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| Sunday, 6 October 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Sulang Kirilli selected for Tokyo film festival
A Sri Lankan film Sulang Kirilli (The Wind Bird) directed by Inoka Sathyangani Keerthinanda has been selected by the Tokyo International Film Festival for the competition of A Grade films. The film was made under the Film Development Credit Scheme introduced by the Sri Lanka Film Corporation and this is the first time, since Lester James Peries' Rekawa that a Sri Lankan film festival has won a place in the final round with twelve films in the competition. Although the film was chosen for the 33rd New Delhi International Film, the 29th Flenders International Film Festival in Belgium as well as for the 26th Sao Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil, the director in order to participate in the Tokyo Competition was reluctantly compelled to withdraw her film to satisfy stipulated regulations. Sulang Kirilli is Inoka Sathyangani Keerthinanda's debut film that has won acclaim for her.
The content of the film has two creative planes. One is the social plane and the second is the aesthetic plane. The film tries to depict the dilemma of a young couple who become victims of ignorance in trying to enjoy their youthful life, in a society that underplays the importance of integrating sex education in the schools' curricular and carries social taboos even in the new millennium. The tragedy here is that the young girl who had been deprived of systematically or formally learning what sex is, finds she is pregnant, but has neither the right to abort her pregnancy nor can she face the world with an illegitimate child. For according to the Penal Code in Sri Lanka, abortion is totally illegal. And socially to have an illegitimate child brings disrepute to the whole family and therefore the woman is considered an outcaste. And the child too carries a stigma all his life, when admitted to school, applying for employment and even at marriage, if in the birth certificate the name of the father is left a blank. The aesthetic plane is developed through a cinematic discussion on whether we live through dreams or through reality. A dream is often a blissful experience. And reality, often the contrary. Sandwiched between these two, we often live immersed in reality that's a deep slumber. For it is the society that has forced on us this slumber. Thus if we don't awake up from this slumber even for a very short break, we would not have a chance to dream of a better tomorrow. This film thus, is an experience that shifts to and from reality. A cinematic voyage of about two hours between dreams and reality. **************** 'The Web of Love' 'Salelu Warama' (The web of love) produced by Soma Edirisinghe and directed by Vasantha Obeysekera has been chosen for screening at the Indian International Film Festival which commenced on October 1.
The Film Festival is now being held at New Delhi till October 10. The successful film stars Sangeetha Weeraratne, Kamal Addaraarachchi, Tony Ranasinghe, Pradeep Senanayake, Soumya Liyanage and Nayana Kumari. The film was edited by Elmo Haliday and the music was directed by Rohana Weerasinghe, 'Salelu Warama' will be screened soon on the EAP circuits. **************** The Netherlands connection by Padma Edirisinghe "He comes from Galle". In fact many of our literary and academic luminaries seem to have sprung from this beautiful littoral of our Southern Lanka, May be the unending vistas seen across the Indian ocean broaden their outlook. Udugampola off Galle produced our most brilliant archaeologist plus writer par excellence, Dr. Senarat Paranavithana.
