the postmodern life of my aunt ( simplified chinese : 姨妈的后现代生活 ; traditional chinese : 姨媽的後現代生活 ; pinyin : yimā de hòuxiàndài shēnghúo ) is a 2006 hong kong serio-comedy film , directed by ann hui , starring siqin gaowa and chow yun-fat .

the film also guest-stars chinese actresses zhao wei and lisa lu .

its executive producer was yuan mei ; another producer was er yong .

the film was based on a novel of the same title written by yan yan ( 燕燕 ) , while the film 's screenplay was by li qiang , a chinese scriptwriter , who had written the script of the 2005 film peacock , directed by gu changwei .

the postmodern life of my aunt

the high - profile hong kong film the postmodern life of my aunt enjoyed its beijing premiere on monday .
the postmodern life of my aunt ( yi ma de hou xian dai sheng huo ) is not showing in any theaters in the area .
the postmodern life of my aunt ( yi ma de hou xian dai sheng huo ) | st . louis news and events | riverfront times
those helmers also will compete for director , along with ann hui for
the postmodern life of my aunt .
awards are set to take place sept . 1 .
the postmodern life of my a . . .
the youtube account associated with this video has been terminated due to multiple third - party notifications of copyright infringement .
zhang jingchu ' s best actress rivals are teresa mo ( mr cinema ) , siqin gaowa ( postmodern life of my aunt ) , rene liu ( kidnap ) and charlene choi ( simply actors ) .
andy lau , who is also featured in protégé , is in competition for best supporting actor . his rivals include fellow protégé actor louis koo and postmodern life of my aunt ' s chow yun - fat .
zhang jingchu ' s best actress rivals are teresa mo ( mr . cinema ) , siqin gaowa ( postmodern life of my aunt ) , rene liu ( kidnap ) and charlene choi ( simply actors ) .
andy lau , who is also featured in protégé , is in competition for best supporting actor . his rivals include fellow protégé actor louis koo and postmodern life of my aunt ' s chow yun - fat .
this film is about normal life , but we also can how aunt ' s life is being bended . most people in my grandparents generation is like aunt , they gave away their young but did not get what they deserve .
based on a popular novel , ann hui ' s
the postmodern life of my aunt
turns its affectionate gaze on a woman of humble origins from the provinces struggling to carve out a dignified life in the unaccommodating urban tangle of shanghai , where seemingly everyone is focused on personal profit .
the awkward intersection of traditional values with a modernized world has informed countless chinese films of the past decade . based on a popular novel , ann hui’s “the postmodern life of my aunt” turns its affectionate gaze on a woman of humble origins from the provinces struggling to carve out a dignified life in the unaccommodating [ … ]
chow yun - fat pointed out the differences between his usual roles and his part as a swindler in the postmodern life of my aunt as a swindler in the film . in preparing for the role , he invested himself fully in learning peking opera .
tang wei plays xiao hong , whose short and tragic life is portrayed through her writings and the perspectives of her friends and contemporaries , including fellow writers xiao jun ( feng shaofeng ) and duanmu hongliang ( zhu yawen ) . hui directed from a script by li qiang , who also wrote hui’s the postmodern life of my aunt .
i also believe that the aunt ye’s life is normal live like everyone who are living in shanghai . it is so true to show the details of daily life for a normal single lady in shanghai .
similar to the way she subverted horror films with the secret , appropriated mobster - drama tropes in zodiac killer and reworked the cliches of may - december romances in the postmodern life of my aunt , hui has delivered a mellow , slow - burning piece filled with reflections on her favorite topics of cultural dislocation , identity politics and maternal bonds .
similar to the way she subverted horror films with the secret , appropriated mobster - drama tropes in zodiac killer and reworked the clichés of may - december romances in the postmodern life of my aunt , hui has delivered a mellow , slow - burning piece filled with reflections on her favorite topics of cultural dislocation , identity politics and maternal bonds .
linking the themes of the film to the word postmodern , it could basically boil down to our older character not wanting to be in tune with the new times of shanghai or simply not having the strength anymore . watching ye , it ' s probably a little of both but main issue still concerns relationships torn prior and the question of whether they can be mended . pretty basic templates , ones hui used to complex effect in her autobiographical drama song of the exile so don ' t necessarily relax with the postmodern life of my aunt .
chronicles the life of a man whose skills in physiognomy are so great that he earns the attention of the king .
like what i mentioned in my passage , the post modern life is ironic . aunt have a hard time living in the present and she can not get the future she wanted . i thought this contradiction stand lots of people ' s statue in this country
“protégé” and “the warlords” dominated the nominations , announced saturday , for the annual hong kong film awards . with ang lee’s “lust , caution” ruled out as not having enough hong kong elements , the derek yee - helmed “protégé” collected 15 nominations against peter chan’s “warlords” with 13 . both pics , plus ann hui’s “the postmodern life of my aunt , ” [ … ]
other front - runners on the list are peter chan ' s brotherhood war epic the warlords , with 13 nominations , ann hui ' s comedy postmodern life of my aunt , with nine , yau nai - hoi ' s police thriller eye in the sky and johnnie to - wai ka - fai cooperation , godly detective , each with eight nominations .
perhaps i am not well verse in what the director and writer was trying to say but as a layman watching the postmodern life of my aunt , the story wasn’t engaging enough , nor was it comedic enough . in fact , it felt so monotonous realistic that it’s like following the exploits of that kapoh ( overly inquisitive ) self righteous aunty from wet supermarket . pending what interest you , this definitely didn’t do it for me .
the movie the postmodern life of my aunt told us a story of aunt . she was living in shanghai , and she went to a unviersity when she was young . there are some people important for her , such as kuan and pan . the aunt liked pan at the first time , but at the end he went away . and the aunt helped a girl , but the girl was not a good person . the aunt felt unhappy , and she decided to leave shanghai . in fact , at the end of this movie that we knew this film include comedy and sad event . i like this movie . when i heard the aunt said
there is one university student in this building is me , and others are not good .
i thought there are many people thinking like this way today . i think the story of this movie is common and real . on page 428 , showed us another movie boat people . i thought people in boat people also had some bad things around them , and people choose to leave as aunt .
people often feel at loss to deal with the problems of everyday life . even i don ' t want to face up to the bitter reality of life . in truth , real life is close to what is shown in the movie , filled with both laughter and tears .
the awkward intersection of traditional values with a modernized world has informed countless chinese films of the past decade . based on a popular novel , ann hui ’s “the postmodern life of my aunt” turns its affectionate gaze on a woman of humble origins from the provinces struggling to carve out a dignified life in the unaccommodating urban tangle of shanghai , where seemingly everyone is focused on personal profit . better when it acquires a melancholy strain than in the early , more comic action , the film’s warm humanism and hui’s standing as a director should secure festival play , but its most receptive audience will be at home .
it is quite interesting for you discussion of
postmodern
in the film . everyone wants to purse new things in the daily life . but for seniors , it is also hard for them to keep pace with time .
one of hong kong’s representative directors . she started feature - making from the late seventies as a prominent member of the new wave movement in hong kong noted for revising the whole style and purport of local filmmaking with films like “the secret” ( 1979 ) , “the story of wooviet” ( 1980 ) , and “boat people” ( 1982 ) . she went on to make altogether nineteen feature films including “summer snow” ( 1995 ) which had garnered a best actress award at the berlin film festival . “the postmodern life of my aunt” is her latest work .
is that really a reason to knock postmodern life of my aunt ? that its happy colors may fool the unsuspecting customer ? possibly . expectations play a large part in how one views a film , and if a person can ' t get what they expect then it ' s understandable if they ' re a little nonplused . postmodern life of my aunt simply may not be meant for an audience with expectations , as viewing the film as a narrative can lead to disappointment . there ' s no real arc and no real ending . all we get is a slow realization that life , for all intents and purposes , is always better in the rearview mirror , and that sometimes virtue really isn ' t its own reward . that ' s hardly the stuff of feel - good moviegoing , but there ' s a humanity and a keen intelligence in ann hui ' s work that makes the film worthwhile . despite the sometimes exaggerated irony , the film radiates humanity , and life , be it joyous and melancholy , is easily seen in the characters and their lives they lead . hui seems to have brought a great deal of personal attention to the film , and it shines through in the affectionate , if not always flattering way in which she presents her characters . postmodern life of my aunt may not be an easy film to enjoy , as the path it leads audiences down is not very friendly . however , appreciating the film is possible , and even deserved . ( kozo 2007 )
with ang lee’s “lust , caution” ruled out as not having enough hong kong elements , the derek yee - helmed “protégé” collected 15 nominations against peter chan’s “warlords” with 13 . both pics , plus ann hui’s “the postmodern life of my aunt , ” which was recently named the hong kong critics fave ( variety , jan 24 , ) “johnnie to’s “mad detective” and yau na hoi’s “eye in the sky” all compete for best film kudos .
