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Lanka to project movie talent at Fukuoka Film Fest

The Sri Lankan film industry will once again be in the international limelight with the screening of Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne's latest film Sudu Sevanali (White Shadows), at the opening of the prestigious Fukuoka International Film festival on September 14.

This year's Country in Focus at Fukuoka is Sri Lanka, with six scheduled to be screened.

"This is a unique opportunity for the local film industry to gain international recognition. I am happy to be there to witness this grand event when the country gets recognition," Prof. Ariyaratne told the Daily News before leaving with a group of Sri Lankan film makers and actors to Japan on Thursday night. The films to be screened are Mansion by the Lake (Wekanda Walawwa -Lester James Peries), Pickpocket (Mage Wam Atha- Linton Semage), White Shadows, The Compensation (Aswesuma - Bennet Ratnayake), Pilgrimage

(Theertha Yathra - Vasantha Obeysekera) and The Way of the Lotus (Viragaya - Tissa Abeysekera). This year's festival which focuses on Asia will include 27 films from 15 Asian countries. It is organised by the Focus on Asia-Fukuoka International Film Festival Executive Committee.

Among the objectives of the festival are introducing excellent films from Asia to the world and using films to deepen the understanding of Asia. It also seeks to use films in promoting cultural and international exchanges and to foster new talent in the film industry.

Distinguished film critic Tadao Sato is the Director General of the festival.

Prof. Ariyaratne said he was proud to see his film being selected for an international festival of this kind. "The films were selected purely on the merit basis and I am pleased that my film is one of them."

Prof. Ariyaratne said Dr. Lester James Peries, Sumithra Peries, Malani Fonseka, Wasanthi Chathurani, Bennet Ratnayake, Jackson Anthony, Vasantha Obeysekera, Tissa Abeysekera, Linton Semage and Ashley Ratnavibushana will participate in the festival.

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Drama and theatre course

Saharada Kala Nikethanaya, a pioneering institution conducting courses on music, dancing, art and Hindi will commence a new course on drama and theatre on September 27 at the State Bank of India Building, Mudalige Mawatha, Colombo 01.

Prasannajith Abeysooriya a veteran drama and teledrama artist and an instructor on drama and theatre at universities and other higher education institutions will conduct this course.

Students undergoing school education, higher education and amateurs can follow the course.

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Young dramatists bridge theatre gap in Jaffna

"Filling the Blanks", a play performed by Stages Theatre Company, both in Colombo and at the "Culture Shock", the cultural festival of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, will be staged for Jaffna audiences at St. John's College, Chundikulam on September 14 and 15.

The play written by five young writers is directed by Ruwanthie de Chikera.

It is set against the backdrop of the re-opening of the A9 highway and tells of the journey made by Sumathi back to the house, which he was forced to leave 12 years earlier.

This endeavour is in keeping with the Stages Theatre Company's commitment to performing original and multilingual scripts to audiences of all communities.

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Traffic cleared for screening

The Oscar winning "Traffic", which was subject to controversy in Sri Lanka, will be screened from September 21 at Liberty Cinema, Colombo.

Two months ago, public screening of this film was banned in Sri Lanka by the Interim Committee of the Public Performances Board. Traffic, which stars Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones and Benicio Del Toro, won four Academy awards.

Director Peter Soderbergh was initially reluctant to do a film on drug addiction. He agreed to direct the film because he felt that "drugs are the key social issue in our culture today; everyone knows someone who has been touched by it, either a friend or a family member. I feel it's in the air right now and people are talking about it".

The film was actually shot in the Mexican military base where Gen. Salazar (portrayed by Tomas Milan), has his headquarters.

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