Malaka Dewapriya (Sinhala: මාලක දේවප්රිය, IPA: [maːləkə deːʋaprijə][1] is a Sri Lankan film maker, visual artist, Sinhala Radio Play writer, short film and video director.[2][5]
Born in Sri Lanka, Dewapriya graduated with a BA (Special) from the University of Colombo in 2005.[2][4][6] After graduation, he received a scholarship for Video/Film/New Media at Akademie Schloss Solitude, in Stuttgart, Germany, from 2007 to 2008.[2][4][7] He received an Asia Pacific Artists Fellowship,[8] which partially supports his "short-term" residency as a visiting artist at the GoYang Art Studio, for visiting international and domestic artists, affiliated with the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, South Korea, from 2008–2009 ("5th period", "no. 671").[5]
He first became involved in theatre in 1989 and has Performed, written and directed several short plays as a student.[4] His later work engages a variety of the arts, including film, photography, theatre, and radio drama in his beginning .[9]
As a visual artist, he has created short films and video installations, several of which have been screened in international student competitions, other competitions, festivals and exhibitions.[2][4]
He has also done some other writing and editorial work in Sri Lanka, both as a student and later, according to his personal Website and his "CV" at GoYang Art Studio, both of which list such work and also screenings of his short films.[4]
He came into the limelight of the Sri Lankan cinema first as a student filmmaker. His first Short film Anxiety (Sammanaru) was judged best film of the National youth center Video Production (NYSCO) team in 1998. He was a student of the acclaimed Sri Lankan film maker Dr. Dharmasena Pathiraja. His short films have won international acclaim and helped establish a culture of student short films in Sri lanka. While he was still a student at the University of Colombo, on 9 June 2004, his short film Life Circle (5:31) was screened in the juried international competition program at the 10th International Student Film Festival, held from 5 to 12 June 2004, in Tel Aviv, Israel.[1][10][11] An interview conducted by Sachie Fernando and published in the Sri Lanka Sunday Times on 25 July 2004, observes: "This is the first time Sri Lankan Student’s film took part Recognized International film festival in history of Cinema of Sri Lanka."[9] According to another interview with Dewapriya, conducted by Susitha R. Fernando and published in the Sri Lankan Sunday Times, on 27 July 2008, "This was the first time a Sri Lankan student's film was chosen in an internationally recognized festival.[12] And the selection was a big step to re-establish short film culture in Sri Lanka."[13][14][15] Life Circle was also selected for screenings at two other student film competitions outside Sri Lanka, in 2004 and 2005.[16][17][18]
Another interview with Dewaprija, published in the Sri Lanka Sunday Times on 5 September 2004, points out that Exchange, a short experimental film whose context is "colonial Sri Lanka under the British rule," which he presented under the auspices of the University of Colombo, was "The first Sri Lankan entry" in the Tokyo Short Shorts Film Festival held in October 2004.[19] It was screened in Program A: Short Shorts: Ghost Short Shorts.[20]
His 30-minute film Transference won the Best "Silver TEN Award" in the Short Films category at the Mumbai International Sport Movies & TV (FICTS) Festival, first held in Mumbai, India, in 2006,[2][21][22] and was also screened at the South Asia Film Festival and other festivals that year.[4][23]
Today, another short film, which he made while at the Akademie Schloss Solitude in Germany, was selected to compete in "the final round of CinemadaMare Film Festival in Italy" in the summer of 2008; it competed "with over 150 directors around the world at the semi final round" (10–14 August).[13][24]
His article on the "Sri Lankan Experience of the Short Film", published in ArtSlant Magazine, states, "Recently, after I presented two of my short films titled 'Life Circle' and 'Exchange' in Tel-Aviv Student … Festival (2004), and Short shorts film festival Tokyo (2005), respectively, the dialogue about the short-film in Sri Lanka has resurfaced to a certain extent"; he goes on to focus on what having his films included in such student festivals meant to him personally and develops his own perspective on short film as an art form and an industry in Sri Lanka.[25]
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
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Directors | Screenwriters | Producers | |||
2018 | Bahuchithawadiya (The Undecided) | Yes | Yes | Yes | [26][27][28][29] |
The film is explored how the global village has confused the expectations and unrealistic desires of the youth in a world of consumerism. Developed world, the youth here are striving to find greener pastures in alien cultural and economic worlds. Social networks have provided these youth an opportunity in search of virtual visa to their fantasized worlds.