when describing her role , siqin gaowa said the aunt ' s journey and struggles were reflections of both the film director and herself .
he once collaborated with ann hui in “story of woo viet” and love in a fallen city” . he acted in some well - known hong kong movies like “a better tomorrow” , “once a thief” and “the peace hotel” . in recent years , he worked in hollywood , performing in movies like “crouching tiger , hidden dragon” , “pirates of the caribbean : at worlds end” , etc . “the postmodern life of my aunt” is his first chinese - language movie in ten yeas .
the term “postmodern life “in this film is so ironic。 aunt in this film represent class of intellectuals . they are educated and have high expected on their own . like aunt , she like beijing opera , and she can speak a fluently english . but in the real world , she married a labor work . aunt is not satisfied with her life , but she has no chance to change her life . her opponent from lu to zhao wei , zhou ruinfa . they all play an important role in aunt life . they look cunning , cruel , rude . but still they combine the low bottom of society . these episodes are just the dark side of social reality . zhao wei role leave a deep impression on me . she resent the aunt ' s old life . aunt think she is different form her but actually we can easy find zhao also expect a new life in big city . she criticizes aunt abandon her daughter and husband , while still complaining her husband can bring her to a big city . the environment they stay force being hypocritical and ignorance . this film also remind me another group of people
ant
蚁族。they are group of young people around 20 - 30 years old , and lives in big city like beijing or shanghai . they can’t bear the peace of small city but they still cannot adopt in the big city . they chase their dream but no one can tell where their future is .
in an interview , ann hui is quoted as saying , “i think those works that are generally considered to be my best films are dramas about people” ( ann hui : living through film , p . 433 ) . i could not agree more with this statement . from eat drink man woman to the postmodern life of my aunt , these films always struck me as the most deep and meaningful . perhaps this is due to the role that emotions play in these types of film – that of themes . the theme that stuck out most to me in the postmodern life of my aunt would have to be loneliness . towards the beginning of the film , when the aunt’s apartment building is shown , it is clear that everyone is lonely . from the lady that loves her cat more than anything , and uses what the cat is doing and looking at as a means of finding others to talk to , to the lady who is cramped up in her room with all of the fish tanks ; these people embody the word loneliness . every person in this film reminded me of the ‘crazy - “insert animal name here” lady’ . however , the crazy - bird lady , or the aunt , is perhaps the loneliest of them all . from allowing her grandson to live with her for a while , to offering rent to the girl from the restaurant , to sharing meals with the man from the park ; she just wants someone to spend time with . and even though these people simply take advantage of her , she continues to keep them in her life , for no other purpose than to keep her company – this is truly a very sad story in my opinion .
the postmodern life of my aunt
told the aunt ' s daily life in shanghai . she thought herself as a upright person because she is a college graduate . there are several important people appeared in aunt ' s life , kuan - kuan , her neighbors , the nanny , a middle - aged handsome man - pan zhichang . but they all leave her and some of them even cheat her for her money . finally she realized that it is time to go back home and see her ex - husband and daughter far away from shanghai , which is also pretty different from the mordern city . northeast china followed behind shanghai far away in iconomical fields . after sending kuan - kuan abroad , aunt backed home and began to sell shoes . it is a interesting movie to me . unlike the films we saw before , it is the film talking about normal characters , without the exactly history background . but it looks like someone like aunt living at the corner of every city . they tried to be positive , live happily , but failed at last . the huge gap between generations made them confusing . like the author marchetti said , it is like a mirror reflected the society .
the texture of the postmodern life of my aunt mirrors the fragmented , disoriented lives of characters and the cities depicts . the film vertiginously crosses genres , and narrative moves from light comedy to farce to satire and on to melodrama and even tragedy vacillates between pop art excess and social realism .
( marchetti , p . 125 ) also i want to talk about the generation gap . the film just focus on the aunt ' s life , but in some scenes , we can see teenagers who looks fashion and enjoy in some cool stuff . but for aunt , her entertainment is peking opera . it is a huge difference and impressed me . some of the traditions , like peking opera are dying out . young people are pursuing new things every minute . the society is walking so fast to catch up for people like aunt .
i have mixed feelings about the postmodern life of my aunt . i liked the subtle humor and the aunt’s practical approach to daily life ; but overall it felt somewhat plain . i didn’t think much of chow yun fat as an actor until i watched this film , as he is usually typecasted as an action hero . his chinese opera singing skills are also impressive . my favorite scene has to be the one where the aunt and the con - man ( chow ) walk up around 10 flights of stairs instead of taking the one elevator in order to avoid unwanted rumors among the neighbors . the con - man accidentally drops a watermelon down the stairs , which shatters into pieces , and the aunt insists they eat what they can salvage of the watermelon so as to not be wasting perfectly good food . that was a very “human” scene that made the characters relatable . story of woo viet is one of ann hui’s first films . according to the interview with ann hui ( pg . 428 ) , the story of woo viet was released in taiwan with an alternate ending that sees the main character locked up ( using still photos ) supposedly because what he was doing was illegal . the director herself did not know about this until after the re - release , which i think is ridiculous . someone at some point had to have thought ,
this fictional character must to be arrested for committing a crime in a fictional universe .
another interesting tidbit is that ann hui intentionally avoids developing her own cinematic style , but rather adapt to the film she works on ( pg . 436 ) . this explains why the postmodern life of my aunt seems somewhat plain to me - - there is a lack of distinctive style .
then in 2004 , when i first met li qiang , he said he wanted to do a story about two women and we were both interested in xiao hong and another female writer , ding ling , who is in the film as well . we did a lot of research , but when i met li qiang again , he said this subject won’t pass censorship because ding ling had some trouble with the communist authorities in the ‘50s and her status is still suspect . then in 2007 , after finishing the postmodern life of my aunt , the producers of that film , cheerland , suggested we do the life of xiao hong . so we went back to her .
the aunt is an intellectual in the film , she was pompous and lofty . in additional she can speak perfect british english , but she was dissmed by the employer . thus it can be seen , the aunt is person of is a can not keep up with the trend of the times , so it determine the outcome is tragic .
i think that you name the main struggle that this film deals with and that would be that aunt is not happy with her life . although this is not ideal for anyone to not like their life , she knows that she cannot do anything about it . interestingly enough , she only hangs out with people like her and never tries to find more happiness in her life .
i’m told by a film professional who follows things closely that critics feel that 12 - 15 local films from 2007 are worth seeing and about 5 are actually good . those five are ann hui’s the postmodern life of my aunt , derek yee’s protégé , johnnie to’s mad detective , yau na - hoi’s eye in the sky , and peter chan’s the warlords . it’s significant , my friend indicates , that almost never before has the same clutch of films been nominated for best picture , best screenplay , and best director at the hong kong film awards . ( the awards will be given on 13 april . ) “the falling industry has reached a plateau , ” she remarks .
the biggest draw for this film ( personally ) would be the involvement of chow yun fatt and the direction of ann hui , one of the noted directors in hong kong . it also collected a number of awards such as the best actress ( siqin gaowa ) and best original film score ( joe hisaishi ) at the 27th annual hong kong film awards . this film was also nominated for best picture and best director at the same award . understandably the expectation of this film was quite high ; specially chow yun fatt stuck with this film and left red cliff because of creative differences ( reads disapproval with the scripts or monetary disrupts as rumours had it which made it even more intriguing as one wonder how much does the postmodern life of my aunt had to retain the service of mr . chow ) .
ann hui have always been an exceptional talent and the pact of realism in her films like july rhapsody pin points her distinct style of direction . in hui ' s pursue for realism , there is always a message that reflects and affects the life of any part of the audience . whether it is the rebellious teenager years , the struggles of middle age or perhaps the need to adapt into the ever changing world of today , hui ' s films have someone for everyone . in the postmodern life of my aunt , hui ventures into the issue of older people and their struggles to keep up with the rapid growth of modernise cities such as shanghai . it is a struggle that is relevant to everyone of us and with a brink of the eye , neo can not imagine what it will be like for him in 50 years time – whether he will be grasping on the comfort of the old or adapting into the ever changing society of the future . the film reminds the audience of our parents , grandparents and realising that ultimately change is inevitable and the struggles that they face are seemingly real and tangible . there is a quote from the aunt , siqin gaowin that seems frighteningly realistic –
it doesn ' t matter if you cheat me when i am still 17 , but if you cheat all my money now , it is like a dead end for me , as i cannot earn it back .
it is all the more shameful and disgusting when the audience think back to all those headlines of fail companies and within those companies there are millions of pensioners who have their entire life saving within .
