Lanka Bandaranayake

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Lanka Bandaranayake
Born (1982-05-21) 21 May 1982 (age 41)
Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Occupations
  • Film Director
  • Producer
  • Actor
Years active1998–present
Notable workTradition (2016)

Lanka Bandaranayake is a Sri Lankan filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, actor, and theatre artist who mainly works in Sri Lankan cinema. She is known for the short film Tradition (2016).

Early life[edit]

Lanka was born in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. She finished her Bachelor of Arts degree (External) in 2016 from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka,[1] and in 2019 she received the ITEC scholarship to study a filmmaking certificate course at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institution in Kolkata.[1] She received a Chevening Scholarship in 2021 for her Master's Degree in Directing Film and Television, which she completed with Distinction at Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom.[2]

Career[edit]

Lanka started her career as a theatre artist in 1998 before making her breakthrough in filmmaking in 2016. She has been working as an actress and costume designer in theatre, teledramas, and films.[3]

In 2008, she was cast in Security, a short theatre play that was directed by Hewage Bandula. It was staged at the Colombo Theatre Fest for Young Audiences, 2008.[4]

Recognition for short films (2016–2021)[edit]

Her first short film, Tradition, was selected for more than 40 international film festivals, including the 71st Locarno Film Festival (Open Doors Screenings) 2018 in Switzerland.[5][6][7] 21st Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival in Canada,[8] the 16th IVY Film Festival in the US,[9] the 15th Filmfest Düsseldorf in Germany,[10] 14th VIS Vienna Shorts in Austria, Cannes Corner at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in France,[11] UK and other international film festivals.[12]

In 2019, she directed her second short film, Inheritance (2020), with the partnership of the British Council of Sri Lanka in the Female Filmmakers First program, and the film was produced by Agenda 14.[13]

Lanka was a jury member for fiction at the Sound & Image Challenge International Festival in 2018 and 2019[14] in Macau, and in 2019 she curated films from Sri Lankan Female Filmmakers.[15] Her third short film, Mahasona (2021), was officially selected for various film festivals.[16][17][18]

In 2020, Lanka directed "The Delivery" chapter on the anthology film Goodnight Colombo, a project borne during the initial phase of the pandemic. The Goethe-Institut, Sri Lanka and Agenda 14 had been eager to restart the Film Forum by showcasing a special preview of Goodnight Colombo.[19]

Feature film debut (2021–present)[edit]

In 2021, her debut feature film, The Hail, was selected by the Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program at Global Media Makers in Los Angeles.[20][21] During the program, she developed her debut feature film project, The Hail (Working Title), with Hollywood mentors and script consultants in Los Angeles.[2]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes Ref.
2016 Tradition Yes Yes Yes Selected for more than 40 international film festivals

70th Cannes Film Festival in France

71st Locarno Film Festival (Open Doors Screenings) 2018

Euro Kino Czech International Independent Film Festival 2017

[3][6][7][11][22][23]
2020 Inheritance Yes Yes Co-producer Partnership with British Council

Nominated for National short film award at 6TH JAFFNA ICF

[13][24]
2021 Mahasona Yes Yes Co-writer Non-competitive category in Cannes Corner, 74th Cannes Film Festival, France [16]
2021 The Delivery Yes Yes No Short film from an anthology [25][26][19]

Awards[edit]

Film Awards[edit]

  • Inheritance - Special Jury Award at the Colombo International Women's Film Festival 2020, Sri Lanka.[27]
  • Tradition - Special Jury Recognition at 9th SAARC Film Festival 2019, Sri Lanka.[22]
  • Tradition - Best Short film (Film student award) at 12th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2017, Indonesia.[3]
  • Tradition - Best Cinematography at Euro Kino Czech IIFF 2017, Czech Republic.[11]
  • Winner of the Culture and Creativity category at the Study UK Alumni Awards Sri Lanka 2024 [28]

Theatre[edit]

