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| Sunday, 29 May 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Voices in harmony
The evening Susara Gee Rave is organised by the Araliya Group of the Past Pupils Association, Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Pannipitiya in aid of the development projects of the school. Rohana Weerasinghe is a past pupil of the college. Out of the hundreds of songs composed by Rohana Weerasinghe for Sunil Edirisinghe over the years, more than 25 well selected and most popular songs will be sung at the show. The spectrum will range from the evergreen Mage Amal Biso to the chart topping Ra Ra Bombiye and from Indian Gazal to our own Samudra gosha styles, In another innovative move, Sunil and Rohana will be presenting the show themselves, elaborating on the details of the 35 years of friendship and the history of making these songs. This musical evening will make history and will be a totally new experience to the oriental music arena. Added to the glamour another illustrious past pupil Ravi Bandhu Widyapathi will also perform on the same stage. Vanishing America by Mahes Perera
The photographs on exhibit are extremely colourful, unique and whimsical and takes you back to the America of the 20th century and the invention and mass production of the automobiles, which changed the lives of the Americans and transformed the landscapes. The building of good roads to accommodate the increasing number of motorists and the provision of facilities - gas, food and lodging - led to the erection of structures, which gave the builders a free hand to design them in whatever way they fancied. The results were gas stations that looked like houses, Greek temples, castles, Japanese tea houses, boats, airplanes, lighthouses, teapots - you name it - they were there, to catch the attention of the motorists to stop and fill their car tanks. Food facilities (which in modern times are referred to as outlets!) were designed to be inexpensive, short-order fare, because these were the requirements of this new breed of consumers. The buildings on exhibition are interesting. There's evidence of competition between the business owners to tempt the motorists to stop at their facility instead of the next one! Although some of the photographs showed little shacks with outside counters, there are other spectacular buildings like diners, shaped like railroad-cars and more. But the most spectacular ones are the eateries that display giant hot-dogs, ice cream cones, chickens and coffee pots - the message reached out to the motorists with success. Finally the lodgings - photographs of the different types of cabins for overnight stay or day rest. This is interesting, because the cabins have a holiday aura about them, colourful with flower plants all around - so different from the cold, officious motels of today. Most of these old roadside businesses we understand have closed and the buildings have been razed in the mad rush for progress. If the architect vibes lurk in you - then a visit to the American Roadside Architecture exhibition should figure in your diary. The photographs of John Margolies are extremely interesting and educative. This exhibition which commenced on May 20 at the Barefoot Gallery is organised by the Cultural Programs Division of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State and the American Centre Colombo. The exhibition will be on till June 5. Vimukthi does Lanka proud
Vimukthi Jayasundera made Sri Lanka proud by winning the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera) for Sulanga Enu Pinisa (The Forsaken Land) which was selected under the Official Competition Un Certain Regard at the International Cannes Film Festival, May 11 to 22 this year. The co-winner was Miranda July for Me and You and Everyone Else We Know, which was screened on the Critics Week Program. This is the first time a Sri Lankan has won an award at the International Cannes Film Festival. Since 1978, an independent Jury awards the prestigious Prix de la Camera d'Or to the Director of the best cross selection first feature film (Official Selection, Director's Fortnight, International Critics Week). This year the President of the Jury was veteran Iranian Film Director Abbas Kiarostami. Vimukthi Jayasundara said that his achievement was "a victory for aesthetics". Speaking to BBC Sandeshaya from Cannes he said that awarding the Camera d'Or for two films for the first time in the festival depicts a division of views in the Jury. "It seems that the pro - US and European jurists who wanted a film of their choice to win decided to divide the award due to the strong presence of the Iranian film maker Abbas Kiarostami who chaired the Jury." Vimukthi said that he was lost for words when he received the award from Abbas Kiarostami. Vimukthi expressed his thanks in this way: "Good evening, and thank you very much to the members of the Jury. This is a Prize for Asia and Sri Lanka, and I'm very proud. Thank you very much!" Winners at the Cannes Film Festival Awards given Saturday at the 58th Cannes Film Festival, selected by a nine-member jury headed by Sarajevo-born filmmaker Emir Kusturica: * Palme d'Or (Golden Palm): 'The Child', Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium). * Grand Prize: 'Broken Flowers', Jim Jarmusch (United States). * Jury Prize: 'Shanghai Dreams', Wang Xiaoshuai (China). * Best Director: 'Hidden', Michael Haneke (Austria). * Best Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada' (United States). * Best Actress: Hanna Laslo, 'Free Zone', Israel. * Best Screenplay: 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada,' Guilermo Arriage Mexican screenwriter US film. * Golden Camera (first-time director): 'Me and You and Everyone We Know'. Miranda July (United States) and 'The Forsaken Land', Vimukthi Jayasundara (Sri Lanka). * Best short film: 'Wayfarers', Igor Strembitsky (Ukraine). On the success track
Having found a niche in the Sri Lankan music scene with his popular Silli Silli Seethala Elle Raj Senewiratne launched his latest CD and audio cassette Seethala Sanda Eliya on M Entertainment label last week. The CD contains eleven Sinhala originals including the bonus track Silli Silli which has been given a new arrangement. Of course the hit song that came out from this CD even before it was released is Raj's collaboration with the leading entertainer of today Sunil Perera and the catchy duet Aiyai Malli Wage, which has received considerable air play. The video includes swift rhythm animation clips which keeps you watching the video till the last note is struck. Raj also teams up with Mariazelle to sing an uptempo Ingi Bingi and with Ashanthi of Bathiya and Santhush fame to sing Mata Mathakai a cool ballad that is attractive. Me Ape Deshayai, One Land which was written in September 1983, a peace song has been re-created for this new CD and the lyrics are appropriate today, even though it was written twenty one years ago. The song is sung by Raj and Rookantha with chorus harmony provided by Mariazella and Ashanthi. The music tracks of most of the songs were handled by Rohana Weerasinghe, Mahinda Bandara, Dinesh Pieris with Raj chipping in for the title track Seethala Sanda Eliye. Sunil and Piyal Perera were responsible for Aiyai Malli Wage. The technical aspect of the music tracks were by Dayananda Perera, Dinesh Pieris, Ranga Dassanayake and Bathiya Jayakody. The musical arrangements are new and refreshing and the clever use of instruments and detailed attention to harmonies make the CD a listening pleasure. MP |
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| Produced by Lake House |
A never before musical evening featuring two of the topmost legends of
Sinhala music, Sunil Edirisinghe and Rohana Weerasinghe, will be held on
June 4, 2005 at 6.30 p.m. at the National Youth Council Auditorium,
Maharagama. 
An interesting and unusual photographic exhibition is now on at the
Barefoot Gallery. A cultural presentation of the American Centre, Colombo,
the exhibition titled 'American Roadside Architecture', is a compilation of
photographs by architectural historian John Margolies, who over a period of
25 years travelled about 100,000 miles in the United States to record the
images of a vanishing tradition in American commerce. 