And now the family tradition of academic brilliance has been taken up by his nephew Dr. K.S. Paranavithana who was recently awarded the Knight of the Orange, Nassau by the Queen of Netherlands. The upward trek of the junior Paranavithana, a kind affable human can be described as a rather late blossoming out. In fact his initial debut into the academic world was a simple unpretentious looking book titled "Galu Puranaya" that he wrote on his native city. He has indeed come a long way since then working his way via the post of Deputy Director of the Archives and ending up as the Head of the Department of Humanities, of the Rajarata University. Anyway it is not the career achievement that would be focused on in this short biography but on the saga of how his interest in the Dutch language not only led to his personal advancement career-wise but unearthed for an interested reading clientele voluminous material that had been buried due to scholars' unacquintance with the Dutch language that was in vogue in the 17 and 18th centuries in Sri Lanka during the Dutch period. It did not take long for the junior Paranavithana to realize that an earned study of this language would open rich buried vaults of knowledge pertaining to this period. His earned pre-occupation with the study of this language while working in the archives earned him not only a Netherlands Govt. Scholarship in 1978 but the membership of the Royal Society of Archivists in the Netherlands. Soon there emerged from his pen and his researchers five very valuable publications., * The archives of the Dutch East India Company administration
(Unpublished thesis) His scholarly contributions to journals include "The 17th Century Dutch hospital in Colombo", Scholar monks in SL during the Dutch period." Cover of palm leaf manuscripts, True Christian Reformed church Medical establishment in SL during the Dutch period Further, he has so far submitted 13 papers at international conferences mainly on matter connected to the Dutch period in Sri Lanka. He has also received his PHD in Archive adminstration from the University of New South Wales. Indeed the academic saga of Dr. K.S. Paranavithana is almost a confirmation of the fact that once one sets his or her eyes on a worthy venture the sky is the only limit. God fathers and god mothers emerge not only from our own island but from distant countries to aid and abet their worthy word. the idea that the world is a green-eyed evil place in only a conspirational convenience hatched by the lazy to remain idle and negative. **************** Clay craft to be further developed The National Crafts Council under its crafts village development programme commenced the preliminary work of developing two more crafts villages in Anuradhapura District. The two villages in Elappankulama and Katupotha in Mihinthale, now have about 70 crafts families.
Their craft is clay based. Using the agelong methods and devices like the traditional hand-driven potters wheel, they make kitchen utensils and a few varieties of decorative goods. Though they have the inherent talent and the practical knowledge of the craft, they lack the modern technical know how and the modern equipment, which are compulsory requirements to update the craft and to uplift the living standards of the craft people. The officials advised the craftsmen to form their own Crafts Development Societies through which they can obtain the help of the Craft Council, and under the guidance of its Chairman, Dr. Buddhi Keerthisena new markets for the products of our traditional craftsmen, will be opened up. This visit to the two crafts villages was organized by the NCCs project officer for the North Central province, Saman Madalakanda and the Deputy Director of the NCC Mrs. I. Abeysinghe, lecturer faculty of Fine Arts, University of Kelaniya, Ranjith Weerasiri and Project Officer, Development of Small Industries, North Central provinces also took part in this mission. **************** Painting exhibition from October 10-13 An exhibition of mural paintings by Manjula Perera will be held at Galle Face Hotel from October 10-13. About 30 paintings will be displayed at the exhibition. The exhibition will be opened on October 13 at 12.00 noon in the presence of several distinguished guests including Ministers Milinda Moragoda, Ravi Karunanayaka, Gamini Lokuge as well as several Ambassadors. The exhibition will be opened to the public after 12.00 noon on October 13 and from 9.00 a.m. - 9.30p.m. on October 11 - 13. This is the first occassion an exhibition of mural paintings will be held. Manjula is a member of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board and of the Ceylon Society of Arts. AA **************** Concert for 'Hope Fund' 'In the Mood' a variety concert to raise funds for the 'Hope Cancer Hospital Fund' project will be held today at the Bishop's College Auditorium.It is organised by the committee of the Past Pupils Association of the Holy Family Convent, Kalutara, Colombo Branch. Friends in Harmony will perform with Rajiv and the Clan, the other artistes will be Corrine, Ronnie, Manoharan and Janaka. Dance items will be by Raymond and Channa Wijewardene dance troupes. **************** The dark passage An analysis of artist Sujith Rathnayake's recent exhibition
A series of 22 pictures all measuring 122 cm in height but various width, grouped together to narrate the story of a dark passage through time in a 'certain persons' life. At a markedly hyped preview, the collection of pictures executed in black and white was unveiled to a large gathering invited for the event. advising a dress code as 'Black smart casual'. it was probably the first time that such flamboyance prevailed through an evening of an exhibition opening. Black and white was used wisely by the artist bringing out tones of different shades adding depth to his work, Rathnayake's ability to maintain strength of line in his images needs to be applauded. Beside the fact that his work gave a feeling of being hurriedly planned.
