PROJECTOR

Unearthing ET secrets

Nirmal Rajapaksa tackles alien forces vie 3D:

Ruwini Jayawardana

[Crew]

* Story, script, director, director camera and animation: Nirmal Rajapaksa

* Co-director: Lasantha Kamalsiri

* 3D animation: Iduranga Wirasooriya

* Make up: Shayamali Vijini

* Art director: Deepthi Bandara

* Dancing director: Lasantha Kamalsiri

* Lightning: Ranga Sri

* Co-camera directors: Iduranga Wirasooriya and Nisal Gihan

* Music director: Indika

* Lyrics: Kalpa Eranda

* Sound effects: Layanal Gunarathne

* Sound editing: Dalugama Sarasavi Studio

* Special sound creator: Kawshl Stanly

* Software controller: Sudham Darshith

* Special sound director: Peter Vangstar

* Sound audio composer: Sudhesh Nissanka

* Editing and animation: Nirmal Film Studio, Makola

* Production: Nirmal Film Team

Cast

* Lasantha Kamalsiri

* Shamila Vijini

* Vimukthi Udara

* Maduri Poornima

* Arosha Kanchana

* Randhika Nuwan

* Anjula Gamage

* Thilina Anuradha

* Chamila Dhananjani

The stills takes you back to the era when digital 3D versions of Aliens, Predators and ET ruled the box office. That is exactly what influenced young director Nirmal Rajapaksa in his debut creation Pitasakwala Abhirahasa (The Mystery of ET) which is unspooling at the CEL circuit cinemas these days.

The film is set on the theme of how aliens can be a threatening force to humanity.

The story opens with a youth named Theekshana who had been experimenting on extraterrestrial beings is killed by an alien titled ‘Hope’. Meanwhile another alien named ‘Polo’ is on its way to earth. As Hope’s killing craze continues, it is up to Theekshana’s girlfriend Piumi and his best friend Lasantha. Join the duo as they duck Government investigators and engage in an adventure to save the earth from the horror of invasions from beings from outer space.

Quipped with 3D animations Nirmal’s attempt is a challenging project indeed for he had to make a worthy production with whatever he could get his hands on from the local market.

“My attempt was to experiment with filmmaking technology and explore new avenues in the sector,” noted the promising lad who is a product of a training course for film directors conducted by the National Film Corporation.

He had studied the special effects used in many recent Hollywood productions such as the Harry Potter franchise and Spiderman series to develop his own techniques. With the help of some students from the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Holywood, Nirmal spent nearly one and a half years doing background work on the project. He is grateful to the Arthur C Clark Foundation and the Moratuwa, Kelaniya and Colombo Universities for their positive response.

“The three aliens and their spaceships were designed by my 3D animation director Induranga Weerasuriya. The film was shot in a digital backdrop with 100 percent computer graphics. At one point we were looking for a steady camera to shoot in the forest. We made one by piecing together local equipment,” Nirmal explained adding that the shooting locations include Kandy, Digana, Balana and the Sinharaja forest. A few more scenes were shot in Gampaha, Negombo and Kiribathgoda.

Another significant aspect of Pitasakwala Abhirahasa is that amateurs comprise the cast and crew. Lasantha Kamalsiri and Shamila Vijini take on the lead roles.

Stepping stone to platinum cinema

Amalshan Gunerathne

Sri Lanka Television Training institute in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Foundation anticipate to brighten up the New Year festival season with the launch of a grand film festival which will take place on April 8 and 9. The event titled ‘The Coins International Film Festival 2011’ will be held at the institute premises with the participation of both local and international artists.

Organized by the cinema diploma students in Sri Lanka Television Training Institute, the festival promises to unfurl a host of new talent. Speaking at the press briefing held to announce the event, the well known film director and dramatist Sudath Mahadiwulvava said, “Except for the Sri Lanka Television Training Institute we don’t have a film school to study the film making art. In a way it is a bit of pity, but I am pretty certain that at such a time organizing an event of this magnitude will propel the industry forward.”

