Descriptiion:
Sarasaviya Awards are the
most prestigious awards presented to distinguished
individuals involved with the Sinhala cinema, each year by
the Sarasaviya weekly newspaper in collaboration with the
Associated Newspapers Ceylon Limited- Lake House, Sri Lanka
in recognition of the contributions made by them to the Sri
Lankan film industry. Just like the Oscars for the Hollywood
fans and Filmfare Awards for the Bollywood fans, it is the
Sarasaviya Awards for the Sri Lankans.
The
Sarasaviya film awards ceremony began in 1964 at a time when
the local cinema was trying to shed its South Indian
orientation and establish an indigenous identity. There was
no need to go to India to make films any more and the era of
Indian artistes too had ended. The first Sarasaviya film
festival was held on May 9, 1964 at the Asoka Cinema Hall,
Colombo, 17 years after the first Sinhala film screened. By
then a series of good Sinhala films like Podi Putha, Rekhawa,
Sandeshaya , Ranmuthuduwa, Kurulubedda, Sikurutharuwa and
Gamperaliya had appeared on screen. Yet the main stream
consisted of simulations of Indian productions. The year 1960
is seen as the beginning of the golden era of Sinhala cinema.
The first Sarasaviya Awards Festival had as entries not only
the films screened in 1963 but also the films screened from
1960 to 1963. The best film, best director, best script-
writer, best actor and best actress were honoured that day.
Gamperaliya was regarded as the best film and it was awarded
to its producer Anton Wickremasinghe. Sir Lester James Peiris
and Regi Siriwardena won the awards for best director and
best script-writer, respectively and that too was for
Gamperaliya. D.R. Nanayakkara was awarded the best actor
title for his performance in Sikuru Tharuwa, another popular
film in the 1964 film festival. The best actress award was
bagged by Punya Heendeniya for her performance in
Gamperaliya.
http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2006/12/10342_spac
e.html
Sarasavi News Paper
Address : 35,
D.R.Wijewardene mawatha, Colombo 10.
Phone No : 011 2 429 429
Email : sarasaviya@lakehouse.lk
Web : www.sarasaviya.lk |