“the postmodern life of my aunt” tells the modern urban life in shanghai as the background about a knowledge woman dramatic story full of joy and sorrow fate after retirement . i think this film is different from other films we watched . this one put the female as the first choice . it should be the director ann hui’s own style , i also look for her other films , and those films were also similar . screenwriter qiang li is the same , he thinks women are always the most emotional animals ; they have a strong emotional upheaval . siqingaowa did a really good job in this film ; she acted in a really different way . in my mind , she should be more serious , stricter and more powerful . however , in this film , she is like does not make sense , always in the state of being hurt but refused to accept to be a single old woman . i was surprised when she jumped into the pool wearing her sweater that really changes my thought about her . director and screenwriter’s talent and arrangements for this movie surprised me too . when i watched this film , especially the first half , i thought this should be a comedy but slowly , all the suspense about the aunt and conjecture - her family ? she had what kind of experience ? she exactly what worries ? i felt the stressful and involuntary of the life . the film ' s cast luxury , siqingaowa throughout the whole movie as the clue of aunt , chow yun fat and vicki became supporting roles but it does not matter , as long as he showed the essence of their role , and that was enough .
the postmodern life of my aunt , at the beginning of this film , i thought it was a comedy . but after the story between aunt ye and nephew kuankuan , aunt ye and neighbor shui , aunt ye and mr . pan , aunt ye and the sad mon , and aunt ye and her daughter , i found it was a tragedy and made me feel sad in the end . aunt , women as the leading role in this film show us the status of women in chinese society . aunt ye has high education but outdates . she cannot follow the steps in the modern developing society . she was enthusiastic , warmhearted and virtuous , but cannot live conformable in the big city – shanghai . after watching the film , the moon in the film leaves me a memory , and i want to figure out what the moon represent in the film , in different people’s mind . i think the moon is the hope in aunt ye’s mind . she saw the hope after she lost all her money , lost her neighbor , saw the mother she helped is a liar , and mr . pan disappeared . she needs hope , so she saw the moon when she was injured and lied on the bed . reading the ann hui interview , i know , ann hui made the successful transition from television to the big screen from 1979 with the secret , a complex psychological thriller about madness , murder , and ghosts starring sylvia chang . and ann hui as a directress feels more and thinks more than men director about women in society . even she does not feel that she really have a distinctive cinematic style , and she think her style changes for different movies , depending on the subject matter and the crew that she was working with . but she has exquisite feelings , and she put those feelings in her movie , especially on the women roles in her films . she play more attentions on the role of women in our society , no matter mainland or hong kong
the most successful combination of scripting and acting belongs to ye ' s antagonistic daughter , dafan ( vicki zhao wei ) . although she initially comes across as little more than a caricature of an ultra - modern member of china ' s generation x , the director allows the humanity and truthfulness beneath the glitzy surface to eventually emerge . in the end , one leaves the theatre with a more profound understanding of dafan than of the mother whose postmodern life was so ostentatiously on display for almost two hours .
it was only during shooting that the form of the book and the narrator’s identity suggested themselves . “the real revelation in the film was tom bennett’s performance as sir james . it gave me the idea of this parallelism – jane austen’s stuffy and rather dim literary nephew [ james edward austen - leigh ] had done a memoir of his aunt , so i invented a stuffy and rather dim nephew for sir james who would write a memoir of his aunt . ”
this film is light comedy but i don ' t think the director want to satire something . it just reflectes a part of life in the city . a city likes a small society . it is full of comedies and tragedies . the film describes aunt ye ' s disoriented city lives . so she gave up her city lives in the end .
all in all , the postmodern life of my aunt is by no means accessible to everyone , but it is ultimately an art flick about the seemingly reality of old age and life . it ponders the audience to question about their future and the fears of old age . the parallel struggles of gaowa are as close as grandchildren will understand the struggles that our grandparents are going through , until the audience experience it themselves . it is a frightening process to imagine about what was once cool is now totally out of date , but then again who knows what will happen in 50 years time . perhaps , cars will be flying across the universe , people can walk across the ocean or everything may remain pretty much the same . ann hui is to be applauded for creating something so real and so affecting . it is by no means hui ' s strongest work , but it is a film that allows us to explore and journey into the unknown
, the graduation thesis by students of the hong kong academy of performing arts ' film school .
, woody allen calls that sub - literary phenomenon “truly moronic” . ) one bonus of the novelisation was that it provided underage viewers with tangential access to contraband movies : too young to see the films , i cherished my paperback copies of
this film ' s director is the best example of the aunt . her devotion and serious attitude reflect ye ' s character as well as her rejection of trivial matters in life . as for me , i sometimes feel out - of - touch and passed by events . i think middle - aged and older people will feel familiar touches when watching this film .
ann hui ' s the postmodern life of my aunt is a bittersweet look at growing old in shanghai . the titular character , ye ( siqin gaowa ) , is a divorcee living by herself , with her only companion being shui ( lisa lu ) , a gossipy neighbor that she really doesn ' t like , but keeps a relationship with in order to save face . so when ye ' s sister asks her to take care of her troubled nephew , kuan ( guan wen - shou ) , ye readily accepts . ye tries to make kuan comfortable , but he soon runs away , and then goes so far as to hatch a kidnapping scheme . distraught , ye sends kuan back to his mom , and , in her vulnerable state , is made into a mark by several con people , most notably the suave pan ( chow yun - fat ) . after she is bled dry both financially and mentally by the con artists , ye soon finds herself in the care of her daughter , liu ( vicky zhao ) , but their long - ongoing rocky relationship doesn ' t make an easy time of things . the postmodern life of my aunt is a bit of a strange picture . the above plot synopsis would lead you to think that this is a very depressing movie , and at many points it is . but there is also a extremely cheerful energy running throughout the film , brought to life mostly via siqin gaowa and chow yun - fat ' s wonderful performances . usually , when movies try to mix comedy and tragedy , the results are like the proverbial oil and water and come off as overwrought twaddle , but ann hui ' s smart direction lets both of the worlds co - exist off of each other in a solidly made symbiotic mix . if there is fault to be leveled at the postmodern life of my aunt , it would be the utter lack of any resolution by the end of the film . of course , hong kong and chinese movies are well - known for often not tying up everything and presenting an ending wrapped in a pretty package . but it did come off as more than a bit disappointing here , since the characters were so interesting - - it seemed a shame to leave the audience hanging . true , that sort of
lost
feeling was probably one of hui ' s intents , and the ending ( or lack thereof ) doesn ' t ruin the film , but it would have been nice to see what eventually happened to ye and her family . rating : 7
starts at the end of the story , with the brutal murder by a man of his wife and daughters . hui gradually unmasks the idyll of the peaceful family and that of hong kong as the promised land for gold seekers .
the first local summer blockbuster of 2018 represented over 77 % of the total box office last week .
this film though it had its funny moments was rather tragic in my opinion . the aunt goes to the quick paced modern city life of shanghai . though she is fairly smart and had some college education , she was tricked out of her money by some bad people . in the end , she moves out of shanghai . i thought that in a way , this film is somewhat similar to previous films such as beijing bicycle in the way that someone is moving into a new city and is having a hard time adapting to the new environment and its people . in the interview with anne , she mentions that her preferred genre is drama ( 433 ) . this is clearly seen in the film as the story is about the aunt and her survival in her new life in shanghai and dealing with different human encounters . i also thought that she did a good job showing the main characters feelings and transferring those feelings to the audience .
however the bitter pills pretty much kick in by chow exiting the picture but the wackiness and flirts with questionable focus finally start to pay off . the dark comedy turning into somber drama means we get a complete circle . being postmodern , for whatever reason as explained above , comes with the territory of being old according to our storytellers here and aside from some abstract behaviour from director hui , her throughline that concerns family relations more than anything manifests itself in a basic , affecting manner . because using simplicity as her tool doesn ' t turn the film into something truly transcending into class cinema but being sufficient is damn good coming from hui and the cinema output overall in the territory . not that hui has forgotten to be mean and angry as evident by her work on goddess of mercy , the postmodern life of my aunt is still only a fairly somber but also warm experience for the moment . and those moments are perhaps what siqin gaowa ' s very vulnerable ye counts as worth going through . it is for us on the other side anyway .
your film also has a non - traditional structure . why did you choose to tell her life story in this way ?
