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.

A scene from the Film

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

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'

Wasantha Namaskara

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.