Somaratne Dissanayake
Somaratne Dissanayake is a Sri Lankan film director, Screenwriter and Producer.[1] He is the Chairman of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation and the president of the Film Makers Guild of Sri Lanka (FMG). He won the Peace prize of Chicago International Children's Film Festival and bronze award for Independent Theatrical Feature Films at Worldfest Houston for his debut film, Saroja (2000). In 2007, he received Presidential award for directing Samanala Thatu (2006).[2]
Somaratne Dissanayake | |
|---|---|
Sinhala: සෝමරත්න දිසානායක | |
| Pronunciation | sōmaratna disānāyaka |
| Born | November 15, 1946 Giriulla |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Other names | Soma (Nickname) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director SRC - Chairman |
| Years active | 1997 - present |
| Notable work | Saroja Punchi Suranganavi Sooriya Arana Sarigama Jangi Hora |
| Spouse | Renuka Balasooriya |
| Children | Two sons and one daughter |
| Website | somadissa |
Biography
Somaratne abandoned his life in Australia to pursue a career in film. He started the stage play, Mee Pura Wesio in 1984 and then a television drama, Iti Pahan in mid 1990s.[3] He did not come to the cinema industry at once. He studied cinema for another 10 years. He earned his MA in performing arts from the University of Sydney, Australia. He also obtained his PhD in cinema from the University of Colombo.
He made his debut in the Sinhala film in 2000 with a controversial but blockbuster film Saroja (2000 film). He is also well known for other films he directed and screened such as Punchi Suranganavi, Sooriya Arana, Samanala Thatu, Siri Raja Siri, Bindu and Siri Parakum. In 2016, Dissanayake directed and screened the film Sarigama which was a sinhala remake of the world famous film The Sound of Music. All of his films have been well-received, and almost every film has been a record success.[4]
He is married to producer and television host Renuka Balasooriya.[5]
In January 2015, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC),[6] only to resign later that year in August, due to personal reasons.[7]
Alleged Curse
Shortly after the release of Jangi Hora. The Sri Lankan release of the film ended up unpopular and cinemas stopped showings of the film abruptly within a few days although the film was promoted heavily through movie trailers that aired on television to billboards in the streets of Colombo. Anyhow following the film's lack of success, Somaratne started to face financial difficulty and became thinner due to lack of money to buy food and eventually he started to make Sinhabahu, a film about the legendary Sinhabahu starring Jackson Anthony,[8] however when it was reported that Jackson had got admitted to hospital following a series of injuries caused by an elephant slipping twice onto his red cab. Because of this, the film is now in development hell. Some people link this with a curse caused by the release of Jangi Hora into Sri Lankan theaters.
However it appears that Somaratne Dissanayake has returned to his original weight and is doing fine now but is now slightly depressed. He also released a trailer for Sinhabahu but with a different actor playing the title role instead of Jackson Anthony.[9] Jackson was soon discharged from hospital with his family who took care of him.
Awards and nominations
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year and Film | Award | Category | Result | |
| 2000 Saroja | Chicago International Children's Film Festival | Liv Ullmann Peace Award | Won | |
| Dhaka International Film Festival | NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film | Won | ||
| Pyongyang International Film Festival | Special Award of the Festival | Won | ||
| Iran International Film Festival | Award for the Best Director | Won | ||
| Kerala International Film Festival | Golden Crow Pheasant Prize | Nominated | ||
| Singapore International Film Festival | Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Feature Film | Nominated | ||
| Vesoul Asian Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | ||
| WorldFest Houston | Bronze Award for First Feature | Won | ||
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year and Film | Award | Category | Result | |
| 2003 Punchi Suranganavi | Dhaka International Film Festival | Jury Mention Award | Won | |
| Kerala International Film Festival | Golden Crow Pheasant Prize | Nominated | ||
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year and Film | Award | Category | Result | |
| 2005 Sooriya Arana | Houston International Film Festival | Silver Remi Award for the Best Feature | Won | |
| Presidential Awards | Award for The Most Popular Film of the Year | Won | ||
| Presidential Awards | Award for The Best Lyrics | Won | ||
| Presidential Awards | Award for The Best Script (Somaratne Dissanayake) | Won | ||
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year and Film | Award | Category | Result | |
| 2005 Samanala Thatu | Mexico International Film Festival | Best Film Award | Won | |
| Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | HumanitasCamerio Award | Won | ||
| Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | Jury Mention | Won | ||
| Golden Elephant International Children Film Festival | Silver Elephant Award | Won | ||
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year and Film | Award | Category | Result | |
| 2008 Siri Raja Siri | Dhaka International Film Festival | Best Audience Award for Best Film | Won | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Best Children's Feature Film | Nominated | ||
| Mexico International Children Film Festival | Jury Mention Award for Best Film | Won | ||
| Argentina International Children Film Festival | Signis Jury Award for the Best Film | Won | ||
| Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | CamerioHumanitas Award | Won | ||
| Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | Cifej Award | Won | ||
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Saroja | Director, screenwriter, lyricist |
| 2002 | Punchi Suranganavi | Director, screenwriter |
| 2004 | Sooriya Arana | Director, screenwriter, lyricist |
| 2005 | Samanala Thatu | Director, screenwriter, lyricist |
| 2008 | Siri Raja Siri | Director, screenwriter |
| 2009 | Bindu | Director, screenwriter, lyricist |
| 2013 | Siri Parakum | Director, screenwriter, lyricist |
| 2016 | Sarigama | Director, lyricist |
| 2020 | Tsunami | Director, screenwriter |
| 2021 | Jangi Hora | Director, screenwriter |
References
- ^ "Somaratne Dissanayake". National Film Corporation of Sri lanka. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "President honours Lankan Cinema". The Sunday Times. February 4, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ^ Medis, Darshana (13 October 2000). "Saroja: a distortion of the racist war in Sri Lanka". World Socialist Website. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ යුද ගිනි මැද ගෙදරට ආ අමුත්තිය
- ^ "Film: Coronation of 'King Siri'". Sri Lanka Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation gets a new chairman - Sri Lanka News". News 1st, MTV Channel. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ "Somaratne Dissanayake resigns as Rupavahini Chairman". Ada Derana. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "Somaratne returns with 'Sinhabahu'". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
- ^ සිංහබාහු සිංහල චිත්රපටිය | Sinhabahu Film Muhurat 2022 | Sajitha | Jackson Anthony | Nadagamkarayo, retrieved 2022-10-06
- ^ "Achievements of Somaratne Dissanaynake". Somaratne Dissanaynake. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ "Cinematic acclaim for Semage, Dissanayake". The Sunday Times Mirror Magazine Section. 6 February 2000. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ Fernando, Susitha R. (2001). "Dissanayake attempts another Saroja". Sunday Times. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ Edirisinghe, E.M.G. (5 August 2002). "Punchi Suranganavi (Little Angel)". Daily News archives. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
External links
- බෙදාහැරීම සංස්ථාව සතුකර ගැනීමට කැප වෙනවා
- වැඩේ හරි! ක්රමය වැරැදියි