'Arumosam
Wehi: A kids only film
"Arumosam
Wehi" (Fancy Rains) a children's film by Priyantha Kolombage
will be representing Sri Lanka at Jakarta International Film Festival-2002
which is to be held from October 24 to November 3.
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A
scene from 'Arumosam Wehi'
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The
director of the film said that it had a good response from the audience
of the recently held 33rd Film Festival of India at New Delhi.
"Arumosam
Wehi" has hired the highest number of children for its cast
and is said to be solely dedicated to children after "Handaya"
made by Titus Totawatte twenty three years ago.
The story in
the film is woven around a circus team that came to a remote village
a few decades ago depicts the changes taking place in the traditional
living style of the dwellers with this new entry. 'Arumosam Wehi'
focuses on the central figure "Bindu" played by Mahendra
Perera, the clown of the circus who is being ill-treated by the
Manager (W. Jayasiri) who is working hard to own the circus team.
The cast in
Arumosam Wehi include W. Jayasiri, Mahendra Perera, Nuwangi Liyanage,
Wasantha Wittachchi and introduces a number of child actors.
Art director
is Athula Sulthanagoda, screen play is by Jayantha Kolombage, and
Suminda Weerasinghe handles the camera.
Samantha Perera
is introduced to the silver screen as a director in 'Arumosam Wehi'
and Nilar M. Cassim has written the lyrics.
The Ministry
of Education has already given approval to the film as a film suitable
for school children. The film is produced under the sponsorship
of National Film Corporation and it is to be released sometime in
November.
Along with
Priyantha's "Arumosam Wehi", Jayantha Chandrasiri's 'Agni
Dahaya' will represent Sri Lanka at the Jakarta International Film
Festival.
Films
to mark Lanka, Japan diplomatic ties
By Susitha R. Fernando
Japanese Animation Film Festival 2002 to mark the 50th
anniversary of diplomatic ties between Sri Lanka and Japan will
be held from October 22 to 25 at the Elphinston Theatre.
"The White
Snake" on 22nd at 6.30 pm will be the first in this gala event.
This will be followed by "Cyborg 009" at 3.30pm and "Puss'n
Boots" at 6.30 on 23rd. "Barefoot Gen" will be at
3.30 pm and "Night on the Galactic Railroad" at 6.30 on
24th and on the final day it will be "Space Fire bird"
at 3.30pm and "The Prince of the Sun" at 6.30pm.
Seven films
to be screened deals with a wide range of subjects- adventures and
fairy tales. Also some films will portray the tragedy of the atomic
bomb and love for humanity through animation characters.
One such is
"Barefoot Gen" directed by Masaki Mori a cartoonist depicting
the fiery inferno of Hiroshima which resulted in thousands being
maimed and blinded. The film is based on a cartoon series published
in a boy's weekly magazine in 1973 drawn by Nakazawa Keiji. This
story reveals not only the tragedy and the fear suffered by the
A-bomb victims, but also how a boy named Gen survived the desperate
times without losing faith in humanity and showing no bitterness
about the events he experienced.
The Festival
also includes the first real Japanese feature length colour animation
film 'the White Snake' directed by Taiji Yabushita as the opening
work. In China's West Lake, is found the incarnation of the white
snake Painyan the cinematic attempt and portrays how a young human
being Kyosen falls in love with it. But Kyosen's master, Houkai
will not allow love between a human and a 'super-natural being'.
But as Kyosen nears his dying day due to the hard training he goes
through, Painyan attempts to save his life by giving her immortality
to him. Seeing this, Houkai forgives the two, and Painyan transforms
into a girl.
'Puss'n Boots'
is another tale of a very clever and brave cat, Pero who is driven
out of the cats' world when one day he saves some mice. Pero teams
up with a farmer's son, Piarre. Being the youngest of three brothers
Piarre too is driven out of the house by his greedy brothers who
are reluctant to share the family fortune with him after their father's
death. The two start a journey together and reach a castle in a
distant town the king of which is searching a husband for his daughter-princess.
At first glance
Pierre becomes enamoured with the princess but he had to out wit
not only many princes and knights but the Devil king too to win
the hand of the princess.
And Pero decided
to help Pierre through various plans to enable its friend to marry
the princess.
The story of
'Space Fire bird' set in the year 2040 find s the earth has been
unified and is under the rule of an elite group called the Kidors.
The population
is strictly controlled and educated to fit their respective jobs.
Godoh, a test tube child is raised by Olga, a metal computer controlled
mother and companion, to become a space hunter.
The film tackles
the questions most fundamental to human beings such as love and
life. Following the screening at Elphinston these films will be
screened at D. S. Senanayake Public Library Auditorium on October
5 and 6.
Admission for
the film festival at both the places will be free of charge.
'The
Deep End Of the Ocean' at Majestic
'The
Deep End Of The Ocean' is a film woven around a child who was lost
and later found and the subsequent events which will be screened
at the Majestic cinema from October 25.
This movie
based on the best selling book of the same name written by Jacquelyn
Mitchard stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Treat Williams and Whoopi Goldberg
is released by Colombia Pictures and screened here by CEL.
The family
movie depicts the moving story of a mother who unexpectedly loses
one of her three loving children and her struggle to come back to
normal.
Beth Cappadora
is like most mothers- loving, devoted and occasionally overwhelmed
by the demands of caring for her family and maintaining a successful
career as a photographer. With her three small children in tow,
she arrives at a hotel for her 15th high school reunion weekend.
In the middle of the crowded lobby, she looks away for a moment-
and in that moment her three-year-old son Ben disappears. A frantic
search turns up nothing; he has vanished in the blink of an eye,
seemingly without a trace.
As hours turn
into days, days into months, Ben's disappearance has a devastating
effect on Beth's ability to cope, creating tensions between her
and her husband Pat as well as her older son, Vincent. Time goes
by and with Pat's help, Beth and the children go back to leading
a seemingly normal life.
Then one day,
some nine years later, a boy knocks on the Cappadores's door, a
boy who is the same age that their missing son would be now. Something
strikes Beth about the colour of his hair, the shape of his eyes
.... Her mind dares to entertain the impossible thought- could it
be him? With the help of a tenacious police detective Candy Bliss
who over the years has become a close friend, Beth, Pat, their daughter
Kerry and their troubled teenage son Vincent are reunited with Ben,
who now goes by the name of Sam and has been raised by his loving,
adoptive father George.
The joy that
Beth and Pat experience at the miraculous reappearance of their
son soon turns to concern as they realise that since he has no memory
of them or his brother or sister, they are all little more than
strangers.
Despite Pat's
resistance, it becomes increasingly clear to Beth that, however
strong their love of and need for Sam, they must face the reality
of his growing unhappiness at being deprived of the home he has
known most of his life. What might be best for them may not be best
for Sam. In the end, Beth's selflessness, conviction and courage
to act opens the way for Sam to bring a measure of hope to the family.
The Deep End
of the Ocean is not a fight between good and evil. It is a moving
story of people and it questions one's identity. What is a relationship
to one's parents? And a parent's relationship to one's mother?
Directed by
Ulu Grosbard from a screenplay by Stephan Schiff, the film is produced
by Kate Guinzburg and Steve Nicolaides.
Oscar nominated
composer Elmer Bernstein's score supports immensely on making a
powerful effect on the film. 'The Deep End Of The Ocean' would be
a treat for the seekers of family entertainment.
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