Film was screen as world premier at the 40th Moscow International Film festival 2018 NETPAC(Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema)in competition section[30] won Best Independent film award at Independents Film Festival in Karlsruhe, Germany [31] won Lester James Peris Special jury award for Debut Film - 34th Sarasaviya Film Festival 2018, won Special jury award for Best Direction - 8th SAARC Film Festival 2018, Won best Film at Cinema of Tomorrow 2017 Organized by Derana and Screened at 26th Loveisfolly International Film festival in Bulgaria 2018
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
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Directors | Screenwriters | Producers | |||
1998 | Anxiety (short film) | Yes | Yes | National Youth Services Council | [13] |
2002 | Penetrate (short film) | Yes | Yes | University of Colombo | [13][20] |
2003 | Exchange (short film) | Yes | Yes | University of Colombo | [19][20] |
2004 | Life Circle (short film) | Yes | Yes | University of Colombo | [19][20] |
2006 | Transference (short film) | Yes | Yes | University of Colombo | [13][21][32][33][34][35] |
2007 | Today (short film) | Yes | Yes | Akademie Schloss Solitude | [13] |
2008 | Malte (short film) | Yes | Yes | Akademie Schloss Solitude | [13] |
Since his school days he has written a number of various radio plays and submitted to produce to Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. He published radio play collections named "off with the head-(Uge hisa Ivarai)In 2005" and "May you attain comforts of worldly life in Japan-(Nihon Sapa Labewa)"in 2012.
2016 Earful of visual ( Kanata Parak ),[36][37][38][39]
Kanata Parak (Earful of Visuals), a dual audio CD anthology of 14 Radio Play collection an aesthetic revolutionary change in the sphere of Radio Plays in Sri lankan Radio history after 90 year. Earful of Visuals has vocally contributed nearly 40 Sinhala and Tamil prominent artistes. The Granted of this project by Artlink of FLICT aka GIZ[40] (Facilitating Initiatives For Social Cohesion & Transformation) and presented by Contemporary Art Commune.[41][42]
Volume 1 [43]
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Volume 2, [44]
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Malaka was declared as the Best Radio Drama writer award at the Sri lankan First State Radio Awards festival was held at the Nelum Pokuna Theater on 13 February 2017. It was organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, North-Western Development and Cultural Affairs, Department of Cultural Affairs and the State Advisory Board for Radio.[45]
Malaka Dewapriya was awarded again as the Best Radio Drama Scriptwriter in the 2nd State Awards festival at the Nelum Pokuna Theater on 12 February 2019. Iranganie Serasinghe and Ramya Wanigasekara won special jury awards for their performance in Dewapriya’s radio plays at the festival[46]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2017 | Rangadena Kapuwo (Trickster Matchmakers) | Best Radio Play writer | Won |
2019 | Indrajalika Magul Senakeli (Magical festival) | Best Radio Play writer | Won |
He entered the field of stage drama as a child actor in 1989. He has experienced with eminent young dramatist and contributed as an actor in National youth festival and State drama festival award winning productions such as 1991 The Plague(Mahamariya)By Upali Gamlath, 1992 'Shadows and Men(Sevaneli saha minissu) By Prasanna Jayakody, and 1993 'Kaspa', by Markwart Müller-Elmau 1994 Trojan of woman (Ghathakaswara) by Aravinda Hettiaachichi. As well He has involved as a stage manager with young dramatist Like Dhananajaya Karunaratna and Piyal Kariyawasam. As a student he has written and produced a number of short plays and he won awards in school, inter-school, all island competition as a best writer, director and actor. He Directed Harold Pinter's 'One for Road' play for Youth and State Drama Festival and won awards In 2001 as a University of Colombo production .
