Akash Sunethkumara was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and raised in Negombo where he studied at St. Nicholas' International College. Passionate about films from an early age, he attributes his interest in films sprang as a result of being in a household where watching movies during meals was the norm. The 'larger-than-life aspect' was a mode of escapism in addition to his need to leave behind a legacy through film. In 2015 he joined the Raindance MA Program and graduated in 2017 but has stated that he is mostly a self-taught.
Career
Akash Sunethkumara created his first short during his MA program with his group of friends he had known through high school to help him with the production. The good chemistry they had during Star_Crossed paved the way for their next production EIDETIC which went on to be his Masters thesis project. Made on a budget of $300 this film ended up at various film festivals including San Diego Comic-Con's Independent Film Festival. The film was also Sri Lanka's first film to be screened at San Diego Comic-Con. In addition to writing and directing the film, he played the role of Shane, the film's male lead. The film was praised for its storytelling and "tinge of magical realism". In 2017, he started lecturing part-time at Raffles Institute of Design and kept creating films on the side with his team, High School Junkies . His next project, The Summoning was a change in genre, shifting from action to horror. The film was also made on a shoestring budget and the press praised the short as being able to "create an idyllic horror atmosphere with some highly impressive framing, to keep you on edge". Akash has been propagating low-to-no budget filmmaking in Sri Lanka, stating that equipment is not so important as the concept and the people. In 2018 he teamed up with Ruwanga Samath on a music for his SmoothBLAQ label titled Rise Up. In 2019, he released a mini-follow up to The Summoning titled The Friend. He is also a visiting lecturer at the Sri Lanka Foundation. He has cited filmmakers Steven Soderbergh and Christopher Nolan as an influence on his films and has been mentored by Hollywood veteran David Worth.
Upcoming projects
Ever since EIDETIC's release Akash has teased the prospect of a feature film. As of 2019, he has been working on a feature film while focusing on more short films and music videos on YouTube.
