Prasanna Vithanage
| Prasanna Vithanage | |
|---|---|
Prasanna Vithanage during Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema, 2009
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| Born |
March 14, 1962 Panadura, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Occupation | Film Producer, Director |
| Spouse(s) | Damayanthi Fonseka (m 1991) |
Prasanna Vithanage (Sinhalese: ප්රසන්න විතානගේ) (born 3 March 1962) is a Sri Lankan filmmaker. His films have won many awards, both local and international, and have also been commercially successful. In his early theatre work, he translated and produced plays by international writers, and has adapted works of world literature to film.
His 7th feature film, Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka (With You, Without You – Tamil title = Piragu) (2012), had its world premier in the "World Greats" section at the 39th Montreal International Film Festival. Written by Prasanna, Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka (With You, Without You) is adapted from a novella by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (A Gentle Creature, a.k.a. The Meek One) and set in post-war Sri Lanka. On the international festival run, by late 2013 Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka (With You, Without You) had won 5 international awards, including "best picture" in France and Italy. It earned a nomination for best picture at the 2013 Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia.
Aagaya Pookkal, the Tamil-dubbed version of his 6th feature film, Akasa Kusum, was screened in Jaffna on 1 April 2011. It was the only movie premier of a Sinhala film director to have been held in Jaffna during the past 30 years.
On 30 March 2013, Vithanage founded the 'Prasanna Vithanage Academy of Acting' in Sri Lanka, for aspiring acting students.
In 2015 Prasanna wrote and directed his first Documentary feature, a docudrama named "Usawiya Nihandai" (English Title - "Silence in the Courts") based on actual events that took place in rural Sri Lanka a decade ago. It premiered in Sakhalin International Film Festival in Russia in fall 2015 and was due for a nationwide theatrical release in Sri Lanka on 6th of October 2016. Colombo District Court issued an injunction, temporarily halting its theatrical release, after the protagonist of the story (a former district judge) the film was based upon, has filed a petition against the film’s public release, citing its slandering nature towards his character. On 21st October 2016, the same Colombo District Court overturned its decision and lifted the injunction, allowing a nationwide theatrical release for “Silence in the Courts”, enabling film’s successful theatrical run in Sri Lanka.
Prasanna Vithanage became involved in theatre after leaving school. He translated and directed George Bernard Shaw's play, Arms and the Man, in 1986. In 1991, he translated and directed a production of Italian Dario Fo's Trumpets and Raspberries.
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