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| Monday, 21 June 2004 |
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www.lesternsumitra.com by Prasad Abu Bakr Two of this country's most respected citizens known the world over not only for their mammoth contribution to the local movie industry but also for the many honours and accolades that have been bestowed upon them by numerous recognised bodies globally are Lester James Peries and Sumithra Peries. Keeping to a promise the renowned event agency Emphasis with the ongoing support of BT Options have conceptualised and powered a website:www.lesternsumitra.com which will be officially launched on June 25. The project has received the overall support of the Minister of Cultural Affairs Vijitha Herath.
Though this famous couple is known for their work and creative harmony which have stood this country in good stead very few actually have had an opportunity to get an in-depth view of this otherwise very private entities. But agencies such as Emphasis makes it a point to make it their business to let the world know more about the lesser known aspects of the most known people of our country. So here we are with a Website that will tell us a little more than what we know. The master's first creation was 'Rekava' made in 1956 at a time when the local film industry was totally dependent on South Indian movie magnates and their style of film making which were the toast of the times. That Sumithra Gunawardena married Peries in 1964 and made her first film in 1978 'Gahanu Lamai' which brought to the fore Vasanthi Chathurani who, as a result has made an impressive career for herself as an actress today. But these are little facts that we were able to read about in numerous publications at times that information of the two some appeared in connection with whatever achievements they made during their long career as filmmakers in the past. Today with the electronic media and cyber information methods riding a high wave, it is expected that we are given the privilege of getting all the information connected to what we are seeking at a press of a button. And what are you in for when you press www.lesternsumitra.com? Of Lester: That he was an April, born to parents named James Francis Peries and Anne Gertrude Winifred Jayasuriya, between an elder sister and two younger brothers out of whom, the late Ivan Peries was a commended artist who lived in England for a long time and kept painting his country of birth with so much fascination that one wondered why he was on self imposed exile away from home for so long. The site will also tell you that Lester is an old boy of St. Peter's College, Bambalapitiya, of his ambition at being a writer at a very young age. That his first contributions were to the Daily News weekly supplement on the arts, similar to the present day's Artscope. He later made contributions to the Times of Ceylon and also secured a job at Radio Ceylon as a young broadcaster. Lester also had the opportunity of working for the Times of Ceylon, London office during his visit there to meet his brother Ivan who was already there on an art scholarship in 1947. The web will also give you loads of information on his career as a filmmaker. How his first attempt at it was by making a short film titled 'Soliloquy' together with a friend Hereword Jansz won them the Mini Cinema Cup for the best technical proficiency. His return to Sri Lanka in 1952 upon which he joined the Government Film Unit as the assistant to the chief producer Ralph Keene and his subsequent association with friends - William Blake and Titus Thotawatte who were later to make their mark as important contributors to the progress of the local film industry. On Sumithra Peries: There will be loads of similar information that will say how she became one of the country's leading Film Directors as a follow-up to her working as the assistant director to her famous husband in many of his earlier projects. Her contribution in her capacity as a director in later years is also touched upon as much as information based about those films and the many awards that she won for them. Amongst them `Sagara Jalaya' which is considered Sumithra's most challenging film up to date was categorised as one of the ten best Asian films shown that year at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Apart from her colourful career as a creative film director and editor the lady also has a rather fiery family background with a Marxist political base to it. At 20, Sumithra joined her brother to sail around the Mediterranean on a yacht, which is also a bit of exciting information on this rather soft spoken and modest woman Sumithra is today. It is information of this nature and many others based on this vibrant couple that Emphasis has fed into a web site that will attract many film lovers or personality buffs will want to surf through and look up for themselves not only in Sri Lanka but in other parts of the world where Lester and Sumithra Peries are celebrities. But even though a website may give us a glimpse of mostly the professional side of world celebrities the true spirit of actually knowing them at a very private level will always be a difficult area to gain access to. Lester's and Sumithra's true nature as humble and loving souls to many of their friends will never come through into the site where they are about to be webbed but they nevertheless deserve to be accessed by the world for all the glory they have brought about to make us feel proud about not only of them but also to be a part of the country that they were born in. An invitation to Wimal Abeyasundara from a Malaysian Classic Forum Kalakeerthi Panditha Wimal Abeyasundara had been invited by the Dewan Bahasa Pustaka to submit a memoir to be published in the special edition of Dewan Sastera to be published in August 2004 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Kuala Lumpur World Poetry Reading.
