August Sun

Ira Madiyama

Sri Lanka

2003

108 Min

Color

Sinhala, Tamil

Currently 4.7/5 Stars.
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SCR Priyath Liyanage, Prasanna Vithanage

CAST Peter D'Almeda, Nimmi Harasgama, Namal Jayasinghe, Mohamed Rahfiulla, Nadi Kammallaweera

MUSIC Lakshman Joseph de Saram

The film follows three separate stories during two exciting days in August 1996, when the Sri Lanka national cricket team played at the World Cup in Lahore, Pakistan and won the championship. The match commentaries on radio and television form a link between the different tales. The sports euphoria in the country coincided with the political commotion surrounding the breakdown of the first peace talks between the Sri Lanka government and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE). One of the stories follows a Muslim boy and his family who are thrown out of their village by rebellious Tamil Tigers. A second narrative line is about a soldier in the Sri Lankan Army who takes leave and, before returning home, visits a town brothel where he discovers that his sister is one of the `sex workers’. The third story follows the attempt of a young woman to receive news of her husband, who is missing as a result of Air Force action. The three stories focus more on the journey and search itself than on the results of the actions. August Sun is a film about love and the need to belong. Vithanage: `The individuals in this story are all caught up in the quest to look for what they have lost. They risk everything to achieve what they think is happiness. Here lies the never-ending search for love, dignity and identity. Here is a tale of human endurance. —IFF Rotterdam

Director

Prasanna Vithanage

Born in 1962, Prasanna Vithanage became involved in theatre on leaving school. He translated and directed Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” in 1986, and Dario Fo’s “Trumpets and Raspberries” in 1991.

In 1992, he directed his first film “Sisila Gini Gani” (Ice of Fire). It won nine OCIC Awards (Sri Lanka) including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.

Four years later in 1996 he wrote and directed the second film“Anantha Rathriya” (Dark Night of the Soul). It was based on Leo Tolstoy’s last novel “Resurrection”. It participated in several international film festivals and won a Jury’s Special Mention at the First Pusan International Film Festival. The film also won all the main awards at the 1996 Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards (affiliated with FIPRESCI) including awards for Most Outstanding Film, Best Director and Best Screenwriter.

“Pawuru Walalu” (Walls Within), his third feature in 1997 won the Best Actress Award at the 1998 Singapore International… read more

Born in 1962, Prasanna Vithanage became involved in theatre on leaving school. He translated and directed Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” in 1986, and Dario Fo’s “Trumpets and Raspberries” in 1991.

In 1992, he directed his first film “Sisila Gini Gani” (Ice of Fire). It won nine OCIC Awards (Sri Lanka) including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.

Four years later in 1996 he wrote and directed the second film“Anantha Rathriya” (Dark Night of the Soul). It was based on Leo Tolstoy’s last novel “Resurrection”. It participated in several international film festivals and won a Jury’s Special Mention at the First Pusan International Film Festival. The film also won all the main awards at the 1996 Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards (affiliated with FIPRESCI) including awards for Most Outstanding Film, Best Director and Best Screenwriter.

“Pawuru Walalu” (Walls Within), his third feature in 1997 won the Best Actress Award at the 1998 Singapore International Film Festival. It even won ten out of eleven awards including Best Picture and Best Director at the Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards.

His fourth feature “Purahanda Kaluwara” (Death on a Full Moon Day) of the same year, 1997, which he wrote and directed was produced by NHK (Japanese Broadcasting Corporation). It won the Grand Prix at the Amiens Film Festival. Initially banned by the minister in charge of film industry, it was released after a yearlong legal battle. It was given the release under the supreme court verdict. Since it has become one of the most successful film in the more than half a century history of cinema in Sri Lanka.

Prasanna Vithanage completed “Ira Madiyama” (August Sun) his fifth film in 2003. It went on to win many international awards and was featured prominently in the world festival circuit.
In 2007, Vithanage co-produced the hit film “Machan” a comedy about a group of working class con artists posing as a handball team, directed by “The Full Monty” producer Uberto Pasolini. “Machan” premiered at the 65th Venice Film Festival in 2008.

2008 also saw the world premiere of Prasanna Vithanage’s sixth feature film as director, “Akasa Kusum” (Flowers of the Sky) in Pusan, Korea and screened over thirty film festivals to wide acclaim winning numerous international awards.

Prasanna Vithanage developed a script for historical epic children of the sun for bohemian films and preparing for his first documentary for Delhi film archive. —Official site

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