Anuruddha brings:

‘Bombs n’ Roses’

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

Talented young director Anuruddha Jayasinghe of Sankranthi and Davala Duvili fame, had named his latest cinematic creation Bomba Saha Rosa (Bombs n’ Roses). The Muhurath ceremony of the movie was held recently in the NFC cinema hall.

The story is about the events which unfold in a day when a bomb blast takes place in the city. One specialty about the film is that all the characters are given equal prominence though Vishvanath Kodikara, Upeksha Swarnamali, Bimal Jayakody and Mahendra Perera’s character stand out slightly more than the rest. Jayani Senanayake, Dharshana Dharmaraj, Suminda Sirisena, Sarath Kothalawala, Udayanthi Kulathunga, Kumara Thirimadura, tharindu Wijesinghe, Somadasa Alakolanga, Sriyani Amarasena and others take up characters in the movie produced by EricMakawita and Lucky Imran’s production.

The cameraman is Channa Deshapriya while the art director is Jagath Imbulpe. The assistant director is Priyantha Fernando, Priyantha Sirikumara is the make up artist and Raja Ranasinghe is the production executive.

The lyrics are by Kelum Srimal while Ranga Dassanayake is the music director. Amal Perera provides the background vocals. Ranesh Nanayakkara is the editor and the production coordination is managed by Sudath Silva and Ajantha Ranasinghe. Charith Wickramatilleke had designed the costumes while Chaminda Meemanage is the production manager.

Shooting will commence soon in areas around Colombo and the team is hoping to release the creation at the end of the year.

“The film will provide a different experience for local moviegoers as it revolves around a host of incidents connected to a bomb blast.

The bombs symbolize terrorism and horror while roses reflect innocence and romance,” Anuruddha explained the unusual theme of his film.

Cinema Snippets

K S SIVAKUMARAN

Reema Narendran is film critic for the Thiruvananthapuram edition of the ‘New Indian Express’. Giving her own views about the IFFK (International Film Festival of Kerala) held at the end of last year described the well-received Lankan film Machan described it as a light-weight film which finally got the Audience Award.

Said she: “Directed by Uberto Pasolini from Italy, the film had the audience rolling in laughter. There was not a single moment of silence in the hall, with delegates appreciating every single frame, every single wit.

Characters

It would have been impossible for the audience not to be siding the characters, who were very clearly on the other side of the law. Machan is a movie that will be remembered for its unusual theme and the humour, more than anything else.”

But I found the film a commentary on the predicaments of the Lankan lower middle class people and of course with the added features that the Kerala critic observed.

It was heartening to hear cine-artistes belonging to the majority community in the calibre of Malini Fonseka and Ravindra Randeniya recalling the valuable contributions that some members of the minority communities made towards the development of nascent Sinhala Cinema more than 50 years ago at a function held recently at the National Film Corporation Hall announcing the envisaged establishment of establishment of the Yaalpanam Art Centre somewhere in the peninsula.

While the Sinhala Cinema has rightly been acclaimed internationally, the local Thamil Cinema could not make headway.

Backwardness

There were several obvious reasons for the backwardness. Among them was the primary reason: the absence of knowledgeable people with understanding of the Cinema medium taking up to filmmaking.

Beginning with Rekawa great artistes like Lester James Peries, Sri Gunasinha, Mahagama Sekera, D B Nihalsinha, Vasantha Obeysekera, Dharmasena Pathirajah, Tissa Abeysekera, Dharmasiri Bandaranaike, Gamini Fonseka and others were not only educated and knowledgeable on what was understood as “Cinema” but were also creative artistes in their own ways.

Film enthusiasts

As far as Lankan Thamil films were concerned only film enthusiasts were engaged in filmmaking. They modelled their films on Thamilnadu early films.

Although some felt that the Dharmasena Pathirajah directed Thamil film Ponmani was the best Lankan film, I preferred that Vaadai Kaattu directed by the late Moraes was substantially a better film.

The redeeming feature is that some excellent Short Films in Thamil had been made by Lankans in recent times. Gnanadas is one who is emerging as filmmaker who understands the medium.

The recent emergence of a few quality films from Koadambakkam in Chennai show that those behind those films are educated and trained filmmakers and artistes coming out of film schools.

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Film Festival for International Women’s Day

The Women and Media Collective had organized Film Festival 2009, an event to showcase four internationally acclaimed films for the fifth consecutive year to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The following films will be screened at the Russian Cultural Centre, Colombo 7, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Entrance free.

March 23 - ‘Brick Lane’, an English film directed by Sarah Gavron

Based on the award winning, best selling novel by Monica Ali, the film ‘Brick Lane’ revolves around a young and Beautiful Bangladeshi woman, Nazneen, who arrives in London after her arranged marriage at the age of 17.

Trapped in a loveless marriage, she lives with her husband and two children in London, while constantly yearning to be reunited with her beloved sister back in her homeland.

March 24 - ‘Persepolis’, a French film with English subtitles directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

Based on her widely acclaimed autobiographical a graphic novels, the two directors bring a classical masterpiece in the form of an animated film.

The creation is a powerful, compelling story of a young girl growing up in Iran in the backdrop of the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s.

March 25 - ‘Australia’, an English film directed by Baz Luhrmann

Set in the era of World War II, the film is an epic and romantic action adventure film that revolves around an English aristocratic woman and the roughhewn local cattle drover.

March 26 - ‘The Secret Life of Bees’, an English film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (screened at 6 p.m. only)

Based on the New York Times’ best selling novel by Sue Monk Kidd, the film is an enchanting and moving story which revolves around a 14 year old girl named Lily Owen. Set in South Carolina in 1964, Lily lives a life of despair with her abusive father.

Her mother is dead and she soon comes under the wind of a black woman named Rosaleen. Although the Civil Rights Act has just taken effect, Rosaleen is severely beaten up by a group of racist bigots in town; a horrific incident witnessed by Lily. She runs away in search of her mothers past taking her beloved Rosaleen with her.

‘Bonjour Cinema 2009’ takes over BMICH

‘Bonjour Cinema 2009’, aka the festival du film Francophone, will take place for its sixth successful year at the BMICH from March 21 to 25.

Two films from aspiring young filmmakers from Belgium, Canada, France, Romania and Switzerland will be shown during the event.

This year’s festival had included a series of children’s movies from each of the countries showcasing their creations. All the films are subtitled in English. The event is presented by the Alliance Francaise along with the high commissions of the countries taking part.

‘Sir, Last Chance’ here at last!

Veteran actor cum movie director, Roy de Silva’s much talked about comedy film ‘Sir Last Chance’ will make its appearance at EAP circuit movies from March 25.

The trailers of the movie had been released in cinemas some time back and audiences were eagerly waiting to see Vijaya Nandasiri take up the part of the heroic detective who never seems to take action according to the way he plans.

Screening ‘Australia’

‘Australia’ is an epic and romantic action adventure, set in that country on the explosive brink of World War II. In it, an English aristocrat travels to the faraway continent, where she meets a rough-hewn local and reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save the land she inherited.

Together, they embark upon a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of the world’s most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain, only to still face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbour. (20th Century Fox).

The cast is lead by Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown, Brandon Walters, David Gulpilil, Essie Davis and others.

The movie, directed by Baz Luhrmann, will begin unspooling at Majestic cinema from March 27.