and we hear his opinion of the casting choices , the reviews it received and the extent to which it deviated from real life . he begins his account before the action shown in the film , then incorporates the events of the movie , adding new interpretations , before filling us in on what happened to the characters after the end credits rolled . it’s a technique redolent both of tom stoppard’s
in this film , i have noticed what a hard time aunt ye has . she seems to try hard to succeed , but she also seems to put others before her . we see this as she gives money to pan to ' get his medicine . ' she also helps out jin , the woman with the large cut on her face . and yet , money is a huge part of her life . she doesn ' t have much , but she ' s frugal , seems to be jealous of her rich neighbor , and gets excited when she thinks she ' ll make some money from her and pan ' s investment in burial sites . i liked this film at first . but the ending completely ruined it for me . once she ' s in the hospital , we never hear from pan . i still wonder if he ripped her off with the burial site investment . her daughter doesn ' t treat her well ( has something to do with aunt ye leaving them , which we don ' t get much information on ) . the film ends with her looking sad and depressed . i was hoping something good would finally happen to her . sure , being reunited with her family could have been good , but it wasn ' t filmed that way . if so , she wouldn ' t have looked so depressed in the end . in the interview , we find out that the director directed the film ,
my american grandson .
the director says that the story of this film
dwells on issues of identity .
i feel as if
the postmodern life of my aunt ,
deals with issues of identity . even though aunt ye is old , she seems to still be finding herself : finding somebody to talk to , finding a way to make money and become successful .
the postmodern life of my aunt features a remarkable cast of chinese stars , old and new . mrs ye is played by the great mongolian actress siqin gaowa , star of such films as stanley kwan ' s full moon in new york and yim ho ' s the homecoming . her neighbour mrs shui is played by the legendary lisa lu , star of cecilia tang ' s seminal hong kong art film the arch and subsequently famous for playing the empress dowager cixi in several films by li hanxiang . the role of the charming con - man pan marks a return to chinese movies for the inimitable chow yun - fat , who last acted in chinese in ang lee ' s crouching tiger , hidden dragon . he has previously worked with ann hui on the story of woo viet and love in a fallen city . and mrs ye ' s worldly - wise daughter dafan is played by vicky zhao wei , one of china ' s brightest new stars , internationally known for her roles in stephen chow ' s shaolin soccer and jeff lau ' s a chinese odyssey 2002 .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
i have the same thought about this film talks about the people who got high education but they still need to suffer from lives because they are really far away from the modern life .
i agree with your opinion . we should you treasure the things and the people that you are having right now . in the film , aunt ye decided to go back to her family . in fact , her life is worse than in shanghai but she doesn ' t complain this . she knows she should treasure the lives that she is having right now .
, out of competition . also screening out of competition are benny chan ' s
it first met with national praise following its original premiere in hong kong and recent preview in beijing . yu dan , a professor at beijing normal university , welcomed it as providing a vivid portrayal of the hardships of life and of people ' s indomitable nature . ye rutang ' s experiences show off the persistence , disappointments and compromises one must undergo to live a normal life . the film is all the more noteworthy for having such an impact on a small budget .
to accurately portray the world of ballet , renowned japanese ballet dancer kumakawa tetsuya and his k ballet company will be in charge of the choreography , stage design and the wardrobe of the ballet scenes .
although chow yun - fat has somewhat mixed his uneven hollywood career ( high point being the sadly neglected anna and the king ) with stints in asian cinema since 2000 ' s often mentioned crouching tiger , hidden dragon , 2006 became more of a celebration for those wishing for the immortal charisma and actual talent of yun - fat to appear more closer to his actual home . starring in zhang yimou ' s curse of the golden flower , personally actual excitement entered when the postmodern life of my aunt was announced , chow ' s re - teaming with director ann hui . tracking back to 1981 , hui directed chow to wide acclaim ( but superstardom was yet to come ) in her tragic the story of woo viet and while this mainland lensed production doesn ' t contain the compelling harshness of said social commentary , many bitter pills can be find in hui ' s comedy - drama . many of which are about progressing naturally anyway . following through till the last frame is therefore vital because this mish - mash of moods , characters and storylines only cohere towards the end where we realize we also have an acceptable ( but not exceptional ) ann hui movie on our hands .
i also found this movie to be somewhat relateable for the audience with the feelings and actions of the aunt . her struggles especially as a college grad seem to be common thoughts in the way she is lost afterwards and never really seems to find where she is meant to be .
. but the form fell into the category of marketing rather than literature . so
) that spill over the sides of the films in which they first appeared .
the migrant worker is also impressed me . shanghai is quite a special city . the city contained people from anywhere , but for the local people , migrants did not do well in their city . aunt is one of the migrants , she got well educated but finally lost in shanghai .
this film complements the migrant worker films in a way . although the aunt is educated , and socially - savvy , unafraid to speak her mind , she too is beaten by aspects of the city . with her life - savings wasted , she must return to her old home with a family she chose to desert in hopes of finding a new , better life in shanghai . i think the most impactful moment for me was the first scene of dongbei ( 1 : 33 : 20 ) , and how different it was from shanghai . my first thought was :
no wonder she left .
( which is exactly the goal of the film ) another ( of the many ) relevant scenes was the one where she is denied the tutoring position because her english wasn ' t
american
enough . she ' s another one of the people dropped by the wayside in the relentless momentum of the nation . i was most struck by ann hui ' s attitude towards her categorization as part of the ' hong kong new wave ' .
i don ' t really know , and actually i don ' t care .
( 434 ) this is similar to the attitude expressed by li yang as well . in the steven teo interview on sensesofcinema . com , he says ,
as for the sixth generation or the fifth generation , my own thought is that there isn’t a sixth generation…
however , li yang does express a certain degree of concern about where he belongs generation - wise . i think it ' s interesting that the filmmakers with what feel like the most fleshed out characters from the selections this semester both seem shy of defining themselves as part of a movement or generation .
after viewing this film , pondering for 30 minutes what it was about , i have finally come to the conclusion that i enjoyed the film , and that it is a fairly accurate portrayal of modern china ( and the world in general ) and its growing urbanization . it ' s difficult to pick out a single overarching theme , but if i had to choose , i would say this is ann hui ' s attempt to comment on fast paced 21st century life for a chinese woman that seems to be stuck in a bygone era , isolated and confused by everything that surrounds her . there was one scene in the beginning around the 15 minute mark where kuan - kuan was wearing the exact same soccer jersey i own , and then he arrives at his friend ' s house where they were listening to a popular eminem song . no wonder aunt ye feel ' s out of touch , she ' s frugal in a world of consumerism , trusting in a world of anonymity , and old in a young city . it ' s little wonder she eventually left ( only after being conned ) . one quote in ann hui ' s interview that stuck with me is on page 425 , she states ,
i was sent to an english primary school to study , which caused great concern at home on the part of my father and grandfather about the state of my chinese language ability .
she then goes on to explain that she never felt comfortable using english either . maybe this uncertainty and feeling of loneliness is manifested in aunt ye ' s character in the movie . it certainly feels that way . the movie exhibits the plain reality of everyday life , and in contrast with the little chinese philosophy i know , that life doesn ' t preordain winners and losers , and that life isn ' t partial , but it can sometimes be overwhelming .
isn’t a novelisation , but nor is it a screenplay , despite containing much of the dialogue from the film . instead , it retells the action of the picture from the vantage point of a character who isn’t even in it .
i found myself more and more frustrated as i watched the aunt ' s ' post - modern life ' unfold . not just new developments but her background . the aunt left her family in a poor town in northeast china to go to shanghai and make it big . she did well for herself until , perhaps seeking to fill the emotional void left by moving so far away from home , she was scammed out of her life savings by a big - city con artist . it seemed like shanghai didn ' t really care for her that much anyway : her neighbor was less than a true friend , and she failed to get a job tutoring english because hers wasn ' t ' american ' enough . she seems like she would ' ve been better equipped for life in one of the major cities in the northeast rather than going so far away from home to get it . the main characters from ' blind shaft ' and the migrant worker in ' beijing bicycle ' come to mind . it seems that people migrating in order to work and then running into unexpected problems and hardship is kind of a theme in a few pieces of modern chinese cinema . ann hui mentions that she doesn ' t want to experiment with much new since hong kong ' s film industry has been doing poorly ( 433 ) . i feel like ann hui reflects this outlook in ' the post - modern life
by portraying the aunt ' s time there as a failure .


purahanda kaluwara ( death on a full moon day ) ( sinhalese : පුරහඳ කළුවර ) is a 2001 sri lankan sinhala drama film directed and produced by prasanna vithanage .

it stars joe abeywickrama and priyanka samaraweera in lead roles along with linton semage and mahendra perera .

music composed by nadeeka guruge .

the film has received mainly positive reviews .

it is the 967th sri lankan film in the sinhala cinema .

