Showboat Karaoke Championship

The Showboat Karaoke Championships will come alive this year too at the Showboat restaurant.

The preliminary rounds will be starting from September 9 and it will continue till the end of the year.

The grand finals will be held at the Trans Asia Hotel on December 13.

The Quarter finals will be on September 13, 16, 20, 23 and 27 and the four Semi-finals will come alive on October 4, 11, 18 and 25.The first Pre-Final will be on November 8 and the second will be on November 15.

The main sponsor of the Showboat Karaoke Championship this year too will be Carlsberg, with the TV Times as the official newspaper.

Twelve finalists will be selected from the preliminary rounds at the Showboat Restaurant. There will be Air Tickets on offer for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes plus cash awards and all twelve finalists will be walking away with fabulous prizes for the effort.

The Showboat Karaoke Championship this year will be the Event of the Year with Karaoke singing of the highest standard.

Sumitra, Prasanna films at Fukuoka..

Fukuoka International Film Festival which is a showpiece for Asian films will commence on September 11and will conclude on September 20.Thirty eight countries from Asia including Sri Lanka will participate .

Sri Lanka's Ambassador in France and renowned film maker Sumitra Peries' 'Duwata Mawaka Misa' (Mother Alone') will take part in this festival.Ms.Peries who is in Paris is scheduled to visit Colombo and proceed to Fukuoka to grace the occasion.

Sangeethe Weeraratne and Sanath Gunatileka who play the lead characters in 'Duwata Mawaka Misa' are also expected to attend the festival.

A Retrospective of Prasanna Vithanage films will also be held at Fukuoka City Public Library Archives during this period.The package includes the three films made by director Vithanage, 'Anantha Rathriya' (Dark Night of the Soul) with Ravindra Randeniya and Swarna Mallawarachchi,,'Pauru Walalu' (Walls Within) produced by film actress Nita Fernando and co-starring with Tony Ranasinghe and 'Pura Handa Kaluwara' (Death on a Full Moon Day) where Joe Abeywickrema appears as a blind old illiterate villager will be screened for this package.

India will be represented by Maniratnam's 'Iravur (Duo) and Adoor Gopalakrishna's 'Monologue'.

Nita Fernando won the best actress award for her acting in 'Pauru Walalu'at the recent Singapore International Film Festival while Death on a Full Moon Day 'is already selected to participate at two international film festivals,that of Montreal and Pusan.

Director Vithanage's film is the first Sri Lanka -NHK (Nippon Broadcasting Corporation )co- production.).A colour print of each of Sri Lanka's package of films do enjoy the privilege of being deposited in the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archives.

Two women in fatal attraction

By Kumaradasa Wagista.

Sequence shooting is in progress in the outskirts of Colombo.for the film titled 'Sura Yahana' based on two women who ruin their families due to their attraction towards each other."It's a film on lesbianism.I think it is the first of its kind in local cinema." director Eranga Senaratna said."The story is based on a true incident that took place in a town and that's all about it" Eranga Senaratna doesn't believe exploiting women to attract audiences."Women are not saleable articles .They need to have self respect.But sex can be exhibited artistically which can be appreciated"

He had conceived the idea of making a film on lesbianism long before 'Fire'was screened in Sri Lanka.

Asked why he selected a theme of this nature Eranga Senaratna says that the need of the hour is to draw more crowds to cinema halls.It can't be done by repeating old outdated themes.Present day filmgoers need more innovative presentations in our films.They do not approve crude sex.Families do not patronise such films..

Further 'Sura Yahana' is in black and white. The director is of the view that if there is something new on screen, filmgoers will patronise irrespective of colour barriers.

"Cinema exixts,it's not outdated. Better cinematic creations are needed."he says.

He is not a novice in this area of artistic activity.He has worked under the guidance of film makers like Divanka Arthasad,Yasapalitha Nanayakkara,Amaranath Jayatilake and Gamini Hewavitharana as an assistant director.His first creation was a teledrama'Kadathurawa'in '92."Palamu Pathweema.'Ira Handa Yata', 'Gijukula Pauwwa' are his other teledramas.' Pathiniwara', 'Thonduwa', 'Sihina Vijithaya', "Kandulaka Kelalak' are his other creations.'Kethumathi Rajadahana' another teledrama directed by him is on air in ITN from last week.

'Sura Yahana 'unfolds a saga of a newly married couple occupying an annexe of a house.The two housewives develop a friendship at first as landlady and tenant.However the friendship ends up with the two of them carrying on as lesbians endangering their family lives.Veena Jayakody and Sanoja Bibile play the characters of landlady and tenant respectively. Sriyantha Mendis, Rangana Premaratna,Mahendra Perera and many others are in the cast.

Eranga Senaratna has assigned a new music director Maris Fernando to do the musical score for the film while cinematographer G.Nandasena is in charge of photography.

He is an old boy of Richmond College Galle ,Wesley College and Prince of Wales Moratuwa."As my father was in the transferable service I couldn't do my studies in one particular school" he said.After passing GCE A levels he took up still photography which he practises even today.He was also in charge of Sarvodaya Film Unit for some time.Today he is a full time filmmaker devoting more time in reading books authored by highly esteemed authors.

The Delhi Lens

By Bandula Jayasekera

All this happened in New Delhi

The Sri Lankan food festival organized by AirLanka, Hemas Travels, Serendib Hotels and Delhi's Taurus Air got off to a spicy start at the Hyaat Regency in New Delhi last Friday.

The opening night had more than 350 guests which included Nandita Das, Divya Chauhan Miss India '97 and runner - up Miss Asia, diplomats, media men and women, travel and tour operators and top Sri Lankans living in Delhi.

The Calypso band thrilled the guests with lovely Sri Lankan melodies and Kottu rotti and Appa was everyone's favourite.

Nandita, Divya and CNN's Anita Pratap shared their Sri Lankan experiences with the many Indians present.

They have only praise for Lankans' good food and good life. Nandita had fond memories of Sri Lanka and kept the Calypso band busy with many requests such as 'Aju Thapara, Surangni' etc.

Arundhati Roy who names Sri Lanka as the most beautiful country she has visited followed by Paris and Australia had sent her regrets.

A special word of thanks must go to AirLanka's manager Northern India. Prabaharan as the guests truly had a 'Taste of Paradise'.

Delhi has shown special interest in the festival of films from Sri Lanka. The festival opened with Vasantha Obeysekara's 'Dorakada Marawa' and ended with Dharmasiri Bandaranayake's 'Suddilage Kathawa'.

The other films were 'Golu Hadawata,' 'Palama Yata', 'Loku Duwa', 'Nidhanaya' and 'Maruthaya'. Shameem a senior journalist attached to 'The Hindu' is a critic who has followed the Lankan Cinema since Lester's Gamperaliya.

He had been at the Delhi's film festival when Lester was awarded the Golden Peacock and continues his friendship with him. He had also followed the career of India's Great Satyajith Ray. Having seen 'Dorakada Marawa' Shameem said 'Sangeeta Weeraratne has a great future. She is so natural and portrays the character of Subha brilliantly'. I could not agree with Shameem more. Let the Music 'Sangeeta' play on. Go-Karting at night has become very popular in Delhi. The craze started with 'The Destination Point' and now 32nd Milestone' has taken over with Hindi film star Jackie Shroff karting all the way at the inauguration. Both these places provided everything in one night. Disco, Bowling, Fun, Food, Pool and Karting. In short a night to sweat out.

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