Projector

Machan

Bringing comedy into a tragic tale:

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

Director Uberto Pasolini

Scenes from Machan

The film is based on a true story yet the characters are fictional. A group of desperate slum dwellers, living in the margins of society under the impossible pressures, find an invitation to a handball tournament in Bavaria to be the answer to their prayers, a one way ticket to the West and the wealth that will solve all their problems.

This basically sums up the Italian, German and Sri Lankan co-production Machan which will be premiering at the upcoming 65th Venice Film Festival and will be commercially released in Italy and Germany before making its way to Sri Lanka.

"I was working on a Hollywood production in Australia and things were not going well for us. We were just on the brink of break up when I came across a news article relating the disappearance of a 23 member Sri Lankan handball team that had made its way to Germany.

The story was embedded in my mind and I decided that it was a chance to make a film on real life issues and characters. Instead of making it a tragic tale I was able to bring some comedy into the story," said director Uberto Pasolini, producer of the highly acclaimed hit "The Full Monty".

Though the plot sprung up from a real life incident, the characters were not based upon those involved with the incident.

"We decided early that we will not try to dig up anything about the real people.

"We spent a year developing the script and we spoke to several people to get their opinions on the West and why they wish to migrate to foreign countries. We included some of their remarks to the dialogs," said Ruwanthi de Chickera, who had written the script along with Pasolini.

They also stressed that Machan touches upon social and political issues in an indirect manner.

Renowned filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage together with Conchita Airoldi and Uberto Pasolini will produce the film. Dharmapriya Dias, Gihan de Chickera, Namal Jayasinghe, Dharshan Dharmaraj, Sujeewa Priyalal, Mahendra Perera, Dayadewa Edirishinghe and many others are part of the cast.

The co-producer is Henning Molfenter while Mirjam Weber is the associate producer. Stefano Falivene is the director of photography, Errol Kelly the production designer, Masahiro Hirakubo the editor and Stephen Warbeck and Lakshman Joseph de Saram are the music composers.

Anandar Chandrahasan is the sound mixer while the costumes were designed by Sandhiya Jayasuriya and Rob Navis. Ebert Wijesinghe is the make-up designer and Damayanthi Fonseka the casting director.

The movie was filmed in areas around Colombo and in Germany in January and completed work in three months. It will begin screening in theatres in Sri Lanka before the end of the year.

'Endless Journey' on a long cinematic venture

'Endless Journey', a short film directed by Henry Warnakulasuriya represented Sri Lanka by screening at the opening of the 'Malescorto 2008' film festival, Malesco, Italy, on August 4. Other films screened at the opening were from Spain, Great Britain, Canada and Italy.

Short films from Germany, France, USA, Iran, Belgium and Nepal were among the other films screened in the festival held from August 4 to 7.

The short film 'Endless Journey' is an official selection and will compete for the category of 'Audience Favourite Drama' at 2008 Route 66 Film Festival to be held in Springfield, Illinois, USA from September 20 and 21.

The film also represented Sri Lanka at the Pangea Day International Film Festival held in Los Angeles, USA, from May 8 to 10 and featured in the pangeaday.org website. Warnakulasuriya got the opportunity to attend Pangea Day Globalcast at Sony studio.

'Endless Journey' stars Nilupuli Jayawardhene, Bimsath Hekularu, Sadeepa Nilupul,Gamini Costa, Nilanthi Kodituwakku, Gemunu Darmasri Herath and Lincoln Mandawala. Music is by Navarathne Gamage and Hepathi Kularatne produced the film.

'X- Files:

I want to believe' at the Liberty:

Thirty-seven thousand years ago, a deadly secret was buried in a cave in Texas.

Now the secret has been unleashed. And its discovery may mean the end of all humanity. When a terrorist bomb destroys a building in Dallas, Texas, FBI Agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy surpassing anything they've ever encountered. With the dubious assistance of a paranoid doctor (Landau), Mulder and Scully risk their careers and their lives to hunt down a deadly virus which may be extraterrestrial in origin - and could destroy all life on earth.

Their pursuit of the truth pits them against the mysterious Syndicate, powerful men who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets safe, leading the agents from a cave in Texas, to the halls of the FBI, and finally to a secret installation in Antarctica which holds the greatest secret of all.

'X- Files: I want to believe' will start screening at Liberty cinema from August 21.