purahanda kaluwara

prasanna withanage , is now waiting to release his internationally acclaimed film purahanda kaluwara soon .
the purahanda kaluwara cast also includes priyanka samaraweera , linton semage , mahendra perera , nayana hettiarachchi , kumara karunananda etc .
speaking of his latest film purahanda kaluwara he said
we started the film in july , 1997 planning to finish by december .
as the event starts at 6 . 00 pm , dr . sunil wijesiriwardena is to give a talk on “art and the state” which will be followed by a special screening of “purahanda kaluwara” in a restored print with english subtitles . ‘purahanda kaluwara potha’ is published by sarasavi publishers .
joe abeywickrama as wannihami in prasanna vithanage ' s
purahanda kaluwara ( death on a full moon day
. one of the greatest performances i have seen… | pinteres…
“pura handa kaluwara” ( death on a full moon day ) a . . .
when asked about his latest creation he said ,
it is too early to comment but if i am asked to redo the film
purahanda kaluwara
i would do it in the same way
.
writings on one of the much talked about films in the sri lankan cinema history , prasanna vithanage’s ‘purahanda kaluwara’ ( death on a full moon day ) made into a book will be launched on december 23 , 2010 at the national film corporation cinema .
what happened to him next ? the answer can be found in the new teledrama bim kaluwara
. every scene of this drama was shot in kandy .
celebrating the 10th anniversary of the release of the film , various writings including the screenplay of the film is included in the book titled “purahanda kaluwara potha” . the controversy ridden film was even taken to the supreme court of sri lanka claiming the violation of fundamental rights for freedom of expression when the authorities tried to prevent its public screening .
another new teledrama named
bim kaluwara
is now being telecast every tuesday on itn at 7 . 30 p . m . the teledrama based on a youth who is traumatised by what he saw in his environment during his childhood .
prasanna vithanage ' s film pura handa kaluwara has been shown at film festivals in north america , europe and asia but has yet to be released in sri lanka where it is certain to provoke controversy . the reason is clear . pura handa kaluwara ( death on a full moon day ) deals with the devastation of people ' s lives caused by the brutal 16 - year war carried out by the sri lankan state against the tamils living in the north of the island .
p urahanda kaluwara ( death on a full moon day ) ,
the award winning film by well - known film director prasanna vithanage will be screened from next month . the film will come up on 10 screens in the cel circuit .
purahanda kaluwara is not his first war related creation . involving himself in theatre on leaving school prasanna translated and directed bernard shaw ' s
arms and the man
in 1986 . war related themes in works of art can be seen in the country , he said
my idea was not to make a film in praise of war or against the war . but what i want was to share what i felt when i go to rural areas of the country in anuradhapura , madawachchiya etc . and i believe that a work of art is something that comes from the heart and it should penetrate others heart
, . the film is a self expression of its maker using the medium of the picture to tell his story in visual language
.
born in 1962 , prasanna vithanage’s opus of six previous films has made him one of sri lanka ’s leading filmmakers with a worldwide critical and popular reputation . he began his career in the 1980’s as a theatre director . he translated into sinhala and directed two plays before setting out as a filmmaker in 1992 . his fourth feature “purahanda kaluwara” ( death on a full moon day 1997 ) won the grand prix at the amiens film festival . while also devoting serious time and effort to the education and training of young people in the art and business of filmmaking , vithanage revisited theatre in time spent between making movies . in 2008 prasanna produced the hit comedy “machan” , an international co - production , directed by uberto pasolini . “oba nathuwa oba ekka” ( with you , without you ) is his seventh feature .
prasanna vithanage , director born in 1962 , prasanna vithanage’s opus of six previous films has made him one of sri lanka ’s leading filmmakers with a worldwide critical and popular reputation . he began his career in the 1980’s as a theatre director . he translated into sinhala and directed two plays before setting out as a filmmaker in 1992 . his fourth feature “purahanda kaluwara” ( death on a full moon day 1997 ) won the grand prix at the amiens film festival . while also devoting serious time and effort to the education and training of young people in the art and business of filmmaking , vithanage revisited theatre in time spent between making movies . in 2008 prasanna produced the hit comedy “machan” , an international co - production , directed by uberto pasolini . “oba nathuwa oba ekka” ( with you , without you ) is his seventh feature .
pura handa kaluwara , which was produced on a budget of only us $ 80 , 000 , is one of those few serious movies made each year in sri lanka . self - assured and sensitive direction by prasanna vithanage and an extraordinary performance by veteran actor joe abeywickrama as vannihamy , the film ' s main character , combine to produce an intensely dramatic story about one man ' s struggle with the tragedies caused by the war .
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the writer of this review was only able to see this film by attending the festival of recent sri lankan films ( 14 - 18 february ) held at the alliance française—an institution connected to the french embassy in sri lanka . at this festival a video of the film was projected onto a larger screen , and it has to be stated here that this manner of viewing the film prevents this writer from doing it full justice . despite this disadvantage it is clear that vithanage ' s film is a powerful work and one that will resonate with all those confronting the escalating number of tragedies produced by a war that has claimed at least 55 , 000 lives and left many more maimed , homeless and poverty stricken .
the film tells the story of vannihamy , an elderly farmer from one of the sinhala villages in the northern dry zone of sri lanka . in the opening sequences we see a land parched by a long drought , and the villagers , including vannihamy , undergoing great hardship due to the scarcity of water . vannihamy , even though he is blind , is an experienced farmer and predicts that rain can be expected within four days . he enlists the help of his future son - in - law to reinforce his mud hut ' s decayed thatching to withstand the monsoon ' s downpour .
vannihamy has two daughters and a son . the elder daughter , sumana ( nayana hettiarchchci ) , has married and moved away from home . sunanda ( priyanka samaraweera ) , the younger daughter , lives with the father in expectation of her marriage to a young man in the village . vannihamy ' s only son has joined the army fighting in the north .
the film begins with the sound of gathas—buddhist doctrinal verses that are rhythmically chanted . the influence that buddhism wields over people comes in for sharp criticism later in the film . clearly this chanting is intended to give the film viewer an awareness of the great disparity between buddhism ' s manner of comprehending life and the reality of a country ravaged by war . the doctrinal verses chanted here signify that the “triple - gem” ( buddha , his doctrine and his disciples—the monks ) will bless the believer and protect him from evil . the chanting of the stanzas merely as an accompanying background rhythm at the beginning of the film does not have the potential to convey to the viewer any other meaning than the traditional one . one may even say that the chanting , which is carried by the wind and reverberates in the distant horizons of the village , could have their age - old traditional effect on an unwary viewer—to lull man into unthinking acceptance of any social atrocity perpetrated on him .
full moon day—a day of immense religious significance to buddhists—arrives . buddhists consider this a day in which “universal ahimsa” ( no harm perpetrated on any living being ) should prevail . it is on this day , when serenity is supposed to reign supreme in the thoughts , deeds and words of mankind , that the coffin said to be carrying vannihamy ' s son arrives in the village .
the film deals principally with vannihamy ' s reactions to his son ' s death , especially his refusal to believe—against all evidence to the contrary—that his son has been killed in the war . vannihamy also rejects the money given by the state as compensation to members of a dead soldier ' s family .
the idea , which provides the film ' s essential foundation , is that the war raging in the north is not considered by the people to be their war . none of the characters representing ordinary people speak passionately about either taking part in the war or winning it . it is certainly something outside the pale of their deep - felt needs , but which at the same time has insidiously managed to become a “necessary evil”—a way to earn a living , when conditions of life are extremely difficult and problematic .
the only character we see making a pro - war , patriotic speech is the buddhist monk from the village temple who , accompanied by a few villagers , visits the bereaved vannihamy . the monk suggests that the villagers should honor vannihamy ' s son , a soldier who has laid down his life for the motherland , by building a bus shelter in his name . vannihamy off - handedly replies that a bus shelter would be beneficial to people no matter why it was built .
the film makes clear that the villagers only consider joining the army when they are in desperate economic straits . vannihamy ' s future son - in - law , for example , says that the way things are he too will have to join the army . vannihamy ' s son had enlisted with the sole aim of providing for his family—building a better home , ensuring a decent marriage for his younger sister . a letter the young man sent from the front , which the family receives after his death , expresses his desire to return home soon so he can set to work on those tasks .
