Cultural DIARY
"Ira Handa Yata" release
(Under the Sun & Moon)
Renowned film director Bennett Rathnayake's feature film "Ira Handa
Yata" ("Under The Sun & Moon") will be released on September 2.
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A scene from the Film |
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Director - Bennett
Rathnayake |
The film recently won the best film award at the first edition of the
Identities Film Festival, which was held in parma and barcelo in Italy
from July 27 to August, with the view of promoting cultural identities
of various societies from the very foundation of love and compassion
which is universal to all societies.
It promotes the fusion of all the various cultural diversities into
one single platform of Love and Compassion. The patron of the festival
is former speaker of the chamber of deputies of Italy and president of
the LTBF foundation Irene Pivetti.
Sixty feature films from all over the world competed for the final
award of the best feature film 2010, of which six films were selected (3
German films, 2 Italian films, and one Sri Lankan film).
The jury, presided by Michele Guerra, Professor of History and
Critique of cinema at the University of Parma, Italy and comprising
renowned Italian film directors, unanimously decided to award the prize
of "Best Film" to the film by Bennett Rathnayake, "Ira Handa Yata"
("Under The Sun & Moon").
This is the first time that a Sri Lankan film has been awarded the
Best film award in an Italian film festival. The jury, explaining their
decision, said that the film was awarded for "the sensitive and poetic
manner with which he was able to deal with a difficult theme.
This film discusses the brotherhood between two soldiers during the
conflict era of Sri Lanka, the loves and struggles of their lives with a
powerful storyline centering on two soldiers who were held captive by
LTTE between 1998 and 2004.
September Song
by Mahes PERERA
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Menaka De Fonseka
Sahabandu |
A programme of classical arias and light songs will be showcased at
September Song, a presentation by the Menaka Singers directed by Menaka
De Fonseka Sahabandu. The concert will be held at the Lionel Wendt
Theatre on September 3, 4 and 5 at 7.30 p.m. Menaka Sahabandu revealed
that the highlights of the evening's entertainment will be the newly
formed Menaka Singers Opera Ensemble's performance of arias from
Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Bizet's Pearl Fishers-duet, and Choral
selections from Adolphe Adam's Si J`etais Roi. This is the first time
that these selections are being performed in Sri Lanka.
The Opera Ensemble was formed after a successful performance by the
singers at an international opera Si J'etais Roi in New Delhi earlier
this year, which was organised by the Neemrana Music Foundation in
collaboration with Bonjour India and the French Embassy in New Delhi.
Other items in September Song will be selections of songs from the
Broadway production of the Little Mermaid sung by the Junior Singers. A
specially written composition for the concert by young Dinesh Subasinghe
will be performed, as well as two acapella songs by John Lennon and
songs from Carousel.
The proceeds from this concert will go towards providing vocational
training to the youth in the North and the repair and restoration of
more than 50,000 damaged bicycles in the North.
Artists’ workshop
The International Artists Workshop 2010 is scheduled to be held from
13 to 25 September in Colombo. There will be 19 Sri Lankan and
international artists participating in the workshop this year.
The main activity and exhibition venue will be at 'Warehouse
Project', Block 26,Tripoli road (opposite the Elphinstone Theatre),
Maradana. On the 25th, the last day of the workshop, there will be an
exhibition opened, free for the public. Also a theatrical performance by
Jahuta is scheduled to be held in the evening. See www.theertha.org for
further information and updates.
Theertha International Artists Workshop is a project, which
facilitates artist internationally and locally to come together to
exchange their knowledge and cultural experiences in a situation of
sharing the working and living space for 14 days. One of the main
objectives of this project is to provide a forum for interface between
different art forms and to work responding to local situation/
environment. This year, the theme of workshop will be 'Urban
Landscapes and Human Geographies' which will allow the artists to
explore the city of Colombo and its socio-cultural characteristics as an
art exercise.
'Synthetic Wall'
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Wasantha Namaskara |
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One of the exhibits |
Wasantha Namaskara's 75th solo exhibition entitled 'Synthetic Wall'
will be held from August 29-31 at 175, Dippitigoda Road, Kelaniya.
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