Young filmmaker Sanjeewa Pushpakumara’s maiden movie ‘Igilena Maluwo’- ‘Flying Fish’ will represent Sri Lanka at the forthcoming 47th Chicago International Film Festival.
Having received rave reviews at the recently held International Rotterdam Film Festival, Sanjeewa’s film has been selected for a number of festivals around the world. It also became the only film of Tiger competition at Rotterdam all the tickets sold out for all the four screenings.
‘Flying Fish’ is to screen under World Cinema section at the Festival which will be held from October 6-20, 2011. Nearly 15 films from around the globe are to participate in this competition which is held to encourage new and emerging filmmakers.
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| Director Sanjeewa |
Kaushalya Fernando |
Prior to going to Chicago the film is to be screened at the world reputed Museum of Modern Arts in New York July 7 – 13, 2011 under its Contemporary Asian Film series. ‘Flying Fish’ is also to be screened in Washington at the 37th Seattle International Film Festival in its ;New Directors; competition from May 20 to June 19.
Among the other international festivals that ‘Flying Fish’ scheduled to be screened at are Pesaro IFF in Italy in the competition for Linoch Awards in June and at St. Petrsburg IFF in Russia (Kinoforum) in ‘New Territories Competition in July.
The film plays Chaminda Sampath Jayaweera, Rathnayaka Marasinghe, Siththi Mariyam, Sanjeewa Dissanayake, Sumathy Sivamohan and Kaushalya Fernando in its stellar cast.
Photographed by Vishvajith Karunarathna, the film is edited by Ajith Ramanayake and production designer is Bimal Dushmantha. The sound design Sanjeewa Pushpakumara, Aruna Priyantha Kaluarchchi and W.G. Podirathne and musical score is by Tharindu Priyankara De Silva.
This daring, exciting story from northern Sri Lanka convincingly captures the madness in a land where the psychology of war is omnipresent. Three parallel stories deal with the attempts of ordinary village people to lead a normal life in abnormal circumstances.
Through three parallel stories this daring debut deals with economic and even greater spiritual decay as the result of a civil war lasting more than two decades.
A beautiful village girl falls in love with a soldier. Her father, 45-year-old Muthubanda is against this. When his daughter falls pregnant, Muthubanda is harassed and humiliated by soldiers. He commits suicide and the girl flees the village. Her guilt and rage push her to do the least expected.
A middle-aged widow takes care of her eight children in a village filled with tension between the army and the Tamil Tigers. She has an affair with a local and her son comes to know about it. His frustration drives him to something that will change all his siblings overnight.
A thirteen-year-old Tamil girl lives in a village where the battle between the Tamil Tigers and the army is extremely intensive. Tamil forces are conducting active war propaganda in local schools. One night, they break into the girl’s house and demand a huge ransom for her. She chooses to escape. |
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