vannihamy hangs on to this letter because it reinforces the belief that has taken root in him that his son is not dead . the coffin arrives sealed by the authorities , and the fact that no one can see the soldier ' s mortal remains also strengthens the old man ' s conviction . vannihamy ' s refusal to believe in his son ' s death is also bound up with his own attitude to life . he has , to all appearances , triumphed over his terrible physical handicap , blindness . only once do we see him as an enfeebled man—when he falls in the field and is carried home by the villagers . at other times his agility , alertness and confidence are such that the spectator forgets that he is blind . he easily stands out as the strongest character in the film . vannihamy ' s belief in his ability to triumph over difficulties leads him to believe the same about his son . he says that the blood which ran through the veins of his family ' s forefathers runs through his own and his son ' s veins too .
a few days before an alms - giving ceremony is to be held in memory of the dead young man , two soldiers emerge from the darkness at night and approach vannihamy , seated in front of his hut , to tell him that they ' ve brought a donation towards the alms - giving . they explain that members of his son ' s army unit have contributed to the donation . we see the old man struggling to face up to this new and irrefutable proof of his son ' s death . this is the most emotionally powerful moment in the film .
early next day , as the eastern sky glints coldly with streaks of morning light , we see vannihamy shouldering his mamoty ( spade ) and apparently heading towards the fields . we wonder whether he has finally brought himself to accept the fact of his son ' s death , but something unexpected takes place . vannihamy makes his way to his son ' s grave and starts digging it up . a young woman who comes to the village tank to fetch water sees vannihamy and informs the villagers . they rush to the scene and take on the job of unearthing the coffin themselves clearly with the intent of laying to rest the doubts assailing vannihamy . they retrieve the coffin , break the seal and open it . vannihamy , who is alert to everything going on , eagerly fingers the contents . all that is in the coffin are some pieces of wood and a large stone—nothing that could prove the death of vannihamy ' s son . as he leaves the graveyard vannihamy is neither a defeated man nor spiritually broken . it is clear that he still believes his son is alive .
vannihamy ' s stubborn refusal to believe that his son is no longer among the living evokes strong feelings in the spectator . the old man ' s refusal to believe in his son ' s death becomes completely plausible only when it is viewed as the result of an unconscious protective mechanism operating against the unbearable reality of his son ' s death .
it should be emphasized , however , that vannihamy is not merely a tragic figure . there is a nobility to his character that the other villagers find almost impossible to understand . this quality expresses itself above all in his refusal to accept the money handed out by the state as compensation for his son ' s death . vannihamy ' s deep attachment to his son makes it impossible for him to face up to the latter ' s death . this same love and a keen sense of spiritual dignity stands in the way of vannihamy ' s accepting the money . “what if my son comes home after we accept the money ; how can we face him ? ” he asks .
though vannihamy may even appear to the others as slightly mad , there is a profound humane logic in the stand he takes . the young man had gone to war seeing it as the only means through which his dreams could be realized . it was his son ' s dream of happiness . to accept the money paid as compensation for his death would be a betrayal , not only of the young man , but also of the dreams he cherished .
once the coffin has been opened vannihamy is no longer nagged by his relatives or harassed by the village ' s government officer to accept the compensation money . after breaking the official seal on the coffin it is no longer possible to apply for the money .
in the final sequences of the film we see vannihamy as we saw him at the beginning—a confident man at peace with himself . he comes to the village tank to fetch water , and listens eagerly to a ripple of laughter coming from the children bathing in the river . a scarcely perceptible smile comes to his lips—perhaps he remembers how his son used to play in the river . here the expectant yet deeply melancholic mood , which had till then had gripped vannihamy as well as the spectator , seems to slacken as an unexpected downpour patters on vannihamy ' s shoulders .
this deceptively simple film , which has been widely praised at many international film festivals , makes clear that the war has no popular support but has been unexpectedly and forcibly foisted by the sri lankan state onto the people , including the poverty - stricken sinhala farmers living in the north . it should be seen by all those seeking to understand the human consequences of sri lanka ' s civil war .
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the book also contains reviews , notes on the government’s controversial banning of the film and the supreme court’s subsequent verdict .
reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page .
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after an explosion kills a man ' s ( joe abeywickrama ) son , the government offers him compensation , but he refuses it .
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grieving over the death of his son , a blind and superstitious sri lankan brickmaker causes family conflict when he refuses to accept government compensation for his loss .
logline : a young reporter dares to cover press freedom in one of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists – sri lanka .
synopsis : despite the dangers involved in working for the tamil newspaper uthayan in jaffna , young journalists like thadsa still join their ranks . apart from the chief editor , uthayan does not have a single news journalist over the age of 40 . as they grow older , young journalists come under family pressure to find a safer job . thadsa is passionate about reporting and wants to cover a story on a journalist who disappeared in 2007 , and look into the ongoing restrictions to press freedoms in sri lanka today .
kannan arunasalam , director kannan is an award - winning filmmaker , narrative journalist and media consultant who uses documentary , photography and multimedia forms of storytelling . his work has appeared in the guardian , the new yorker and broadcast on bbc and al jazeera english . kannan’s films have been screened at international documentary festivals and selected as the best documentaries from south asia for 2011 - 12 and 2013 - 14 . his first film ‘kerosene’ ( 16 mins ) won best documentary short at the south asian international documentary festival 2013 , seattle . his subsequent documentary short ‘the story of one’ ( 19 mins ) won the manuel rivera - ortiz foundation grant prize , 2013 .
the film set , in post war sri lanka , brings us close to two characters who collide quite accidentally , and through them we experience the deep and seemingly unbridgeable chasm that conflict almost always creates . will love help them cross the bridge ? or will the past continue to color the present ? a man and a woman from the two ends of the thirty - year - old bloody civil war in sri lanka discover that the color of love is blue , and life , shades of grey .
synopsis : grieving over the death of his son , a blind and superstitious sri lankan brickmaker causes family conflict when he refuses to accept government compensation for his loss .
august sun , set in sri lanka during the mid - 1990s and tells three simultaneous stories against the backdrop of the country’s savage civil war ( 1983 – 2009 ) chamari ( nimmi harasgama ) is searching for her husband , a sinhalese sri lankan air force pilot shot down in flight , whom she believes has been taken prisoner by the tamil tigers . desperate to know the truth , she enlists a sympathetic journalist and sets out on a journey to track him down .
28 original title : 28 genre : drama director : prasanna jayakody cinematographer : chandana jayasinghe cast : mahendra perera , semini iddamalgoda , rukmal nirosh synopsis abasiri’s wife suddhi abandoned him a long time ago . now , abasiri and his young friend mani are summoned to identify a woman who was raped and murdered in colombo . hiding his distress after the shocking discovery that it’s his own wife , abasiri embarks on a strange journey with the coffin back to his village where rumours about suddhi’s demise are already spreading .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
ayurveda treatment in sri lanka - dr . ( mrs . ) seetha p . ranasinghe arachchi athukorala
the film , the fourth by prasanna , has won the grand prix award at the amiens film festival , the international critic ' s award - fribourg and best actor ( singapore ) .
the film written and directed by prasanna himself is woven around a blind father - wannihami ( joe abeywickrama ) who refuses to believe that his son is dead .
the lake on the edge of the jungle is almost dry and he collects water from what is left in the lake , but he knows the rain will come soon .
the day rains fall on the day that his soldier son ' s body , which is in a sealed coffin , is buried . wannihami who firmly believes that he is alive strongly refuses to sign the papers which will entitle the family to compensation for his son ' s death .
finding a dramatic premise for a film is important to me ,
says prasanna , adding that it is the major guiding principle in his search for truth through medium of film .
so far , all my films have tried to portray the mediocrity of everyday conventional living and how conformity to social rules can hinder a person ' s search for happiness and the truth about himself or herself .
prasanna directed his first film
sisila gini gani
( ice on fire ) in 1992 and the second , anantha rathriya ( dark night of the soul ) in 1996 . his third film pawru walalu ( walls within ) in 1997 went on to win the best actress award at the 1998 singapore film festival .
commenting on his films prasanna says :
my films have gone against the grain of sri lankan filmmakers in many aspects . the most obvious difference is the length of my films .
i wanted to make films in the way that european , japanese and other filmmakers do , which means i had to pay attention to details . i believe that persevering with the search for truth invariably leads to brevity and sometimes even silence .
the art director of the film is k . a . milton perera while the director of photography is m . d . mahindapala .
it is produced by makota ueda ( nhk ) and prasanna vithanage productions . [ sas ]
h is name is well - known within the film making industry , but not outside of it . having actively contributed to 34 films as an assistant director , danesh lanka peiris remains a very silent personality .
i did not want to go after publicity and just concentrate on my work ,
danesh says .
after completing formal education at mahanama college , kollupitiya , danesh entered the film world with the support of his uncle - hemasiri sellapperuma - a very popular sinhala film director .
since the beginning , i have been interested in the technical side of film making , which helped me to get an in - depth knowledge about the film industry .
