‘Elephant- Director’s Cut’ at the British Council
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Rehan Mudannayake’s short film Elephant based on a short story written by Ashok Ferrey which he adapted along with Ferrey and Indian writer Sheela Lal, billed as ‘a harrowing drama based around a fictional upper class family in Sri Lanka’ is poignant and dark. ‘Elephant- Director’s Cut’ was screened recently at the British Council to a small gathering, with the Director and lead actor Jehan Mendis sitting down to a short discussion with the British Council’s Arts Manager Tanya Warnakulasuriya shortly afterwards.
This Director’s Cut is a slightly longer version of the short film that was first premiered at the Harold Peiris Gallery of the Lionel Wendt in December. There is some serious acting talent here- screen luminaries Angela Seneviratne and Kaushalya Fernando are joined by young dramatic talents Jehan Mendis and Ruvin de Silva in this story about a family with a dark secret, one the young Director said he felt impelled to bring to the screen, commenting that most films tend to focus on village life and the war.
