Dream Team's Millennium Concert
By Sanath Weerasuriya
'Forerunner to the Millennium - Dream Team in Concert', a grand musical
concert with a different approach and style, will come alive at the Bishop's
College auditorium on August 14.
'Forerunner to the Millennium' comes with a unique concept, where the
music styles and development from 1950's todate and beyond the year 2000
will be shown 'live' on stage. This will come through the musical presentations
and songs by the various artistes performing different songs depicting
the respective eras.
The show is a presentation of 'Sue school of Music & Dancing and
a brainchild of Malcolm Perera, the Manager of Dream Team.
'We were looking at the possibilities to come out with a musical evening
with difference and Malcolm was toying with this idea.
At first, I knew this will be an ideal for a millennium show', said
Sunethra Perera, the principal of the 'Sue School of Music.'
The show will start with late 40's and 50's songs with applicable stage
settings and costumes. From Frank Sinatra era to rock n' roll and deep
purple music of the sixties and the Abba era of seventies followed by eighties
rap-acid and nineties 'house music' and the millennium song, will be on
stage at the finale.
'Like the music, all the costumes and stage settings will be changed
according to the respective eras. Tight jeans, Beattle boots, Bell-bottoms,
High-waist and sking tight shirts, skinies to nineties styles will be featured
accordingly at this show', said Malcolm.
Geoffrey Fernando, Derek and Shafi of Purple Rain, Noeline, Rodney Vanheer,
Bhatiya & Shalika from Mary Ann School of Vocal Music, Delainne &
Dilal, Dejaru, Kumudini, Natasha & Sheon will be featured at this show
with Dream Team.
The compering will be done by Rozanne Fernando of Aquarius, who was
a frontline singer of Dream Team a few years ago.
The whole show will be choreographed by Manik Nedorff.
The guest performance by Brown Boogie Nation, the popular rappers will
be an added attraction of this show.
Bhatya is the most popular singer out of the newcomers to the music
scene. He will sing his popular 'Wasa-nthaye', 'Siri Sangabo and Mage Diviya,
which is supposed to be the first pro-per rap song in Sinhala.
'Also I will sing few tra-cks from my new CD, whi-ch will be released
soon', he said. There will be two sho-ws. The show at 3.30 pm will be for
school children and the 6.30 pm show will be for public. The show is sponsored
by TV Times & Entertainment, Sun FM and Rupavahini - 2.
Sanath,Geetha on same set again
Once again Sanath Gunatilleke and Geetha Kumarasinghe are teamed to
work in a feature film which  began
shooting last week in Colombo.Joe Abeywickrema is also in the cast. The
film is titled 'Rajaye Sevaya Pinisie' (RSP).
Film maker Udayakantha Warnasuriya who made box office films like 'Gini
Avi saha Gini Keli' and the controversial 'Bahubhariya' has written the
script and is directing this film also."The story is based on incidents
that took place during the time when Sri Lankans had to face 'unofficial
curfews' imposed on them causing severe hardships to the masses" Udayakantha
Warnasuriya said."Extremely pathetic situations are set in the plot
which are true".
Sanath Gunatilleke is playing an altogether different type of character
in this film.He has been teamed to work with Geetha Kumarasinghe after
a long absence from the screen..
During the previous elections he filmed several crowd shots attending
political meetings that were held all over the country.However only the
crowd shots will be used for the film.
Kanchana Mendis has been selected to play the second female role in
the film.Linton Semage is also playing a lead role in it. The working schedules
are made to complete the most complex part of the  film,
which is sequence shooting."My intention is to complete the film without
delaying and release it" he added.Shooting of sequences will be mainly
done in Colombo and in locations in close range to the city for economic
reasons.
In the technical crew K.D.Dayananda is the cinematographer and Stanley
de Alwis edits it.Donald Jayantha is the assistant director.Sunil Wijeratna
is the art director.Make up is by Hemantha Gamage. Nirosha Virajini is
the only playback singer while Dilup Gabadamudalige will direct music.Lyrics
are by Bandara Ehaliyagoda.