The festival will consist of an open short film competition where budding, young movie makers will be given a chance to showcase their artistic talents. Forty selected films from the competition will be screened during the festival.

The participants can send their creations to the Sri Lanka television training institute before March 15. Further details of the competition can be found in the festival website www.coinfilmfest.com

After the competition, the committee hopes to give away three major awards and 12 Jury awards for the winners. The Cinema Exhibition which will run parallel to the festival will make a comprehensive presentation of the motion picture technology and its evolution. Apart from the exhibitions they also hope to carry out a series of workshops conducted by veteran film directors.

“Through the workshops, we anticipate to arouse a sense of awareness regarding the challenges and difficulties young movie makers face while launching their new works to the market. With the launch of the exhibition we expect to showcase one and half year’s worth of works done by the diploma students.

Also international movie makers are also allowed to take part in the competition. The festival will be a grand one and I m pretty sure that it will turn out to be a stepping stone to the Platinum Era of Sri Lankan cinema industry,” Sri Lanka Television Training Institute Diploma Coordinator Dhanushka Gunathilaka explained his ambitious schemes.

Oscar surprises

With the Oscars in the news, anyone writing about the awards show must make a heartfelt decision: Do you jump on the bandwagon or prepare to get hit? Unlike in recent years, the major awards seem to have already been doled out for the 2011 ceremony.

For example, most critics have already anointed The King’s Speech as winner of the coveted Best Picture award. Due to the influence of the Academy’s backroom politicking, many suspect that the rumors that the movie will win the top Oscar prize are correct.

Similarly The Social Network is widely considered to be the greatest competition for the top prize.

An alleged behind-the-scenes look at the founding of Facebook, The Social Network is already being hailed as ‘The Graduate’ of our generation. Although it may be too soon to start placing director David Fincher’s film on such a high pedestal, The Social Network would be a respectable choice for the top prize at the Academy Awards.

But what about the dark horse candidates? True Grit appears to be running a distant third. Featuring Jeff Bridges as the loveably gruff Rooster Cogburn and the young Hailee Steinfeld in an extraordinary debut performance, True Grit is yet another masterpiece in the Coen Brothers’ canon — certainly worthy of Oscar consideration.

By contrast, 127 Hours — the story of a nature enthusiast trapped against a boulder for several days before amputating his own arm and escaping — is under consideration for the coveted gold statue almost entirely because of James Franco’s unparalleled performance.

If Colin Firth was not shoe-in for the Best Actor prize, Franco would almost certainly acquire his first Oscar.

While all of these films are worthy of Best Picture, one of the best films of 2010 is not even included in the Academy Awards’ top category. However, this slight is not an anomaly— among all the great films released in a given year, one inevitably gets shafted when the list of Oscar nominees is announced each winter. But considering the recent expansion of the number of Best Picture nominees from five to 10, it is truly a shame that the remarkable Blue Valentine has been overlooked for Oscar consideration.

By the time you read this article all the winners would have been announced and the awards handed out as the 83rd annual Academy Awards ceremony took place at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, yesterday. Browse and decide how much of this information holds any water.

Blunt is desperate to get fat

Emily Blunt would love it if a director asked her to pile on the pounds for a role because it would mean she would be able to eat whatever she liked.

The 27-year-old actress said: “I’d love to get fat. I’d eat everything in sight! Matt Damon said for The Informant he was in heaven every day eating fried chicken and burgers and carbonara. That idea sounds very nice to me.

“It would be worth having to lose it afterwards for four months of eating like that.”

The Gnomeo and Juliet star also believes there are double standards in Hollywood when it comes to the size and shape of leading stars.

She added to Britain’s OK! magazine: “I think actresses still think they have to be super-thin. There are actors who can turn up on the set 30lbs overweight and no one bats an eyelid.