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International Artists Studio Program Korea, Changdong & Goyang, run by National Museum of Contemporary Art, now announces final result of the successful candidates on the Asia Pacific Artist fellowship program 2008–2009: Goyang art studio: … Yasuaki Onishi (Japan)[;] … Thu Kim Vu (Vietnam)[;] … Malaka Dewapriya ([Sri Lanka]).
Fellowships are awarded to artists who finished their basic studies not more than five years before applying to Akademie Schloss Solitude or who are not older than 35. University or college students will not be considered for selection. Several fellowships are also awarded regardless of the applicant's age. It is possible to complete a project within the framework of the fellowship. 50 to 60 fellowships are allocated every 24 months. Akademie Schloss Solitude has 45 studios at its disposal.
Young undergraduate Malaka Dewapriya talks to Sachie Fernando of his local and international exposure in drama and cinema.[Interview with Dewapriya.]
Student filmmaker Malaka Devapriya's short film 'Life Circle' has been selected for the Chimera 25th Anniversary Digital Video Student Film Contest, in New York.[Interview with Dewapriya.]
[Student filmmaker] Malaka Dewapriya … left for [the] Netherlands to participate at the International Competition of Cinestud's, Amsterdam this year. [His] contribution is his [short film] 'Life Circle'. … On a scholarship, Malaka is presently undergoing his higher education on 'film, video and new media' at Akademie Schloss Solitude in Germany and [another short film] 'Today' is one of the production[s] he did in Germany with production support of the academy.[Interview with Dewapriya.]
A short film 'Exchange' made by young filmmaker Malaka Devapriya has been selected for the final round of the 'Shorts Shorts' International Short Film Festival. The festival scheduled for October is a competition that runs parallel to the Tokyo International Film Festival. … The film is a presentation of Cinema and Photographic Society and Media Unit of Colombo University.[Interview with Dewapriya.]
[The India FICTS Festival] is the most active and fastest growing festival movement in India. Set in the heart of India's Film world[,] Mumbai and 'Bollywood', where close to 1000 films are made every year, [Ten Films] and [FICTS] have joined hands to organize the Sport Movies & TV India FICTS Festival. ("About the Festival")
All films with English subtitles. … 30 minutes. Sinhalese.
The biggest gathering of young Filmmakers in the world(Website for festival dates: 4 July – 16 August 2009): "CinemadaMare Film Festival aims to be the ideal formative experience for all filmmakers and cinema students: that kind of experience that achieves its goal – professional and human growth – through enjoyment and entertainment."
Young short-filmmaker Malaka Dewapriya's film 'Transparence' [sic] was screened at the 11th Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival, Israel.[The title of the film is misspelled; it is Transference, not Transparence.]
CD is supported by vocal contributions of nearly 40 prominent artistes. These include Jayalath Manorathna, Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, Saman Athaudahetti, Lucian Bulathsinhala, Hemasiri Liyanage, W. Jayasiri, Buddhadasa Withanachchi, Chandra Kaluarachchi, Ramya Wanigasekara, Rathna Lalani, Damayanthi Fonseka, Lakashman Mendis, Saumaya Liyanage, Kaushalya Fernando, Darmapriya Dias, Deepani Silva, Chandrasoma Binduhewa, Raja Ganeshan, Niranjani Shanmugaraja and several others. Theme music for the CD has been created by Lakshman Wijesekara.
Art linK supports creative blood. Following the advertisements placed in newspapers, 126 proposals came in.The twelve grantees and the work they are to do are as follows:Musicmatters, led by Sumudi Suraweera, Sivamohan Sumathy with Villimbuhal on artists, Kandy Kathak Kendra led by Veronika Dassanayaka, M. I. Jaffir, together with Sirahununi Production House, Sudath Mahadivulwewa, with X 10 Productions, A. Jathindra head the Social Development and Research Organisation’s (SDRO), Kalasuri Dharmasiri Bandaranayake led by Trikone, The Centre for Peace Building and Reconciliation (CPBR), led by Prof. Jayantha Seneviratne and Dilshani Jayaweera, Malaka Devapriya led by Contemporary Art Commune, Jayathilaka Bandara head NAFSO, Chandraguptha Thenuwara, working for Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts, Delon Weerasinghe led by Dreamforge.Art linK is a programme implemented by Facilitating Initiatives for Social Cohesion and Transformation (GIZ-FLICT) – a bilateral cooperation between the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, Local Government and Democratic Governance. .