Only memories from those poets who had participated at the past nine conventions based on their experiences at the event are published in this issue. 'Dewan Sastera' is a monthly literary magazine published since 1971. The Director General of International Literary Development Division and the organisation committee expects to include composition of poems in this special edition of the said magazine. Kala Keerthi Panditha Wimal Abeyasundara participated at the 3rd World Poetry reading convention held from October 25 to 30, 1990 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With his permission, the English translations of the Sinhala poems 'Hadwath Vijaya' (Conquering Hearts) and 'Anda Goviyo' (Tenant Farmers) was included in the special collection of poems published to mark the commemorations held in 1992. At this occasion, there were a delegation of poets from 34 different countries. He is a senior poet who had gained much experience by exchanging views on aspects of world literature on poems by participating in world poems and literature forums held in England, Yugoslavia, China and Malaysia. Wimal Abeyasundara is a great poet who has travelled to countries like India, France, Germany, Italy gaining special training in the radio and electronic media and has shown a great skill in composing of songs, anthology of poems publications on studies of poetry. Four of his publications has received the Government Award for Literature. The first anthology of poems to receive the award being 'Nishadi' was published in 1959. Mr. Abeyasundara joined the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (then known as Radio Ceylon) in 1958 and dedicated himself towards the development of broadcasting programs. At the very early stages he had done a yeomen service by composing musical dramas, special musical programme and songs which has contributed immensely to the development of the Sinhala Poetical and Lyrical Literature, and published many works on poetry by him. Out of the many works published by him 'Sangeetha Sanhitha' has a very special place. First published in 1963 has its new enlarged version published in 2001. Consisting of 1,300 pages this is like a encyclopedia for the students and newcomers to the field of music, and serves as a textbook to the experts in this field. It is included in the article submitted by this writer to the special edition of the 'Dewan Sastera' of Malaysia, a summary of the present day World Poetry Compilations and Sinhala poetry compilation and his experiences and sweet memories at the world poetry forum held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kala Eli Mangalyaya A Kala Eli Mangalyaya (ushering novices to the limelight) and Prathibha Pranama Ulela (intuition awards ceremony) organised by the Kata Handa Madya Kendraya (media centre) will be held at the Lumbini Theatre, Havelock Town with much funfare on Saturday June 26 at 6.30 p.m.
Speaker W. J. M. Lokubandara and Cultural Affairs and National Heritage Minister Vijitha Herath will be the chief guests. Prathibha Pranama Awards will be made to Titus Totawatte, J. H. Jayawardena, Vasantha Kumara, Sunil Premaratne, Hudson Samarasinghe and Sumana Nellampitiya in recognition of their respective contributions towards the development of the radio, television, cinema, stage and dancing fields, said Radio and TV Personality, Srimath Indrajith Liyanage who is organising this gala event. He said a large number of popular vocalists will add colour to this event by singing popular songs to the music supplied by Seeduwa Sakura and Seeduwa Sarasi bands while the members of the Kulasiri Budawatte Ranga Ayathanaya, Chandana Wickramasinghe Rangayathanaya, Rajini Selvanayagam Rangayathanaya and Jaya Sankhe Ranga Padanama will present dance performances to entertain the gathering. The entire show is open to the public free of charge, he added. 'Gone With The Wind' at Russian Centre 'Gone With The Wind', the greatest love story of our time, the story of Scarlett O' Hara and Rhelt Butler is a lavish and grand romance set against the Civil War. This multi Academy Award winning film features a legendary cast that includes Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland. Margaret Michell's 'Gone With The Wind' (novel) one of the most popular books ever written and the most popular motion picture of all times remains the most revered American saga and the most beloved work. Be there at the Russian Centre to witness 'Gone With The Wind' on June 26 at 5.00 p.m. For further details please contact Chandi on 2685429/2685440, Russian Centre, No. 10, Independence Avenue, Colombo 07. |
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