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Caught between heaven and hell:

Ranjith to portray reality of life in Greener Pastures

FILM director Ranjith Kuruppu is busy preparing groundwork for a new celluloid creation and a teledrama which he describes would portray the reality of Sri Lankans seeking greener pastures in Western countries.


Ranjith Kuruppu

"These creations are going to be controversial," Ranjith told me when I met him last Tuesday along with Sarasaviya Deputy Editor Aruna Gunaratne. Ranjith who has been living in Germany since 1973, is here on a short visit.

Ranjith has titled his film "Surapura Asabada" (Bridal Banquet in Paris). He explained that this film focuses on Sri Lankans seeking a better life in Western countries and the cultural calamity they face due to the vast cultural differences between Sri Lanka and those Western countries.

"The title of the film itself reveals the story of the film - Surapura Asabda (Near Heaven). People are just besides heaven but cannot enter it. This is the tragedy faced by most of our people going there," he noted.

The film will be based in Paris. "A French company has undertaken to produce this film and we are now making adjustments in the scripts. It will be shot in Europe and in Sri Lanka."

Ranjith describes himself as a film director and screenplay writer by profession. "I have dedicated my whole life to art just like my father. What I believe I practise. If I wanted to make money I had many opportunities, but I did not do. Art is my life."

Ranjith's father Dharmadasa Kuruppu too was a well-known artiste - an actor and stage play director.

Before leaving Sri Lanka Ranjith was actively engaged in Left politics for more than a decade.

"I learned much during this period. I am proud to call myself a man who studied in the Street University," says Ranjith recalling those who were associated with him at the time. Once, he was even taken to the Fourth Floor for questioning on his political involvement.

Ranjith's maiden film "Pawana Ralu Viya" (The House of Gentle Souls) won three Sarasaviya awards in 1995.

The awards were for the Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay which was won by Ranjith himself. The film was initially banned in Sri Lanka but later the ban was lifted.

Now, Ranjith has arrived Sri Lanka to make arrangements for his maiden teledrama. He plans to begin shooting of this teledrama titled "Puthuni Hamba Giya" (Plight of the Sworn) by the end of next month. The story and script are by Ranjith. He plans to direct the teledrama too.

Ranjith received an invitation to do a teledrama for Swarnavahini from the late filmmaker H.D. Premaratne who was serving as a director there.

"Knowing my capacity, talents and skills, he invited me to do this teledrama for Swarnavahini and I accepted it. He even made arrangements to select the cast before his untimely death. The new management has also given the greenlight and we are now making necessary arrangements."

He has already selected the actors and actresses for the main roles - among them are Nadeesha Hemamali and Mahendra Perera.

"This teledrama will focus on Sri Lankan youth leaving for Western countries seeking a better life, but mostly face debacles being strangled between two worlds. These youth go to these countries not knowing the culture, mentality and even languages of their destination country.

They are leaving Sri Lanka mainly due to economic problems and think their problems will be resolved - which is not true."

This teledrama will be shot in Germany and Sri Lanka.

Commenting on the local film industry, Ranjith stressed that it has been facing a crisis.

"What I learnt there can't use in Sri Lanka. I mean cinematography and various other methods mainly due to the budgetary problems of films."

Ranjith stressed that it is necessary to focus on making films that cater to the international audience to face crisis in the film sector. "If we cannot do that, we will not able to solve this crisis. There is a dearth of cinematic films here."

He refuted certain arguments that television has affected the local film industry. "In Germany, despite 100 - 600 odd television channels offering best movies and other entertainment, cinemas are housefull most of the time." Ranjith says "Kino Polis", a cinema complex located in Bad-Godersberg off Bonn, Germany where his home is located, is full most of the time.

"This complex has 12 cinemas and 12 different films are running at a time with two shows a day. You have to reserve tickets earlier if you want to see a movie as it is fully crowded."

"Therefore, it is very clear that teledrama or television is not a challenge for the film industry if quality and cinematic movies are produced. Here, I think most films are similar to teledramas. Cinema is not telling a story - but teledrama is telling a story."