the first film he worked on as an assistant director was
chandingeth chandiya
directed by sellapperuma . among his other films are
neva gilunath ban choon , nommara 17 , uthura dakuna , salambak handai , asai bayai etc . most of these have been screened over 100 days breaking records on the local silver screen .
during my film career , i was able to associate with top stars of the local silver screen and i got an opportunity to work in countries like india , thailand and england as some of the films were shot overseas .
apart from being an assistant director , danesh has already touched film production . so far , he has produced one film
soorayo wedakarayo .
washington ( afp ) - with the tragedy surrounding last week ' s devastating attacks seared into the american consciousness , us movie studios have taken steps to re - edit or delay the release of films depicting scenes now considered insensitive .
among the rejigged productions are several featuring the now - destroyed twin towers of new york ' s world trade centre and some with terrorists as characters .
bad company
, an action - comedy starring anthony hopkins , has been pushed back indefinitely from its scheduled december release because terrorists , of various ethnic extractions , are the
bad guys
in the film , which also features a suitcase bomb on the verge of detonation , the hollywood reporter trade magazine said thursday .
the film was made by walt disney , which announced immediately after the september 11 attacks it would also postpone the release of
big trouble
, a comedy about a bomb in a suitcase featuring fbi agents .
another high - profile casualty of the attacks is arnold schwarzenegger , whose
collateral damage
, a story of a man seeking revenge after a terrorist bomb kills his family in a skyscraper , was a yanked from its october 5 release .
among the films in production being re - tooled to remove potentially offensive scenes is
men in black 2
, a sequel of the 1997 hit starring will smith and tommy lee jones .
a scene filmed against the backdrop of the twin towers will have to be re - shot , the producers of the film told variety , the entertainment industry trade daily .
also , a trailer for
spider - man
, a live - action movie featuring the comic book - hero bitten by a radioactive spider , has been pulled from theatres because it shows bank robbers trapped in a spiderweb spun between the twin towers . the scene is not in the movie , which is going ahead virtually untouched .
and hong kong action star jackie chan is having
nosebleed
, a film he was about to begin filming , completely rewritten because it originally portrayed him as a window cleaner on the world trade centre who battles terrorists targeting the statue of liberty , media reported .
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eighteen years ago , young journalist , attached to now defunct newspaper ' sun ' , left the job to take up music as a full time occupation .
nobody expected him to lead his band for almost two decades , but he did through storms , ups and downs .
sajith muthukumarana , the leader of the band ' ecstasy ' has never taken ' no ' as the answer .
1985 - little hut night club of mt . lavinia hotel 1986 - 87 ' sunset night club
of browns beach hotel , negombo , 1988 - 89
colombo 2000
of le galadari meridian , 1990 - 91
peacock night club
of mount royal beach hotel , and again from 1991 to ' 96 ' little hut ' for a second time and then taj samudra hotel from 1997 - 2000 to name a few .
' other than these venues , special mention must be made about ' coral gardens hotel ' hikkaduwa where the band played long contracts since 1986 , and
bentota beach hotel
where we still continue to perform , ' said sajith .
in addition to local commitments , ' ecstasy ' has performed a three month contract in singapore in 89 / 90 and a couple of shows for the ' lanka lions ' in doha , qatar in 1996 .
a unique feature in the band is the versatality that they have shown in adopting well to the musical requirements of the venue , be it night club or hotel lobby .
the present line up is a mixture of experience and youth , which has been combined correctly to create a feeling of ' ecstasy ' .
sajith mutukumarana who has been leading the band from the inception is in overall charge , looking into all aspects of the business . all practices and musical arrangements too are under the strict scrutiny of sajith .
then there is ranjith perera on bass who has been a steady part of ecstasy far a long time since 1991 , and clifford de andrews who needs no introduction in the field of guitar artistry also has been with the band for over 7 years . then comes the talented drummer with a voice to remember marian francis who joined the line up about 3 years ago .
the newcomers to the band who joined this year are nishantha abrew on keyboards and chaminda dantila , a very versatile singer on vocals , both of whom have rock / folk inclination as well as oriental flavours in their music .
the band is on the lookout for a dynamic frontline female vocalist who could be ready by the season .
if we find someone good and matching we will take her on permanently , otherwise we intend to session work with the present day female vocalists in the scene as and when the need arises ,
says sajith .
ecstasy is now ready for the kill in the new century and is looking forward to the first ever season of the new millennium with a wider repertoire than even before .
the fourteenth ' international jazz festival ' will be held from may 20 to 27 on board the ' azur festival lines ' cruise ship .
azur - festival line cruise ship is a floating three star hotel with all modern facilities including swimming pool , a cinema , casino , a gym , a couple of specialized restaurants and five bars .
the jazz festival will feature over fifty musicians from around the world and this will be the first time this type of festival being held on board a ship .
the popular groups include ' the festival all stars ' ( usa ) , the three divas ( usa ) , oscar kleins jazz show , ' blue galore ' with guitar crusher & tommie harris trio ' , ' the swing men 2000 ' , ' lady bass and jazz ladies ' , ' johnny rogers and the midnight soul show ( usa ) , ron ringwoods gospel messengers ( usa ) , and paris washsboard ( france ) .
the whole festival includes 80 concerts on five indoor and outdoor stages . the music ranging from new orleans and mainstream jazz , blues , gospel , ' rhythm & blues ' , dixieland to ' swing and soul ' .
the cruise starts at the greek port pireaus and sails for seven days through the blue waters of the mediterranean - italy , malta and greece . the ports of call are savona , capri , catania , malta , katakolon , corfu , dubrovnik and venice .
the local agents for this cruise is ' kontiki ' , which brings a new wave in the local travel business .
there will be special programmes with constantly changing line - ups . the open jam sessions will be another attraction .
the exciting trips in the ports of call to places of historical and cultural interests will also be arranged through ' kontiki ' .
according to a spokesman from kontiki , festival cruise has a special workshop for gospel , jazz and blues on board .
' this would be an extremely relaxed atmosphere without a dress code required elsewhere , ' he added .
i have gone past ' habarana ' many times , but never bothered to take a look around .
when they say ' habarana ' , the main thing that got into my mind was dry , dusty and sticky heaty weather .
but i never expected the ' lodge ' to be different from most of the hotels in the area .
swimming pool , a / c rooms , posh dining area , wild life excursions , are the common sales points of the hotels in the cultural triangle . but the ' lodge ' has something more with extra weight . the trees .
the main attraction of the hotel is the greenery . ' most of the trees were saved in the area , when the hotel was built nearly eighteen years ago ' .
that ' s what i believed before the manager suraj perera explained and said that they all came from mahaweli area now under water .
the ' lodge ' is set in a 27 acres land with hundreds of big trees by the beautiful habarana ancient irrigation lake . the air is pure and filled with the songs of exotic sri lankan birds . some people do come for ' birdwatching ' and to spend the night by the lake on a tree top .
this sounds mad but believe me it ' s facinating and romantic . the lake was tranquil and beautiful and it is out of the world for lovers . apart from the scenic beauty , the ' lodge ' provides 53 chalets with 150 rooms with a / c , balcony or terrace , hot and cold water , and with absolute privacy .
' the lodge is the first resort hotel in sri lanka to get iso 9002 certificate and is now working towards the iso 14 , 000 top grade certificate from the iso , ' said the manager suraj perera .
the main restaurant is by the pool and a spacious open sided place . this serves western , eastern , chinese and international cuisine with seafood specialities .
' but most of our guests both local and foreign like to taste the traditional sri lankan food specially from the area , ' mr . perera said .
theme nights , special bar - b - q buffets are some of the attractions of the restaurants .
' we serve local cuisine on traditional clay pot style and show cooking is another attraction , ' the manager said .
the lodge is centrally located in the cultural triangle and is just one or two hours drive from important places . the lodge is a plendid place to explore the ancient cities like anuradhapura , polonnaruwa , sigiriya , dambulla and minneriya wildlife park . ritigala , pidurangala and the surrounding areas .
the architecture used in the lodge are more similar or has the influence of ritigala of 5th century bc .
' the pathways and the buildings were almost similar or influenced by that era , ' suraj said .
veda aspuwa with traditional herbal treatment draws large crowds at the ' lodge ' .
large grounds for cricket , tennis , badminton , jogging track , indoor games , fishing , elephant safaris and calypso music are some of the recreation and entertainment activities available at the hotel . also ' lodge ' has conference facilities with a large hall for 90 pax .
with all these modern facilities and the scenic beauty , ' lodge ' has become a
park
.
it is after15 years , neil alles is bringing his stage play
sihina sappuwa
( the dream shop ) in to the limelight again .
the play that won the most popular stage drama award at the sama drama festival as a new production was first staged in 1984 and had to stop due to many reasons .
