Sudath breaks two decades silence with ‘My Red Comrade’
View(s):By Susitha Fernando
After a long silence for nearly two decades award winning filmmaker Sudath Mahaadivulwewa has returned to filmmaking with “My Red Comrade”, an extremely political film done with an exceptionally experimental work schedule. Having made his maiden feature ‘Shades of Ash’ or ‘Sudu Kalu Saha Alu’ in 2005, Sudath was very much ‘involved’ in cinema except making films. During these 19 years Sudath was attached to the Digital Cinema Academy which was later turned to Colombo Film School (CFS) and served as a cinema teacher at several universities producing several generations of young filmmakers.
Director Sudath Mahaadivulwewa
“This was one of the best works we did for Sri Lankan cinema. I have no regret for the time I spent on this,” says Sudath who created CFS together with award winning Director of Photography Danushka Gunathilake.
“However while being a teacher I too learnt some important lessons. The universities would hardly produce filmmakers because if you come to study cinema to find a job it would never work,” said filmmaker turned teacher.
“I strongly believe that filmmkers can be produced from film institutes as there you find young men and women who are deeply dedicated to make films,” Mahaadivulwewa who had worked on different areas of filmmaking including features, documentaries, social awareness campaigns, theatre work and even advertising explained.
Started his career as a journalist writing to “Lakdhiva” one of the socially and politically powerful tabloid in 1990s, Mahaadivulwewa shifted to creative copywriting in an advertising agency from where he moved into production side of advertising as creative director. Winning the rare title as “Youngest Director in Sri Lanka”, at the age of 21 Mahaadivulwewa started his first large-scale creative venture in television through his telefilm ‘Wanaspathi’. Venturing into film and documentary direction specially on socio-political issues, in 1989 he won “the Best Film Script” and “the Best Documentary Script” awards from Sri Lanka National Youth Council Services. He has also received various other awards including the National Youth Council Services award, Sudath has been awarded the State Tele film and Documentary award, OCIC International award and Presidential awards.
While being a teacher, Sudath also worked on writing several scripts on various issues simultaneously. “I have completed seven scripts with storylines different to each other and touching issues like the untimely death of Rizana Rafeek in the Middle East, a film on Manorani, the mother of slain journalist Richard de Zoysa and also a study on Rookada or puppetry,” says Sudath adding that he has started the race to making films.
Sudath who garnered massive amount of experience specially during 19 years he spent without making a film and came out with an experiment of making a film with two characters who were placed within one room for nearly 90 minutes.
The two roles are played by debutant for cinema, Asiri Allage, a professional creative Sinhala copywriter who is specialised in advertising has several other roles such as painter, sculpture and a stand-up comedian and Tharindi Fernando, an award winning teledrama actress who plays her female protagonist major role in cinema in “My Red Comrade”.
The 20X20 feet one and only location was set at Sarasaviya Studio of the National Film Corporation (NFC). Sudath was extremely grateful to the NFC and its chairman who supported his experimental film project.
“This is a magic and needed an extremely organized schedule. Everything went on the plan and we didn’t extend even one hour more than four days schedule for shooting. But to do that we planned for several months,” Sudath explained the filmmaking lesson that would be a golden advice for many budding filmmakers who are scared to enter cinema due to lack of funds.
“There is a severe dearth of a cultural men and women in this society. This is what I wanted to discuss,” says Sudath. The film also discusses the tragic youth uprising and eternal loss of young creative minds to the country that is being exploited by power hungry political system.
The first film production by Red Circle Production, “My Red Comrade” will be released on NFC cinema circuit from May 3.
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