Requiem for the lady luminary Sumitra Peries-by Sachitra Mahendra Source:Dailynews The film industry mourns the loss of a true visionary, Sumitra Peries, the octogenarian female filmmaker who devoted her life to the art of cinema. From her groundbreaking debut film that introduced new talent to the world, to her numerous award-winning films, Sumitra’s impact on Sri Lanka’s film industry is undeniable. In an interview with Ruwini Jayawardana done seven years ago, Sumitra Peries said what she would do if she were 21: she would pursue exactly what she had chosen in life at present. A life dedicated to cinema. “Making movies is no walk in the park. However that is my passion and I would have taken the same career path even in the modern world,” said the ‘poetess of Sinhala cinema’. Sumitra Peries, born on March 24, 1934, is recognized as the first female filmmaker from Sri Lanka. Widely ...

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Reminiscing  lady celebrity in Sri Lankan films Sumithra Peries’ who bid adieu at 88 years – by Sunil Thenabadu The film industry mourns the loss of a true imaginative, Kala Keerthi Dr Sumithra Peries, the octogenarian 88 years old  female filmmaker who devoted her life to the art of cinema. She had expired at a private nursing home in Colomobo on the 19th January 2023. From her ground breaking debut film that pioneered new talent to the world, to her numerous award-winning films, Sumithra’s bearing on Sri Lanka’s film industry is indisputable. Kala Keerthi Dr Sumithra known as the ‘Poetess”( kividiya) of the Sinhala Cinema ,first female film director in Sri Lanka, was Born on 24rh March 1934 to parents ‘ in a Marxist family’ at their ancestral house” Boralugoda Walauwwa” in Talduwa, Avissawela.Her father Henry better known as Harry  was a proctor at the Avissawella courts mother Harriete Wickremasinghe. Her ...

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NADEEKA GUNASEKERA PHENOMINAL AUTOGRAPHED, ONLY FEMALE GRADUATE ACTRESS HAVING PORTRAYED CINEMATIC ROLES INITIALLY WHILE STILL AN ADVANCED LEVEL STUDENT, CLIMBED TO THE SUMMIT OF CELEBRITY – By Sunil Thenabadu The decades of the seventies and eighties the Sinhala films were in the said ‘Swarname Ugaya”. In the end of 1970 decade Sandya Darshani Gunasekera had entered the cinema changing her name to be more appropriate to an actress to Nadeeka Gunasekera This had been to camouflage her correct name as she was in the advanced level class with just three months to the university entrance examination. The history teacher Ms Ranatunga had warned her as the Principal Ms Fernando was very strict. for her participation in films as studies had to be given precedence. Nadeeka had told her mother she wants to enter the University to do a degree and will not continue has acting vocation as she was a ...

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Between pathiraja and Premarathne : The cinema of Vasantha Obeyesekere-By Uditha Devapriya Source:Island In my essay on H. D. Premaratne, I pointed out that Premaratne and Vasantha Obeyesekere were responsible for much of the changes that swept through the Sinhala cinema in the 1970s. Basically, they helped shatter the distinction that had prevailed until then between an artistic and a commercial cinema. Both directors focused a common set of issues: youth unrest, class conflict, women’s rights, and in their last few years (Premaratne with Visidela, 1997, and Obeyesekere with Sewwandi, 2006), the civil war and the insurrection. In doing so they pioneered a third way in the cinema, tackling these issues while making concessions to popular audiences. This contribution has not been appreciated enough. Yet while appreciating Obeyesekere and Premaratne, the exact nature of their contribution needs to be assessed, because there were important differences between the two. I have ...

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ANANDA WICKRAMAGE UNDISPUTED KING OF COMEDY WITH RHYTHEM, TIMING AND PACE – FOUR AND A HALF DECADES IN AN EFFERVERSCENT VOYAGE IN CELEBRITY – by Sunil Thenabadu   Ananda Wickramage the renowned actor on stage, small screen and theatre is identified as a comedy character with a dry sense of sarcastic humor, bit silly, lighthearted shameless and eccentric. Ananda knowing his comedic qualities to unprecedented tall heights has assisted him in identifying specific comedy characters throughout his tenure in acting to date even prior to the advent of television. Ananda possesses unique personality traits to remain at the top to date in his prolonged acting career spanning for approximately over four and a half decades. Each character portrayed sans any blemish has its own comedic attributes, inevitably the diverse audiences would experience a natural, organic merge. Focusing on Ananda’s comedy character will help him find the all-important comedic niche whether on stage, television or silver screen. Ananda has been throughout his tenure as an ...

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