' sihina sappuwa ' which speaks about the problems of the youth is more appropriate to today ' s society than the time that it made . the problems discussed at that time now has worsened , said neil reasoning that made him to bring back the play .
i made the play after 1971 insurrection where thousands were killed and highlighting the problems relating to education unemployment and war and poverty ,
he added .
compared to eighties era , the war has become a part of every one of us and one reason that lead me to bring back the play was that at least some one must be alert about these problems
.
according to him the problems of the youth are now just covers up without searching permanent solutions .
starting from the part he played as
chutte
in
kelani palama
( kelani bridge ) neil alles has been playing over 50 stage dramas up to recently staged dharmasiri bandaranayke ' s
trojan kanthawo
( thetrojan women ) and sunethra sarathchandra ' s
yerma
, including famous plays like
tharawo igilethi
,
avi
, and
gajaman puwatha ,
etc .
neil alles , an actor in profession also had played over ten tele dramas including
bumuthurunu
,
du daruwo
,
gajaman nona
etc .
playing many roles in the stage for last three decades , neil alles still believes that the stage which gave him the recognition in the world of arts is above the cinema or the teledrama .
as one can not forget the mother who gave birth , i can not forget the stage
, said with his loyalty to the stage .
the professional stage drama actor is not in a happy tone when he is speaking about the present youth who are taking in to stage .
nowadays the younger generation use the stage only to make a name for them . they come to stage not with the idea of staying there whereas we played without expecting any financial benefit ,
.
but we really enjoyed those hardship instead of thinking about them as burden ,
said this well experience actor .
speaking on the stage dramas that brings nothing except humor and the plays that are produced for only commercial benefits , neil said
people are ready to pay a price to get momentarily happiness . this has lead to produce plays with any taste just to earn money . but the with the hardships we experienced we can ' t make the stage a place of a business
.
when asked about the steps to make the stage more popular place among the public neil allas said
firstly everyone must go for stage drama . and must find solution for the main problem face by the producers , the way to find the finance
.
there are so many sponsors for sports but no one going to sponsor for a play which is also important for the upliftment of our culture and tradition
, he said . he also admitted that there are lot of talented youngsters among us whom without anyone to back them to come up .
neil allas is ready to take his ' dream shop ' through out the country .
my idea is to put all earning from the play to produce another ,
said with many plans to take more people to theatre in our country .
prasanna withanage must be one of the few directors in the country , who were fortunate enough to have won awards locally and internationally for all the films he made .
though quantity wise the film done by prasanna is not immense he has take the film world by storm .
the four films he directed were ' sisila gini gani ' ( ice on fire ) in 1992 which won nine ocic awards including best director , best actor and actress ,
anantha rathriya
( dark night of the soul ) in 1996 participated in several international film festivals and won jury ' s special mention at the 1st pusan international film festival and won main awards at the 1996 sri lanka film critics forum awards including most outstanding film , best director and script writer .
pawuru walalu
( walls within ) in 1997 won the best actress award for nita fernando at the 1998 singapore international film festival and ten awards at the sri lanka film critics forum awards .
after viewing his film ' anantha rathriya ' ( which is not yet released here ) , japanese broadcasting corporation ( nhk ) selected prasanna withanage among the asian film directors for sponsorship of his next film .
from the day i received the letter from the nhk selecting my next film for production sponsorship , we had to work really hard on the film . it was a hectic period where we worked 18 hours a day . the full period was unforgettable
, prasanna said .
the award winning film maker describing the encouragement that awards bring he said
awards are not to be kept in showcases but they give stability to filmmakers to stand independently and bring out their creative talent .
when went to madawachchiya to find locations for this film i had to mould the script according to what i saw there .
the half built houses started by the youths who had joined the army and were killed in battle ; the parents who are waiting for their sons and the gramasevakas who has lists of people who had joined the army are part of the scenario . when i was going there for three years there had been no rain to cultivate in the area and youths had no other job than joining the war .
of filmmakers who thinks only about its commercial benefits , prasanna withanage said ,
the film is not a commodity for sale . it is an expression of ones self . there are two kinds of people i know in this world . they are people who exploit the world for the mere purpose of earning money and people who genuinely care about human beings
.
salelu warama
is the latest film of creative script writer and director wasantha obeysekara .
the film in which the major part is over and is to be mixed soon . ; said the obeysekera . ' salelu warama ' an adaptation from a true incident was filmed in the areas of horana and akuressa took 27 days .
starting from the film
wesgaththo
in 1970 , mr . obeysekara ' s tenth film is his latest
salelu warama
. among the films he made some of them were landmarks in sri lankan film industry .
award winning films
palagatiyo
,
dhadayama
,
kedapathaka chaya
and
maruthaya
were some of them which became very popular among the filmgoers in this country .
the film maker ' s last film was
theertha yathra
, in which he made a story around adopted girl , who later go in search of her parents . there he brought out the idea that we are not belonged to anyone and it is meaningless going on thinking about who am i .
the story in
salelu warama
is around two university students and one student who passed out from there .
the film is based on a triangular conflict a around tragic love story . speaking on the completely different theme from all his other films , obeysekara said that the film tells ' how far correct is the judgment we make about others and how dangerous they could be ' . sometimes we tend to hide the real side of us due to this judgments make about us and the judgment we make about others .
ultimately we are not what we are we have given a different picture about us
, he said .
the cast in the film comprise tony ranasinghe , kamal addararachchi , sangeetha weeraratne , pradeep senanayake , nayana kumari and others . jayanath gunawardena is behind the camera in
salelu warama
, while elmo halliday was the editor .
film score of the film is by the well experienced music director rohana weerasinghe and the script written by wasantha obeysekara .
the film was produced by sarath abeysena who produced mr . obeysekara ' s earlier film
dorakada marawa
, .
the award for the best short film at the mumbai international film festival for documentary , short and animation films this year was bestowed upon s . sriram , for his debut film titled ' blindfolded ' . hailing from chennai , this young cinematographer is equipped both with experience as well as a diploma in film from the adyar film institute . he has gained practical experience from the training and guidance he achieved through assisting santosh sivan , a renowned indian film director , in the making of ' malli ' and ' the terrorist ' .
sriram ' s twenty - four minute short film is based on the theme of child abuse in cities . this is a social problem that is occurring profusely in all the mega cities in asia . sriram himself admits that as far as social change is concerned his film is but only a ' drop in the ocean ' . however , his debut attempt in directing has at least created some awareness among the public .
the film portrays the life of a little girl - selvi , in a slum community , with a drunk for a father and a trollop of a mother . the whole film is shown through the eyes of the little girl who struggles valiantly to improve her miserable existence despite the constant physical and mental abuse by her uncaring parents .
the giant wheel at the fair symbolises the fantasy - like aspirations of the child whose eventual desire is focused on riding it .
she gets the chance to ride it after all , but her actions culminate in disaster . she is accused by her demented household of stealing ten rupees to go to the fair , and is thus brutally punished by being doused with kerosene and burnt alive .
the child selvi is portrayed by shweta and ghanapriya takes the role of her friend amuda .
as most child actors , both little girls were quite spontaneous in their actions in front of the camera and relied very little on direction . hence , sriram adapted his techniques accordingly in order to make the children ' s spontaneity an attribute . despite the director ' s modest appraisal of himself , ' blindfolded ' is sure to attract a lot of international attention throughout the coming year .
the story revolves around the difficulties faced by this young man both mentally and socially in his day to day life .
anil ( gamini jayawardana ) , who lost his father when he was a kid , was living with her mother ( suwinitha weerasinghe ) and his step father ( w . jayasiri ) . his step father is a funeral undertaker . anil grows up with a disturbed mind as he always see the coffins brought to his step father ' s shop .
when he becomes a young man he sees one of his friends being murdered by an unidentified gang . this incident aggravates his weak mental state further and he gets scared whenever the incident comes to his mind . his mentality does not allow him to reveal the incident to anyone . even though the family of his murdered friend wants him to testify before police he refuses to do so .
worried over his unstable mind his parents decide to send him to his aunt ' s place which they believe would give him an opportunity to overcome the situation . while at his aunt ' s place he gets married . but the change of environment or the marriage does not help to change his mentality but worsens it . as a result he loses his job and unable to bear the poverty his wife commits suicide .
it was written and directed by nimal ratnayake and produced by kapila kumara atupalage . the casts as follows : w . jayasiri , suwinitha weerasinghe , gamini wijewardana , chamila sanjeewani , granville rodrigo , g . r . perera , luxika fonseka , raja sumanapala , sriyani mahawatta and neela liyanage .