The 2002–2003 National Drama Festival second round will be held at Tower Hall from July 14 to August 5 from 6.30 pm onwards. One unique feature of the festival is that length dramas and short dramas will be held together with alternative theatre.
Dharmasena Pathiraja is hardly known to the present generation as a dramatist but it is ascertained that his early career was committed to the theatre of Sri Lanka. Pathiraja's (‘Kora Saha Andaya’, which was scripted by him as an original play and directed by veteran dramatist Dhamma Jagoda in 1970; ‘Putu’, a Sinhala translation of a play by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Pathiraja himself for the State Drama Festival in 1971
As they do every year, Solitude fellows transform the Akademie's project space, located in the middle of Stuttgart's inner city, for the Long Night of the Museums. Fellows from the areas of architecture, video, visual arts, literature, music and performance will take part in the event in the Römerstrasse 2 outpost, which is used as studio and event space. … Participating artists are: Corinne May Botz, Malaka Dewapriya, Katalin Hausel, Matthias A. Megyeri, Donata Rigg, Helene Sommer, Roselyne Titaud.[Event announcement.]
Dr Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri who Senior Lecturer of the department of history at the University of Colombo, Writes Malaka's work is a challenge for the Sinhala Buddhists and it is expose the Sinhala Buddhist mind, highlighting what was between the material life of the Sinhala Buddhist and the ideological curtain covering such material lives. Therefore, he describe the Sinhala Buddhist readership cannot deal with these texts without being critical of him/her. Such is the political importance contained in these works of art.
a compilation of self-written radio-plays, one word can trigger a thousand visuals in a listener's mind. Malaka has compiled ten inspirational self-written radio-plays with rich content in his book. Amongst them, Nihon* Sepa Lebewa, Bhashmanthara, Mana Widamana and Nirabhishekana take reader on a trail towards a non-explored zone in human life.
Athulasiri Kumara Samarakoon who lecturer in Political Science, Social Studies Department, Open University of Sri Lanka, Writes 'Thematically, Malaka's plays are very rich and he has used his creative faculty to make an exciting experience for the reader. The reality that we talk about could always be 'out there', but still the 'unconscious' that we can never get explored totally is only an area to be explored by arts. Malaka has brilliantly examined the unconscious dimension of contemporary consumerist society, its human subjectivity and political economy in many ways shedding lights on some chosen characters from our own environment'.‘Malaka's attempt in a way fills the vacuum created by artists in the caliber of Sugathapala de Silva and Henry Jayasena who consciously used their creations to expose the ideology and politics underpinning the social and economic system forced on our lives by history's circumstances. So, the art of the epoch have to be conscious of such circumstances and the dialectical forces of the history and thereby work for liberating the human beings from the agonizing political, social, cultural and economic circumstances enforced on their lives. And Malaka Dewapriya belongs to that rare caliber of artists who have identified the human potential of making history of their choice and also the need for conscious effort towards such transformations'.
Description198p.; 20cm; Subjects-Radoi plays Sinhalese drama; ISBN 978-955-99772-0-9; SupplierBook Development Project; NLC NLC 891.482 DEV; Barcode-112016; Accession No-112016
Devapriya has collected eleven [sic] of his Sinhala radio plays broadcast over the last ten [sic] years. … Note: Prof. Sunanda Mahendra writes that there are ten plays broadcast over the last three years. But as Author [I] [m]ention there are eleven plays which [were] broadcast from [sic] Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation since [sic] 1996 – 2005 over 10 years.
Being an author publisher, Devapriya has collected ten [sic] of his Sinhala radio plays broadcast over the last three [sic] years.In his personal Webpage concerning Uge Hisa Ivarai: Radio Drama Collection cited above, Dewapriya provides this (hyperlinked) review published by Professor Sunanda Mahendra in the Sri Lankan Daily News: Artscope section, followed by his own "Note" correcting Professor Mahendra's mistake. Dewapriya's WriteClique.net profile reproduces the same ArtScope excerpt and "Note" as those that he has posted on his personal Website.
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