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| Saturday, 04 September 2004 |
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Features | |
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Sakman Maluwa: Walks in to Fukuoka
The festival themed "Focus on Asia " will be held from September 10 to 20. Sumithra was very pleased about the film being selected for the festival as she believes that the festival would bring worldwide recognition to her celluloid creation. She explained that the festival offers dual advantages to the Sri Lankan film industry. "The festival brings international exposure for the film and at the same time it preserves a copy of the film." She said the Fukuoka Festival is linked to the Fukuoka Archives where they preserve all films shown at the festival, enabling future generations to experience those classic creations. "They have a system of selecting films and preserving them." For this festival, films are selected from South Asia and South - East Asia. "They concentrate on good films which portray the culture of the respective country. They do not believe in competition and rather focus on quality, culture and theme of the film." Expressing her satisfaction on her film's achievements, Sumithra said: "I am tremendously happy. I know that someone will preserve my work for which I have toiled so much." "I was lucky that several of my films Sagara Jayalaya Madi Henduwa Oba Sanda, Loku Duwa, Duwata Mawaka Misa were selected for this festival earlier while my husband Dr. Lester James Peries' films Rekhawa, Gamperaliya, Awaragira and Wekanda Waluwwa were also selected for the festival." The objective of the festival is to introduce excellent films from Asia to the entire world while using film to deepen the understanding of Asia on a civic level. It also envisages using film to promote cultural and international exchange while focusing on discovering and fostering new talent for the film industry. Fukuoka began an "Asian Month" in 1990, as a means to further deepen the circle of exchanges developed through the "Asian-Pacific Exposition" held in 1989 to commemorate her centennial. Every September, "Asian Month" holds over 50 events that relate to the culture, learning and arts of Asia. Serving the Festival as its Director General is Tadao Sato, a distinguished film critic with a diverse human network who started early on his research of Asian films. Hisako Sato, a noted film researcher, serves as the official coordinator to the Festival. With festival staffs, the two travel throughout Asia to conduct research on Asian films. The Festival also invites film directors, actors and actresses as guests to promote exchanges through discussions and symposiums. Because most of the films shown are premiered in Fukuoka, new prints are ordered and Japanese subtitles provided for their exhibition. The Festival also provides English subtitles to the films so that guests and foreign students studying in Fukuoka can understand them. This has led to the films exhibited at the festival drawing wide attention. "You get a lot of exposure at this festival as it attracts people representing many fields," Sumithra noted. The Garden depicts sensitively a marital relationship in which, a surface contentment masks the essential separateness of the partners. Prema accepts a proposal of marriage by a middle-aged government officer Tissa (Sanath Gunathilake). Their new life looks perfect at the beginning, but their age gap becomes a stressful factor when Tissa's younger brother arrives from Russia. The Garden which is one of Tissa's keen preoccupation is the setting of the drama to follow. The film portrays marital relationships and the inner conflict in a sensitive manner, using the symbolism of the beautiful house garden. Screenplay is by the world renowned filmmaker Lester James Peries. Sumithra and Sanath Gunathilake (who won the Best Actor's award at the Sarasaviya Film festival) are scheduled to leave for Japan next week. ########## Bhadraji's Sinhala song collection on DVD
The Executive Producer of the DVD is H.D. Premasiri of the Sarasavi Book Shop, Nugegoda in collaboration with some well-wishers of Bhadraji, both here and abroad. The novel feature is that two visual directors has directed the visual interpretations of the songs. Ralex Ranasinghe, veteran visual director has directed four songs of Bhadraji while young film director Priyantha Colombage has directed the rest of the songs. Some novel techniques have been introduced in picturing the songs - Priyantha told us. Bhadraji began his singing career after migrating to the United States in 1973. With a Spanish guitar which he bought from a pawn shop in Los Angeles, Bhadraji began creating his lyrics and tunes as he strummed his guitar in his solitude. "Battiththa" the most popular of all his songs, was recorded to the music direction of late Stanley Peris in 1978. It became a hit overnight. The song expresses the feelings of a lonely lover at the famed Peradeniya University. Its attraction is the whistle of a thrush. Apart from that maestro Rohana Weerasinghe, Upali Kannangara and Jagath Wickramasinghe has directed music for another three of the songs. Bhadraji introduces young and upcoming music director Achala Solomons who has rendered a musical score blended with computer music. Apart from the DVD, Chandana Amaratunga and several other admirers of Bhadraji's artistic talents from Australia have produced a CD of 16 songs which will be released on the September 16 at the Elphinstone Theatre. It is a collection of some songs by Bhadraji, which were recorded last year under the music direction of Achala Solomons. Bhadraji will sing live at the event and a video presentation is also on the schedule. |
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Produced by Lake House |
Sakman Maluwa (The Garden) which won the Best Film award at the
recently concluded Sarasaviya Film Festival has been selected for this
year's Fukuoka International Film Festival.
Bhadraji Mahinda Jayatilaka's "Battiththa" a 14-song DVD -
the first of its kind for a Sinhala singer is to be released on September
8, at 5.00 p.m. during the Colombo International Book Fair, at the BMICH
Cinema Hall.
