Sanjeewa Upendra

In a small village deep within the forests of Sri Lanka, everyone follows the teachings of a monk, with the exception of one hunter. While no one dares to kill in accordance with the monk’s teachings, the lone hunter hunts and provides meat for everyone. Meanwhile, beautiful villager Gomari is killed by a leopard, but no one knows this. Suspecting what happened to Gomari, the hunter begs the monk to cancel the upcoming full moon rituals, but the monk refuses, believing in the inevitability of fate. The hunter that never kills unless absolutely necessary must now hunt alone for the leopard that will attack humans.

Big-city boy Pathum enjoys heading out to his family’s ancestral village in the Sri Lankan countryside for his annual hunting trip. He’s a bit callous about the unwritten rules of the hunt, though, and outright dismissive of the rumours about Kura Raaksha, the hoofed demon who enforces those rules. Let the hunt begin. – Rupert Bottenberg