“If a girl did that they’d tell you to get in the gym, so I don’t think it’s changed that much. Actors can get away with a lot more because they can cover it up more.”

News Time

Onir’s I Am to hit theatres

I am accolades

*NETPAC Award for the Best in Asian Cinema at the International Film Festival of Kerala ‘2010

* Special Mention by the International Jury at the IFFK ‘2010

* Triangle Media Group’s David Flint Honorary Award for Promoting Human Rights

* Official Selection: Opening Film Engendered IView Film Festival New York, Sept.18th ’2010

* Official Selection: Vancouver International Film Festival (Canadian Premier) Oct.’2010

*****************************************************************************

I Am one of the biggest crowd sourced films in India – co produced by over 400 people from 35 cities across the world releases on April 22.

Onir’s I Am is already doing what it set out to do…Entertain, Engage and Enrich - a tale of four stories woven together that takes audiences through issues and dilemmas that bruise the modern Indian society.

The film unfolds many a tale of individuals struggling to find their identity, and uphold their dignity in a world that is callous, cold and unsympathetic. Biennial Global Awards felicitated Sanjay Suri and Onir for I Am, the award was for Media For Social Justice. The talented ensemble cast includes Juhi Chawla, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das, Sanjay Suri, Purab Kohli, Arjun Mathur, Abhimanyu Singh and Manisha Koirala. The film also marks the debut of directors Anurag Kashyap and Anurag Basu.

Says a trade source, “The industry is looking forward to the release of I Am since it’s a movie with a soul. We can expect stellar performances for the cast and it’s got its heart in the right place.”

I Am is being distributed by PVR across India.

Roberts seals Snow White deal

Julia Roberts has closed a deal to play the Queen in Relativity Media’s untitled Snow White feature. Tarsem Singh is directing the big-screen adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

Production is set to start in April, and the film is scheduled for released on June 29, 2012 - six months before Universal unveils Snow White and the Huntsman.

Relativity’s version of Snow White will eschew the traditional story in favor of a modern retelling that boasts more comedy and adventure. Script finds the heroine teaming up with a gang of seven quarrelsome dwarves to battle her evil stepmother, who has killed Snow White’s father and destroyed the kingdom that is rightfully hers. Melissa Wallack and Jason Keller wrote the script.

Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh and Brett Ratner are producing with Bernie Goldmann, while Tucker Tooley will exec produce alongside Jeff Waxman, Tommy Turtle, Jamie Marshall, Josh Pate and John Cheng.

“Julia was our first and only choice to play the Queen,” Kavanaugh said in a statement.

Roberts most recently starred in Eat Pray Love. The Oscar-winning actress next stars opposite Tom Hanks in the Universal dramedy Larry Crowne.

Hollywood.com

Trisha in Tamil Fashion

A leading production house, which recently appointed a former senior executive of another film production company as its head, has reportedly decided to remake Bollywood hit Fashion in Tamil and Telugu.

Buzz is that Trisha would play the role played by Priyanka Chopra in the original, while Priyamani has been approached to do Kangana Ranaut’s character. “Talks are on and things will be finalised soon,” sources say. It is said that a leading director, who is a popular name in the south, would remake the movie in both the south Indian languages. A top music composer will also be signed soon for the multi-crore project.

“Local flavour will be given to the Madhur Bhandarkar’ Priyanka Chopra sizzler without spoiling its essence. It will be a new-age cinema in Tamil, shedding light on the lives of models,” add sources.

IndiaGlitz

Jackson’s hit remake

Warner Bros. has decided to reboot The Bodyguard, setting up an updated remake of the 1992 hit with Warner-based Dan Lin producing.

Scripting team of Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer have been tapped to script. Mark Bauch will co-produce.

The original film was directed by Mick Jackson and centered on a former Secret Service agent, portrayed by Kevin Costner, hired to protect a famous singer, played by Whitney Houston.

Variety