026. Growth rates are shown on a constant exchange rate basis unless otherwise stated:

New business performance and embedded value

Value of new business (VONB) of US$3,212 million, up 10 per cent overall and 14 per cent excluding Thailand(1)

Record high annualised operating ROEV of 18.0 per cent, up from 15.8 per cent in full year 2025

EV Equity of US$83.4 billion, up 6 per cent per share over the first half on an actual exchange rate basis

IFRS earnings

Operating profit after tax (OPAT) of US$4,163 million, up 13 per cent per share

AIA now expects to exceed OPAT per share CAGR target of 9 to 11 per cent from 2023 to 2026(2)

Record high annualised operating ROE of 17.5 per cent, up from 15.5 per cent in full year 2025

Cash generation and capital returns

Underlying free surplus generation (UFSG) of US$3,935 million, increased by 10 per cent per share

Net free surplus generation (net FSG) of US$2,758 million, up 12 per cent per share

US$3.6 billion returned to shareholders in the first half through dividend and share buy-back

Interim dividend increased by 10 per cent to 53.90 Hong Kong cents per share

Lee Yuan Siong, AIA’s Group Chief Executive and President, said:

“AIA has delivered another strong performance in the first half of 2026, with double-digit growth across our key financial metrics, while continuing to return substantial capital to shareholders. VONB reached a record high of US$3.2 billion with growth across all distribution channels, and all reportable segments excluding Thailand. The Group has achieved 17 per cent CAGR since the first half of 2023(3), demonstrating consistently strong demand for AIA’s professional advice and differentiated products.

“At the core of our unrivalled distribution platform is our market-leading Premier Agency. I am delighted that AIA has once again been ranked the number one Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) multinational company globally. We have held this position for a record 12 consecutive years and we have more than double the number of MDRT members of our nearest competitor. In the first half of 2026, our Premier Agency achieved strong VONB growth of 11 per cent excluding Thailand(1). Our extensive network of strategic distribution partners further expands our market reach and generated an 18 per cent increase in VONB, supported by very strong performance in both the bancassurance and independent financial adviser (IFA) and broker channels.

“Strong new business, together with disciplined management of our in-force portfolio, has supported sustained growth in recurring earnings with OPAT per share up by 13 per cent in the first half. As a result, we expect to exceed our 9 to 11 per cent OPAT per share CAGR target for 2023 to 2026(2). UFSG, the Group’s core measure of operating cash generation, increased by 10 per cent per share. After allowing for new business investment, net FSG increased by 12 per cent per share. In accordance with our prudent, sustainable and progressive dividend policy, the Board has declared a 10 per cent increase in the interim dividend to 53.90 Hong Kong cents per share. These achievements demonstrate that our financial strategy is working as intended.

“Asia remains the most compelling growth opportunity for life and health insurance. Powerful structural tailwinds across the region continue to create substantial demand for our professional advice and differentiated products and underpin the exceptional long-term prospects for AIA’s business. I am confident that AIA’s disciplined execution of our strategic priorities will continue to deliver long-term sustainable value for all our stakeholders.”

Continue Reading

Business

British Council Sri Lanka launches soft skills workshops to elevate learning and empower communication

Published

on

The British Council team answering questions on Corporate English Solutions from leading corporates about professional development skills courses

The British Council Sri Lanka has launched Corporate English Solutions (CES), tailored to the Sri Lankan corporate and education ecosystem, aimed at helping organisations strengthen workplace communication and professional development.

The launch event took place recently at the NH Collection, Colombo 3, gathering corporate partners, clients and education stakeholders throughout the country.

CES extends the British Council’s long-standing work in English language education and teacher training into a dedicated offering for the corporate sector. The launch introduced two new components to the British Council’s presence in Sri Lanka such as public workshops and teacher training programmes, open to learners and educators beyond the organisation’s existing corporate and academic partners. Guests at the event were shown a short video introducing Corporate English Solutions before the formal proceedings began.

Talal Meer, British Council Regional Business Development Director, South Asia, welcomed guests and introduced the British Council’s team in Sri Lanka. In his remarks, Meer set out the scope of the CES launch, covering the introduction of public workshops in Sri Lanka, the rollout of teacher training programmes, and an overview of the CES product portfolio. Meer’s role covers educational partnerships in the South Asia region, and his address framed the Sri Lanka launch within the British Council’s broader regional strategy.

Continue Reading

Business

Ogilvy Group tops award tally at ‘Dragons of Sri Lanka’ 2026

Published

on

Ogilvy Group Sri Lanka delivered a standout performance at the recently concluded Dragons of Sri Lanka 2026 Awards, securing a total of nine awards comprising two Gold Dragons, one Silver Dragon and six Black Dragons, among the festival’s highest overall award tallies. Gold Dragon wins for Phoenix Ogilvy and Ogilvy Digital, together with the seven additional recognitions across multiple categories, highlighted Ogilvy’s ability to combine creativity, strategic thinking and commercial effectiveness to deliver business results.

Organised by the 4As Sri Lanka, the third edition of Dragons of Sri Lanka shortlisted more than 50 agencies and corporates, making it one of the country’s most competitive marketing communications awards. These local awards, along with the chapters in Malaysia and Pakistan are part of the Dragons of Asia platform, one of the region’s leading programmes for marketing communications effectiveness, with entries being judged on strategy, originality, execution and measurable results.

Ogilvy Digital accounted for eight awards in total, including a Gold Dragon in the Business & Trade Marketing category, and a Silver Dragon in the Innovative Idea or Concept category. The Agency additionally received six Black Dragons across the categories of Innovative Idea or Concept, Business & Trade Marketing, Content Creation, Small Budget, Event or Experiential, and Brand Trial or Sales Generation.

Commenting on the achievement, Sajith Weerasinghe, Chief Operating Officer of Ogilvy Digital, said, “These recognitions reflect the breadth of capabilities we’ve built across strategy, creative, content, experience design, technology and performance marketing. The fact that the work was recognised across so many different disciplines demonstrates our ability to apply creativity to a wide range of business challenges and objectives. We’re proud that this achievement spans multiple clients, categories and types of work, reflecting both the versatility of our people and our commitment to delivering results.”

Continue Reading

Trending