He noted that it is useless to blame any of the previous Governments for the downfall of the local cinema. "It is useless to blame the past or present Government or the National Film Corporation for the crisis in the film industry.

"Of course, a Government has to look after national industries. But there is no point putting the whole blame on the Government. What we have and our equipment are more than enough to do better cinematic films."

Ranjith is also writing his autobiography.


Dubai International Film Festival:

Showcasing Arab Cinema

THE Dubai International Film Festival was held in Dubai from 11-17 December 2005. Sri Lanka was represented by Guerilla Marketing directed by Jayantha Chandrasiri. Jayantha participated with his team Jackson Anthony, Kamal Addaraarachchi and Yashoda Wimaladharma.

The writer was invited for the entire festival period by the Directorate of the Dubai International Film Festival.

Over 85 films were included in the festival programme, focusing on various important categories of Cinema in the Arab world and also Asia, Africa and rest of the world.

The festival was very important particularly for the new generation of film makers in the UAE as the festival aims at encouraging and developing young talents in the field of cinema and introducing it to local and international communities.

Nine films from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan were screened in the section 'Cinema from the Subcontinent'. India was represented by renowned filmmakers including Deepa Mehta (Water/2005), Jahnu Barua (I Did Not Kill Gandhi/2005).

One of the very unusual films in this section was Reaching Silence a debut feature by the Bengali director Jahar Kanungo.

Sri Lanka was represented by Guerilla Marketing by Jayantha Chandrasiri. Dubai Discoveries unveiled six outstanding debut features by Arab directors who are determined to do well outside the commercial mainstream.

Their films transport us to many different environments, including Morocco's Atlas Mountains, the Paris suburbs and the ancient city of Sanaa in Yemen.

Seven feature films including three outstanding works by first time feature directors were screened at the section titled In Honour of Africa. The cinema of Africa is as diverse as the continent itself.

For too long, Africa has been considered a monolith, its various nations, cultures and peoples lumped into a conveniently homogenous mass, characterized by poverty and strife.

The films in this section reflected the continent's myriad qualities and focus on many issues affecting Africa today. One of the excellent films screened in this section was Moolaade (Senegal/2004) directed by the great master of African Cinema Ousmane Sembene.

The film depicted the story of the circumcised woman who has managed to help her only daughter escape this ritual "purification" organized every seven years.

A new segment of this edition of the Dubai Film Festival was Insights from Asia. It offered films from different countries, cultures and industries, representing different genres.

Films from China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea were screened in this section including latest work of Asia's finest Wong Kar-wai (2046/Hong Kong/2004), Oscar-winner Hayao Miyazaki (Howl's Moving Castle/Japan/2004) and Gu Changwei (Peacock/China/2005).


Celebrating 'Mille Soya'

IT was a night to celebrate the enormous success of a single film by one of Sri Lanka's young film directors of our time. 'Mille Soya' walked away with major awards at all three important film award ceremonies held in 2005.

Its ratings rose high for its novel approach and non -political attitude towards the subject matter handled by the director Boodie Keerthisena. The Presidents Film Festival, The Sarasaviya Film Festival and The Signis Film Festival all selected Mille Soya as an outstanding entity.

At a grand function recently the producer of the film Buddhi Keerthisena shared his pleasure with the cast and production unit of the film for the success it achieved.

The star studded event had some prominent film and other personalities like Dr. Lester James Peries, Sumithra Peries, Music Maestro W.D.Amaradeva, D. B. Nihalsinghe and many more. There were clips of the many functions that took place during and after the screening of the film.

In addition guests were treated to a private viewing of what went behind the sets during the filming of Mille Soya both here and on location abroad. It was interesting to note the sweat and toil that goes on towards producing a film of that calibre.

Among the notable gathering was Artist Chandraguptha Thenuwara who also had his part of the glory by winning an award for his backdrop and set- designing of the film and the musician brothers who go by the name 'Jaya Shri'.

They were responsible for the background score of the movie, both sharing their time between their native Sri Lanka and Vienna where they live.

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