Boost for Sinhala cinema
Sinhala cinema, now in the doldrums, has got a
much-needed booster with the news of Nita Fernando bagging the Best Actress
Award at the recent Singapore International Film Festival. It was good
news after a long while when the better films produced locally were being
regularly sent to festivals abroad with no success of winning any awards.
Nita won the award for her role in Pavuru Valalu directed by
an up and coming director Prasanna Vithanage. The film is yet to be released.
It is stuck in the never-ending queue. The role she plays is that of a
middle-aged woman, quite in contrast to the young wife's role she played
in Vijaya Dharma Sri's Duhulu Malak way back in 1976. That was nearly
ten years after her maiden role in Landaka Mahima.
Nita is the third actress to have won a top international award. First
was Malini Fonseka in the Moscow Festival for her performance in Dharmasena
Pathiraja's Eya Den Loku Lamayek released in 1977. Next was Anoja
Weerasinghe who was selected Best Actress in the New Delhi Festival for
her role in D B Nihalsingha's Maldeniye Simion (1986). The pattern
seems to be that we collect an award once every ten years!
As for a best film it has been a long wait since the days of Gamperaliya
which won the Golden Peacock in New Delhi in 1969.
Since the news of Nita's award reached Colombo a few weeks back, there
is a sudden outburst on the need to 'save' the Sinhala cinema. The President
summoned a meeting the other day to discuss the recommendations made by
the Senaka Bandaranayake Committee on the film industry. Those in the industry
are critical of the National Film Corporation's role. They say nothing
is being done to improve the situation. Everybody is agreed that it's time
to act - there has been enough talk over the past so many years.
And when do we get a chance of seeing Pavuru Walalu?
Felicitation across the seas
Novelist Bhadraji Mahinda Jayatilleka won the D R Wijewardena Award
for his Pavuru Bandi Rajyaya, a story based on feudal China. Recently,
he was felicitated for this work in far away Los Angeles where he is now
domiciled. It's not often that a Sinhala novelist is felicitated across
the seas.
The ceremony was organised on the initiative of publisher Dayawansa
Jayakody who runs a branch of his publishing firm in Los Angeles. The venue
was the Los Angeles Dharma Vijaya Vihara and the ceremony was held under
the patronage of the Viharadhipati, Venerable Dr. Walpola Piyananda Nayaka
Thero.
According to Dayawansa Jayakody who himself attended the ceremony, a
large number turned up for the occasion which happened to be the Vesak
weekend. The Sinhala community in Los Angeles picked up the latest publications
from the book exhibition and sale organised at the Vihara.
Farewell to a pioneer
We bade good bye to a pioneer in Sinhala cinema recently. Premnath Moraes
was a versatile artiste. He was a film director, actor, singer, lyric writer,
screenplay writer and production executive.
Remember the popular number Obai Ape Rani - Lakdiva Lak Rani?
It was Premnath who sang it along with Latha Walpola.
He acted in two early films, B. A. W. Jayamanne production Kapati
Arakshakaya (1948) and Shanthi Kumar Seneviratne's Eda Re (1953)
and several others in later years. He directed Sri 296 in 1959. In 1978
he directed a Tamil film, Vadai Katru for which he was acclaimed
by OCIC.
A keen sportsman, Premnath was a sports journalist for many years. He
was sports editor of the Daily Mirror at one time. In later years he served
the advertising industry as a copy writer.
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