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| Saturday, 22 June 2002 |
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Little Angel : spreads message of ethnic harmony
The film revolves round Sampath, a 10-year-old Sinhalese boy born to a rich family who is mentally disturbed in the absence of parental love and care from infancy. The film shows how Sampath behaves, smashing things in the house when he gets disturbed. Sampath's further mental deterioration is prevented by the arrival of Sathya, an eight year old Tamil girl - the daughter of the longest serving domestic employee of Sampath. The film set in the period of the 1983 clashes, focuses on the change in the lives of these two children in the aftermath of the clashes and the impact it had on the mentality of children. It stresses the value of ethnic harmony. The film was shot in Kandy and the film's story and script is also by Somaratne. Somaratne's first film Saroja won nine international awards and achieved equal fame in Sri Lanka too while breaking box office records. Somaratne has written and directed five major drama series for television and has won several national awards for script writing, directing and lyrics. He studied science subjects and obtained his first degree in diagnostic radiography from London University. While practising in the medical field, he studied theatre and arts under veterans like Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra and Dhamma Jagoda. While in Australia, Somaratne studied film and television media and obtained a post graduate diploma in professional arts from the University of NSW. Somaratne believes that there is ample room for more films discussing issues related to childhood and there are more issues that could be discussed. The film stars Sampath as Sinhalese boy (Tharaka Hettiarachchi), Sathya as Tamil girl (Nithyawani Kandasamy), Siyantha Mendis, Dilani Abeywardena and Namel Weeramuni. Henry Jayasena, Malani Fonseka, Jayalath Monoratne and Janaka Kumbukge make guest appearances. Music is by Rohana Weerasinghe. The art director is Hemapala Dharmasena and make up is by Imal Shanaka Peiris. Haydn's The Creation at BMICH The performance of classical music in Sri Lanka will scale new heights when the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL and the Sri Lanka Symphony Chorus present Haydn's The Creation (Die Schopfung), a popular oratorio in the history of music, at the BMICH on July 3. Five world-leading classical musicians as well as members from the chamber orchestras of Bombay and Amsterdam are billed to join more than 100 local players and singers for this performance, which organizers say will be a first for Sri Lanka in more ways than one, a release from the symphony orchestra of Sri Lanka states. The London based English graphic artist, Mark Rogerson is expected to give a visual dimension to the 100 minute performance, with imagery which a contemporary would find in his imagination suggestive of motifs and ideas found in The Creation with its libretto based on the Book of Genesis and John Milton's Paradise Lost, the orchestra's Conductor Lalanath de Silva said. Among the guest artist will be Michael Dewis (Bass), Robert Johnston (Tener), the Sri Lankan born Gayathri Peiris (Soprano) and Guest Chorus Director Gregory Rose. Soloists from Sri Lanka include Eranga Gunatilleke (Soprano and Dhilan Gnanadurai (Bass). Fifteen wind and string players from the Bombay and Amsterdam Chamber Orchestras including the international celebrity cellist Jean Decroos will be the guests of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka for this performance, forming a full orchestra that would include trumpets, trombones and kettle drums. In the tradition of the oratorio for which Handel's Messiah is best known, The Creation is widely believed to be the greatest single work of Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) and one of the most incredible and inspiring pieces of music of the 18th century. It uses the recitative (melodious speech by soloists solos, duets, trios and a full chorus backed by the orchestra to celebrate Nature's coming into being. The proceeds from the sale of tickets will go towards the SOSL endowment development fund and the instrument loan fund. |
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Produced by Lake House |
Will Somaratne Dissanayake of Saroja fame achieve similar success with
his latest film? It all depends when Punchi Suranganavi (Little Angel)
flies into cinemas islandwide.
