# Somaratne Dissanayake

Somaratne Dissanayake is a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter and producer. He was the Chairman of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation and the president of the Film Makers Guild of Sri Lanka (FMG). He is the winner of the most number of international awards for cinema in Sri Lanka. In 2007, he received Presidential award for directing Samanala Thatu (2006).

## Biography

Somaratne abandoned his life in Australia to pursue a film career in his motherland Sri Lanka. He started the stage play, Mee Pura Wesio in 1984 and then a television drama, Iti Pahan in mid 1990s. 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.In year 2020 he completed "Tsunami" the blockbuster film, and won many international awards for it. All of his films have been well-received, and almost every film has been a record success. He still holds the box-office record of films in the history of Sri Lankan cinema.
He is married to producer and television host Renuka Balasooriya.
In January 2015, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), only to resign later, for personal reasons.

## Awards and nominations

Sources
Awards :
| Year and Film | Award | Category | Result |
| 2000 Saroja | Chicago International Children's Film Festival | Liv Ullmann Peace Award | Won |
| 2000 Saroja | Dhaka International Film Festival | NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film | Won |
| 2000 Saroja | Pyongyang International Film Festival | Special Award of the Festival | Won |
| 2000 Saroja | Iran International Film Festival | Award for the Best Director | Won |
| 2000 Saroja | Kerala International Film Festival | Golden Crow Pheasant Prize | Nominated |
| 2000 Saroja | Singapore International Film Festival | Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Feature Film | Nominated |
| 2000 Saroja | Vesoul Asian Film Festival | Audience Award | Won |
| 2000 Saroja | 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 |
| 2003 Punchi Suranganavi | 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 |
| 2005 Sooriya Arana | Presidential Awards | Award for The Most Popular Film of the Year | Won |
| 2005 Sooriya Arana | Presidential Awards | Award for The Best Lyrics | Won |
| 2005 Sooriya Arana | 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 |
| 2005 Samanala Thatu | Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | HumanitasCamerio Award | Won |
| 2005 Samanala Thatu | Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | Jury Mention | Won |
| 2005 Samanala Thatu | 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 |
| 2008 Siri Raja Siri | Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Best Children's Feature Film | Nominated |
| 2008 Siri Raja Siri | Mexico International Children Film Festival | Jury Mention Award for Best Film | Won |
| 2008 Siri Raja Siri | Argentina International Children Film Festival | Signis Jury Award for the Best Film | Won |
| 2008 Siri Raja Siri | Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | CamerioHumanitas Award | Won |
| 2008 Siri Raja Siri | 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 |
| 2024 | Sinhabahu | Director, screenwriter |