There were short-comings if one looked at the exhibition from a marketing point of view. None of the pictures could have been isolated and sold as an individual picture as the viewers were presented with an episode. his capability of sharing this excitement with his viewer was exceptional, each frame engulfed you in the mysterious events that were depicted and made one feel as though he was viewing through a strip of negative film, while sitting through a movie. In the last group of frames, a figure reaches a light switch through the shadow of darkness. The canvas before the last one is left pure suggesting the appearance of light and in the final picture a figure relaxes with a cigarette, the words 'The End' bringing to a close a 'voyeurs' journey, in this case the voyeur being the viewer of Rathnayake's exhibition. Presented by Udayashantha Fernando of Paradise Road Galleries who stage manages his presentations to captivate an audience 'The Dark Passage' was no exception, though he showed signs of going a little beyond his usual attempts, he wanted the invitees to don black to view a series of work in black and white but left artist Sujith Rathnayake clad in pure white making 'The Dark Passage' an inescapable part of everybody present there that evening. - Prasad Abu Bakr **************** Undefined
Undefined was a unique art exhibition of colour and style. Suni Nirmalalingam has used her immense skill and inspiration to fuse the two to aesthetic heights. In fact, Suni's talent is not unknown in the world of art and amongst art lovers in the city. But in having this exhibition she has emerged as a dedicated and mature artist with a style of her own in the world of contemporary art. This fact was obvious when the Harold Peiris gallery opened its doors to Undefined on September 10, 11 and 12. Suni gives herself the freedom to express dedicate differences in moods and shades to convey opinions in colour and style. Her brush has stroked beautiful shapes and figures captured in earthy colours and shades of black and grey, which is very much in vogue, in European art at the moment. I was indeed very impressed and fascinated with the transference of a picture within a picture, which is also very contemporary now. The example of colour conveying the mood was expertly portrayed in the swaying figure in the background in shades of black and grey trapped in a beautiful riot of earthy colours. Another concept that caught my eye was when a myriad of pencil slim lines racing across one canvas into another in gay abandon, and neatly brought together into a finality against a back drop of vibrant blues and greens racing along at an equal pace. I could weave thoughts and dreams into paintings of this nature. As they are not complex, which is really the essence of Suni's art. Then on another wall was a startling burst of colour from a beautiful symphony of black and white. Which could easily be a finale to a concert. Vasanthi **************** Reflections in colour
"Abstract truth may belong to science and metaphysics, but the world of reality .belong to art", said Rabindranath Tagore. Attempting to recreate the true beauty of reality was "Reflections in Colour" the sixth solo exhibition of oil paintings, by artist Jayani Pinnawale, held at the Lionel Wendt art gallery recently. Relaxing to the eye and refreshing to the mind, a fine representation of moods in colour.... warm, cheerful, bubbling as well as reflective and reposive. With closed eyes, upturned face, windswept hair, a balcony empty - save a lone belle... a world of dreamy greens, greys, blues and purples.... was Pinnawale's 'Dreaming.' While the cheery hues of red, yellow and blue enlivened her 'Natures Delight' her 'Autumn Glow' was essentially purple, brown and white with a touch of blue to "bring out the feelings of the approaching winter," says the artist, Her endeavour is to point out the "better side of life", says the artist, "even though the situation might seem negative." A good example is her 'Sunset' of life, an old man on repose, confident, self assured... though alone, not helpless.
It was about ten years ago, when she was posted in Italy, that she took up oil painting as a hobby the "artistic" qualities of the county, enticing her, says Pinnawale. Her first solo exhibition came out in 1994, at the Isle of Capri in Rome. The Colombo exhibitions followed... and "This too is an attempt at portraying various subjects through my experience, here and overseas",s says Pinnawale. "I recreate what attracts me. I want others to enjoy them as well." - Vimukth Fernando |
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