Ranjith Jayasuriya who produced 'Dehana','Gini Avi..' and 'Bahubhariya'
is producing the film also on behalf of Ureka Films.
NFC Chief full of new ideas
At a time when the domestic film industry is facing a crisis screen
writer, film and teleserial director Tissa Abeysekera assumed duties as
the Chairman of National Film Corporation (NFC).on August 02.
The critical trend has drawn the attention of many people including
actors, actresses, directors,producers and the general public.
Among the many reasons contributing to the debacle a few major ones
are overproduction of local films,closure of many cinema halls and non-payment
of collections.
Speaking to the media immediately after assuming duties as NFC head
Mr Abeysekera said he would take steps to infuse new life and vigour to
the ailing industry by implementing a well planned work programme.
He had been a journalist long before he took to film direction he said"I
love journalism and the media but I regret my inability to speak to the
media right now. We will meet later somewhere else "the new NFC Chairman
said.
Apart from reorganising and strengthning new strategy in NFC the new
Chairman will be in charge of formulating a National Policy for Sri Lankan
Cinema as stated in the Cabinet Paper released by the President recently.
Importation of quality foreign films,organising foreign film festivals
in Sri Lanka, constituting a Film Training Institute, up dating the National
Film Archives which is now situated at Polhengoda and the construction
of a Modern Film Studio will be among other responsibilities of NFC.
The new Chairman will also encourage veteran film directors to produce
feature films of high quality for the NFC.
He will not directly or indirectly involve in film production work so
long as he holds this appointment.Later he conferred with heads of departments
and trade union leaders of NFC.
Nature cures 10 year old girl in film
By Kumaradasa Wagista.
Yugoslavian film maker Petar Lalovic has always advocated the protection
of environment in most of his films, apart from being a film director.
He is also an environmentalist and ecologist.
In his films this director has not failed to include beautiful and colourful
shots of the fauna and flora of the location locality.This has given additional
lustre and charm to his already fascinating works.
In 'Some Birds Can't Fly' he discusses a theme that natural surroundings
are helpful to cure deadly ailments than in sound and air polluted densely
populated urban cities
'Some Birds Can't Fly' is a feature film made by this eminent film maker
Petar Lalovic and will be released in a Colombo Cinema shortly.
It relates a heart touching story of a ten year girl who lives in a
smog-polluted city and has contacted leukaemia.
The doctors have given her a year's life span as the disease has reached
critical stages.Her grandfather is a game keeper by profession.Although
he is not a medical practitioner he thinks differently on his grand daughter's
ailment.He takes the girl to live in his house in the forest.The girl sees
the natural behaviours of wild animals whom she had earlier seen only in
movies.
The old man treats his grand daughter with tea made from various kinds
of herbs,with honey made from bees in the forest,with goat's milk as well
as the medicine she had brought from the clinic.
At the next medical examination to the astonishment of doctors she appears
to have been cured.They even cannot believe whether this was the patient
that was examined by them months ago.
When the doctors ask what the grandfather used to give her to cure this
ailment she simply answers them by saying'nature'.
But where nature has extraordinary powers to heal ailments,it can be
capricious.
Velimir Zivojinovic plays grandfather while Neda Arneric plays the role
of the ten year girl.
'Some Birds Can't Fly' screenplay and cinematography is also by Petar
Lalovic.
Petar Lalovic has created a record of making about 200 documentaries
mostly on themes of nature and ecology, and is a product of Theatre and
Film Academy Zagre and at the School of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade.First
he qualified as a cinemato-grapher,then a writer and film director.He has
made four feature films 'Some Birds Can't Fly' and two teleserials.He was
born in Subotica,Yugoslavia in 1952.
National Film Corporation presents the film in Sri Lanka.It is sub -titled
in English.
|