  • Punchi Janelaya - Jury Special Awards (Production) at National Youth Award Festival 2009.[29]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "EXPOSING PATRIARCHAL PRACTICES: Lanka Bandaranayake". ARTRA: 8. December 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2022-12-16 – via Artra's Emerging Artists Best of 2020.
  2. ^ a b "The Hail". Film Independent. Archived from the original on 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  3. ^ a b c Valentina, Vitali (2020). "Interview with Lanka Bandaranayake". BioScope: South Asian Screen Studies. 11 (1): 101–104. doi:10.1177/0974927620935762. S2CID 227249733. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  4. ^ "'Colombo Theatre Fest' for young audience". www.sundaytimes.lk. Archived from the original on 2023-11-19. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  5. ^ Weheraduwa, Nisanka (July 16, 2018). "ලංකා බණ්ඩාරනායක සහ ජූඩ් රත්නම් ලොකර්නෝ යති". Cinema LK. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b Guidicelli, Sara Rossi (6 August 2018). "Il cinema che apre le porte". Azione. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b कोसेली. "लोकार्नो डायरी महोत्सव". Ekantipur. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Revisit the 2017 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival" (PDF). 9 November 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Ivy Film Festival 2017 Official Program by Ivy Film Festival - Issuu". issuu.com. 2017-04-08. p. 24-25. Archived from the original on 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  10. ^ "2017 – FILMFEST DÜSSELDORF" (in German). Archived from the original on 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  11. ^ a b c "Tradition: Survival Of A Soul With Scars". asianmirror.lk. Archived from the original on 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  12. ^ "Film Festival: Contemporary South Asian Films by Women". FACT. 2019-12-09. Archived from the original on 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  13. ^ a b "Female Filmmakers First". British Council Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Sound & Image Challenge International Festival 2019 by Sound & Image Challenge - Issuu". issuu.com. 2019-12-03. Archived from the original on 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  15. ^ "Sound & Image Challenge International Festival 2019 by Sound & Image Challenge - Issuu". issuu.com. 2019-12-03. Archived from the original on 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  16. ^ a b "ලංකාගේ 'මහසෝනා' මෙවර කාන් සිනමා උලෙළට". The Leader. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  17. ^ "ලොවවටා ගිය ලංකාගේ "සම්ප්‍රදාය" YouTube අවකාශයට". Cinema.lk. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  18. ^ "TRADITION (LANKA BANDARANAYAKE) IMAGINEINDIA 2018". Imagine India International Film Festival. 9 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  19. ^ a b "Film Forum Online: Goodnight Colombo - Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka". @GI_weltweit. Archived from the original on 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  20. ^ "ලංකා බණ්රඩාණායකට හොලිවුඩයෙන් ශිෂ්‍යත්වයක්". Mirror Arts. 4 October 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  21. ^ "Sri Lankan director gets opportunity in Hollywood". THE LEADER. 4 October 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  22. ^ a b "Ninth SAARC Film Festival Award Winners |". Archived from the original on 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  23. ^ Aniballi, Alessandro (2020-02-09). "Tradition (2016) di Lanka Bandaranayake - Recensione | Quinlan.it". Quinlan (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  24. ^ "Unstoppable Jaffna Cinema Festival braves Covid pandemic". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2023-11-19. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  25. ^ Susitha, Fernando (11 July 2021). "Cinema Anthology by new filmmakers on pandemic". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  26. ^ "GOODNIGHT COLOMBO!". 2 October 2021. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  27. ^ Boyle, Asvajit (2021-01-09). "2nd Edition of the Colombo International Women's Film Festival". Agenda 14. Archived from the original on 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  28. ^ "Winners of Study UK Alumni Awards announced in Sri Lanka". Businesscafe. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  29. ^ "National Youth Services Council" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-11-24. Retrieved 2023-11-16.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lanka_Bandaranayake&oldid=1219737058"