As part of the new leadership structure, Dhanushka Gunathilake has been appointed as Head of Discovery Campus, PÖFF’s talent and industry platform. Gunathilake is an award-winning cinematographer and festival professional with over 15 years of international experience, as well as the founder of Sri Lanka’s first state-sponsored film school.

He made his mark with the acclaimed debut feature Between Yesterday and Tomorrow, which received multiple national awards, followed by The Frozen Fire, Sri Lanka’s first-ever submission to the Academy Awards, and Dark in the White Light, which was nominated for the Golden Leopard at Locarno. Alongside his filmmaking career, Gunathilake has maintained a strong presence within international festival ecosystems.

At PÖFF, he has worked as a TV host, Q&A moderator, and Project Manager at Discovery Campus, where he spearheaded Frame Within a Frame, the festival’s first cinematography-dedicated masterclass initiative. An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Gunathilake brings together craft, pedagogy, and industry development in his new role.